Posted by: Jack Mankin (MrBatspeed@aol.com) on Mon Mar 12 21:14:06 2001

>>> I'm sure Tim Olson is putting some stuff together as I type this message (which means he has a day and a half as slow as I type) so I figured I would give you another URL to copy and paste (just to keep the juices flowing, hopefully). The clip will show A-Rod from a front view which may not be the best angle for observing the swing but on the other hand the front view may offer some tidbit of information for you. <<<

Hi Terry

I have found that you need both views (front &side) to really evaluate a hitter’s mechanics. In fact, if I could only have one view I would choose the front. I think the reason most coaches like the side view is because their main interest is in the batters’ lower-body mechanics. Data obtained from my charting of swings showed that the best hitters had far greater differences in their lower-body mechanics than with their upper-body mechanics. I found nothing conclusive with lower-body mechanics that would separate the average hitter from the great hitter. I did find traits in upper-body mechanics that that were only found with the best hitters. Some of those traits are better viewed from the front.

Jack Mankin