Posted by: Jack Mankin (MrBatspeed@aol.com) on Thu Mar 15 01:40:24 2001

>>> I was taught to grip the bat with the middle knuckles aligned. Kind of like cocking the wrists. Would this cause me to roll my wrists too early? Is it really a good idea? I'm in my thirties now and am attempting to generate more bat speed for softball. thanks <<<

Hi Jerry

The aligning of the middle knuckles grip is designed to be used with a downward or tomahawk type of swing where the bat angles downward in front of the batter and the elbows remain fairly close together during the swing. This means the angle between the wrist also remains fairly constant. But the swing plane of the better hitters have the bat accelerating downward ‘behind’ the batter. With this type of swing the angle between the wrist is constantly changing. --- below is a post I made earlier on the grip.

“One of the most important things to remember about the "grip" - is not to grip - at least not with the top hand mechanics used by the better hitters today. The angle between the wrist can constantly change during the swing. Too tight a grip can cause the wrist to bind (or roll) and cause an inconsistent swing plane.

Some of the major mechanical flaws I am observing while reviewing a players’ swing starts with the grip. In fact, I found it necessary to add a video clip to the Swing Reviews to explain the problems a hitter gets into from gripping the bat to tight or wearing sticky batting gloves. --- When most batters initiate their swing with a high back elbow (to apply more top-hand-torque) the top of both hands are almost in-line. This means the angle between the wrist are from 145 to 180 degrees. But as the hands approach contact this angle constantly decreases to about 15 degrees. If the grip is too tight or his gloves (or bat handle) will not allow the top hand to rotate (or slip) around the bat, there is going to be a large build-up of pressure on the wrists. Something will have to give!! This causes a decrease in bat speed and the bat wobbles through the swing plain. --- That's why Big Mac grips the bat very, very lightly with his top hand.”

Jack Mankin