Posted by: Jack Mankin (MrBatspeed@aol.com) on Thu Mar 15 23:45:16 2001

>>> Jack,I think cues like quick hands,compact and keep your shoulder in there are good terms.I don't think of them as linear though.Palmeiro,says he clears his hips and throws his hands.He certainly has a great swing but cues the hands to be quick with rotation.Compact to me means he is not casting or lunging,he is tight with his rotation.Keeping your shoulder in there to me means not starting the shoulders before the hips or a little after the hips,but it certainly comes out with rotation. <<<

Hi RQL

If those cues you mentioned were you used as you described I would not have a problem with them. Your version of keeping the shoulder in there is fine, but with far too many coaches’ “quick hands” and “throw the hands” means to accelerate the hands with the arms while “keeping the shoulder in there. ” That is a prescription for a slap hitter. --- Of course we want the hands to “quickly” accelerate, but it should come from body rotation and not arm extension.

A great hitter does not keep his swing “tight and compact” by collapsing the lead elbow so he can extend his hands close to his body, but there are professional coaches (some have a wed site) who exhibit those mechanics when demonstrating “keep it tight and compact.” They actually believe that if a hitter rotates his shoulders as he initiates the swing – he is casting.

So the next time you hear a scout or coach use one of these terms, ask him to show you what he means by it. You may be surprised how many will fit the above description

Jack Mankin