Posted by: Jack Mankin (MrBatspeed@aol.com) on Thu Feb 2 14:08:33 2006

>>> I've been having some problems with the hips in my own swing. First, is it possible to overfocus on the turning of the hips and lead leg extension? How do you teach how to blend shoulder rotation with hip rotation?
Second, your 3rd and 4th points about how to produce an effective swing (regarind the production of torque) sound exactly the same to me. Can you differentiate your points here? <<<

Hi Dougdinger

Always keep in mind as you practice that the purpose of all swing mechanics (lower body included) is to rotate the bat-head from the launch position around the swing plane to contact. To first rotate the bat-head rearward requires shoulder rotation and the top-hand applying a rearward force. The hips are activated to aid in generating that shoulder rotation.

However, if you concentrate only on inducing hip rotation without inducing bat-head rotation, the bat-head will quickly fall behind the power curve and its acceleration will not be in sync with hip rotation. You will complete hip and shoulder rotation, but leave the bat-head lagging 30 to 70+ degrees from contact.

I will address your second question later.

Jack Mankin