Posted by: Jack Mankin (MrBatspeed@aol.com) on Thu Nov 13 23:17:53 2008

>>> inverted top hand drill for quick loose hands? Have you heard of this and how does it work and what do I do? I was told to have my 10 year do this (don't know what it is or how do do this) and he will be hitting the ball harder than ever. <<<

Hi Kaos

I think you are referring to the “7-iron drill” I originated many years back to teach my students the principles of applying Top-Hand-Torque (THT). By inverting the top-hand so that the back of the hand faces the pitcher (four fingers and open palm facing the catcher) in the launch position, the only force the top-hand can apply at the handle during initiation is rearward. As the batter’s lead-shoulder rotation pulls on the bottom-hand, the inverted top-hand throws (or flings with the fingers) the bat-head rearward. This torqueing action really causes the bat-head to accelerate and the student gets a feeling for the forces they need to apply with the normal top-hand grip to attain maximum bat speed. – I now refer to this mechanic as “The Fling Drill.”

Kaos, I would be interested in knowing who else is teaching this drill.

Jack Mankin