Posted by: Graylon (g_dunc@hotmail.com) on Mon Nov 17 20:50:20 2008

> Jack, my son is attending a Mike Epstein hitting clinic this weekend. He is being taught a combination of rotational and linear mechanics. The hips open, then the shulders deliver the hands straight at the pitcher with the bat 90 degrees to the ball, until contact and then the hands "roll" after contact. Mike is also teaching the straight front leg and the tilt in the axis as a result of the batter "sitting" on his rear leg.
>
> I am a little confused as the instructor showed photos of Josh Hamilton and Barry Bonds the first evening claiming they use the same rotational hitting techniques they teach. However, in the photos they showed, neither had their hands moving in a straight (linear)path towards the pitcher. The only way to substantiate their hand position at impact would be the use of circular motion.
>
> My son also mentioned that the instructor told them not to watch the bat hit the ball. That seems a little radical, even golfers swinging at a stationary object must "look" at the ball, seems like baseball is even more important. Also, the photo of Josh Hamilton, shows his eyes looking down the barrel of the bat, at the ball making contact.
>
> MRH - confused


MRH,

I think you may want to further find out what they are saying about the hands. Epstein doesn't teach hands pushed straight at the pitcher in a linear fashion. He just doesn't emphasis a CHP. The hands are going to be circular unless you are pushing them straight out at the pitcher, which is not what Epstein teaches. In the drills your son is doing he is probably being told to finish over the shortstops head (right hand hitter) or the second basemans head (left hand hitter).

As far as seeing the ball at contact. Epstein wants you looking out in order to keep you from dropping your head and therefore rolling your chest forward and flattening the swing plane. If you notice on the pictures you saw (I may be wrong I havn't seen the pictures) Hamilton probably has his head up and looking "down" the barrel but he is behind the ball and his head is not tilted looking down at the ball. IMO seeing contact is very much misunderstood. IMO you can't actually see contact it happens to quick but you can track the ball farther with your eyes not by moving your head. If your head moves down you will loose the ball at some point. Epstein is just trying to get your son not to track with his head.

Graylon