Posted by: The Hitting Guru (hitman3527@aol.com) on Sun Apr 30 19:33:08 2006

Chuck. Thanks for the Albert Belle video. I was able to download 2 of the 4 clips. All, Albert Belle uses more upper body strength to hit than most hitters. He also had great batspeed, but did not appear to use much top hand torque in his swing. This is not to say that torque is not desired, but only to illustrate that there is no black and white when it comes to hitting. Since Belle was already confident with regard to the strength factor, he probably felt all he needed to do was take his hands to the ball. His hitting action is to take his hands straight back and come forward in one striking motion like a tree cutter would use an axe. Because of his upper body strength and his swing plane at contact his technique worked for him to the tune of MVP numbers. Had he had a better attitude he would be a first ballot Hall of Famer. I would challenge anyone to refute the effectiveness of Belle's technique with regard to his production.