Posted by: John F. () on Mon Jun 18 23:04:58 2001

I was taking batting practice today, and I realized how important lead arm extension was. I focused on getting my lead arm extended across my chest during my "trigger" and keeping it extended throughout the entire swing. Doing this, I realized that you have to use rotational mechanics. It is impossible to "crack the whip" when you don't bend your lead arm. You have to use the legs and torso to PULL the bat through the hitting zone.

I also noticed that I had a tendency to want to bend my lead arm a little on a high pitch. To fix this I focused on making contact out in front of my body with my lead arm extended.

I really think this is one of the keys to rotational mechanics. Look at Ken Griffey of Mark McGwire hit a ball. They always make contact with a extended lead arm.