Posted by: jima (andyii@cox.net) on Thu Jul 27 14:07:46 2006

I've posted on this site many times that I've experienced similar experiences with my 13 yr old son. After 3 yrs of rotational instruction his left shoulder was opening up too soon; the hands were going in circular motion, but the bat wasn't in the strike long enough to make consistent contact. He crushed inside pitches...foul. Outside pitches, changes and curves were death.
We found a new instructor who emphasized starting the swing with the right hip; moving the hands towards the ball; and then letting the right shoulder "push" the left shoulder open. His swing on inside pithces now looks "rotational"; but he is now able to hit outside pitches and curves to right field. He is a more complete hitter and has not lost any power. By the way, his instructor is the roving instructor for the Pittsburgh Pirates and had a 12 yr professional career....he does not call what he teaches "linear" instruction. That is the strawman that the rotational theorists use to have something to fight against.