Posted by: tom.guerry (tom.guerry@kp.org) on Fri Jun 29 08:51:50 2001

Dan- Let me do some more "field" research and get back to you.This may have to do with how bent the lead arm is or how the axis is tilted back to pull the bottom hand to hook the handpath.I'll experiment,and see what happens.
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> > > tom....i too will anxiously await your research....but in the meantime i would like to point out that "This may have to do with how bent the lead arm is".......my personal opinion is that a MAJOR distinguishing chacteristic between weight shift and rotation is how much the lead arm bends...the more it bends, the more the hands get ahead of the hips, and the more that hip rotation is impeded.......and i know (or at least think) that you are a firm believer in blastsystem.com's "elbow in the slot", and there is no way, even with the bat one bat length away from the fence that one can maintain the elbow in the slot with the fence that close...........but we all listen to you, tom, whatever site you post to, so i'll wait like everyone else for your results.....respectfully, grc......P.S. to Jack: what are YOUR thoughts?
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> Dan,grc-
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> The closest I could get to the fence without screwing up handpath was 18- 20 inches for a very inside belt high location and a 34" bat choking up a tiny bit.Mike's "extreme" drill is 12-13" and Mike explains his thinking in his forum post of 4/3 that this promotes a good start to the handpath only at a cost of preventing the full circular handpath,what he calls a "coaching truism" as opposed to a "mechanical truism".It works in his hands.I have not tried it.
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> I do on occasion use the fence drill for middle-in pitches at the players belly button distance(34" for 34 bat).Again this requires close supervision to make sure they don't revert to bat dragging.
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> The important principle for the arms is tight connection at initiation with hands then staying in.This does not require a straight lead arm,although,I think it is easier to learn this way as long as the hands load up and in behind the head and the front elbow doesn't lock.However,I see no reason why tight connection cannot occur with a bent lead arm.The back arm is just as important as pointed out by Paul Nyman,who is a big proponent of scapula loading as in pitching.The scapula needs to load with pinching of the back shoulder blade,and if torso rotationn isn't powerful and well synchronized,this loading will dissipate.The lead arm can be more or less flexed in supporting this as long as connection is good.Piazza's lead arm is flexed for the high inside location at:
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> http://www.setpro.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/000507.html

grc and Dan-

I'm surprised you two haven't followed up on the details of how "tight connection" at initiation happens-lead arm?back arm? both? how do they work together? what's the spectrum?You must be preoccupied with the fence drill.When you get a chance check out the archives here with Missouri dad and top hand torque and at setpro:

http://www.setpro.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/000243.html

http://www.setpro.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/000219.html

http://www.setpro.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/000247.html