Posted by: Jack Mankin (MrBatspeed@aol.com) on Thu Dec 16 22:28:03 1999

> Jack -
> In one of your previous posts,you simplified the description of the initiation of torque in the prelaunch phase( before the bottom hand has started forward)as if the bat remained in a plane parallel to the ground throughout the swing.In reviewing video of Griffey,Sosa and Mcgwire,I can't tell if the bat becomes less vertical in the prelaunch motion as a result of the hands going up and back together or whether this dropping of the bat toward the horizontal plane is part of the initiation of torque as the back elbow drops. Do you think there is a preferred orientation or velocity of the bat(in 3-D)
when the top hand starts torquing with respect to the bottom hand?<<<

Hi Tom

I can see what you guys have to go through trying to understand my description of top hand torque. Trying to get a visual picture of what someone is writing is tough. --- If I understand your question, you need to have the hands up near the armpit before applying pre-initiation torque. If it is applied earlier, before the hands rise to that level, the batter can’t torque the bat into the correct plain. --- Eric Davis had this problem. He started with the hands low and applied torque as he brought them up. This low-to-high position keep him from getting the bat into a consistent plain. When he was hot, he was hot, when he was not, he was not.--- I found no preferred orientation of the bat, the bat was in a variety of angles when torque was applied.

Sorry I couldn’t be of more help,

Jack Mankin