Posted by: Red Dog (gwils@brdwlaw.com) on Fri Oct 16 08:24:07 2009

I agree that all swings have similarities and it is difficult to swing purely rotational or that the linear swing differs from the rotational swing in every way. Some experts of the rotational swing actually teach extending the hands and arms through the ball. My experiece with the rotational swing has been very positive. It helps get the bat into the "Slot" prior to initiating the swing. I notice that you referenced getting in the "Slot" in your previous comments. Getting the bat in the slot helps to get the bat on plane with the ball. It also teaches the batter to generate bat speed early in the swing. Keeping the back elbow close to the side is critical not only to generating power but also to applying torque to the bat. So often the linear batter allows the rear elbow to come forward so that it is in front of the body when contact is made with the ball. In all baseball swings, as is the case in golf, rotation around a stationary axis is the major key in the generation of bat speed. A special point that Jack delineates on his websit is that the stride must be with a bent front leg. The leg straightens just prior to contact and the straightening of the front leg pushes the front hip rearward. This also allows the batter to stay back. This along with staying tight or connected with the front arm to the body (Jack calls it hook in the hand path) is a great multiplier of power. One of my biggest problems with the linear swing, especially when executed by a high school player, is that the hand path is straight forward toward the pitcher and is on a downward plane. That results on most of the players hitting with their arms and wrist. Bat lag, Bat drag, rolling the top hand, hitting the ball into the ground, hitting off the front foot and the loss of power come into play when a player swings the bat in this manner. Just hiding the hands from the pitcher and the inward turn, will make a player a better hitter. My recommendation is that you take a close look at this concept and give it a try. You will be amazed at the results. One more point, at all the college camps we attend the coaches have told us that the biggest problem with high school hitters is that they don't know how to load or when to load. The rotational swing has helped my son learn to load early and properly. Every time they see him they comment on his preparation to initiate the swing. This is the Pre Launch Torque that Jack talks about. It really helps to load properly when the ball is being pitched at 85 mph.