Posted by: Jack Mankin (MrBatspeed@aol.com) on Thu Oct 22 12:30:36 2009

>>> is this the response you give to the parents i am not sure this will convence them. do you have a better analogy i can use i know the top travel ball 18 gold teams in so cal are rotational but most of the rec ball teams in the county and some high school teams coaches throw this at me all of the time <<<

Hi Scotty

The short answer to your question is 'yes,' I do use the analogy of a submarine pitcher. For my students that voice the concerns you outlined, I show them video of rotational baseball hitters facing both high and low release pitchers. This is to point out to the student that good rotational hitters need not change their mechanics for balls rising or descending in the contact zone. They can clearly see that, for letter-high pitches, the mechanics and swing planes are the same for both high and low releases. After showing a few fastpitch rotational hitters hitting rise-balls, I use side-by-side comparisons. This points out that sound rotational principles are the same for both fastpitch and baseball.

I can fully relate to the problem you have with linear coaches. I have no problem in getting my students to grasp rotational principles. A good number of my fastpitch students' batting performance gained them Division l & ll Scholarships. I have received numerous distressed e-mails from these players asking what they can do when their college coaches demand they conform to their linear principles.

I do not have a good answer to their question. I am sure these coaches feel they have the player's best interest at heart. They are just teaching what they were taught. However, there is a bright spot. Things are slowly changing. Ten years ago, very few (if any) fastpitch coaches understood or embraced rotational mechanics. Today, a growing number of coaches are finally starting to 'get it'.

Jack Mankin