Posted by: Jack Mankin (MrBatspeed@aol.com) on Mon Feb 1 00:24:36 2010

Hi All

In the January 22 post below, I said I would develop a video clip of four good hitters concentrating on the relationship of lead-shoulder rotation to the acceleration of the hand-path. This "New Clip" has been added to the post.

For decades, I have often wondered why coaches stress the benefits of hip-rotation whereas they consider any mention of shoulder-rotation to be taboo. This site has often pointed out that the bat/hands/arms linkage is connected at the shoulders -- not the hips. It is bio-mechanically impossible for energy generated by the large muscle groups of the lower-body to reach the bat if the shoulders are held static. To fire hip rotation while keeping the shoulders disengaged would be like racing a car's engine while holding the clutch in.

The ultimate purpose for generating hip rotation is to engage a more powerful shoulder rotation. As the "New Clip" below illustrates, in high level mechanics, shoulder rotation is engaged to initiate the swing. Also note that the first movement of the hands is 'not' directed "Inside the Ball" - they are first accelerated perpendicular to the flight of the ball.

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(January 22 post)

>>> i have a good rotational hitter, constantly being told when the pitchers get better he will not be able to hit the low outside pitches.

Where does this come from?

Deep seated belief among old guard coaches why? <<<

Hi Djc

Major League pitchers are very capable of consistently throwing low outside pitches. If what the "old guard" coaches believed were true, there would be no rotational hitters in the Major Leagues. Red Dog did a good job describing the problem with these coaches in his post below. They have no understanding of why rotational principles produce greater bat speed with wider hand-paths than linear concepts.

I had the occasion to witness this yesterday. I went to a local batting facility to reserve a training area for a couple of students that are flying in for lessons. I observed two batting coaches stressing to their students the importance of "keeping their shoulder in-there" and getting their arms to full extension at contact. One of the coaches held the hitter's shoulder still to make the point.

I am bewildered that with all the video of the best hitters available, coaches could still hold this view. Although I would not have thought it necessary, I am going to produce a video of four good hitters concentrating on the relationship of lead-shoulder rotation to the acceleration of the hand-path. -- It should be ready in a day or so.

In the meantime, below is a post from the Archives that discuss initiation mechanics (THT) and its impact on the plate coverage and bat speed. The post also contains video of a good rotational hitter hitting home runs on both inside and outside pitches.

Inside/Outside Mechanics

"New Video" -- Four Good Hitters - Lead-shoulder

Jack Mankin