Posted by: BHL (Knight1285@aol.com) on Thu Sep 28 10:08:57 2006

> BHL...In theory, if we were to produce 2 differing apparatus. One simulating an angular swing (J approach) such as a hitter's swing and the second would be geared to hold the bat as if to bunt but could move the bat forward to the contact point in such a way as to produce the exact same bat speed as the J approach. Are you implying that the angular swing would produce a greater impact on the ball or are you saying that the angular swing produces greater bat speed with less effort than would a seperation of the hands/torso (linear to some people) swing? Also, do believe more in a swing as you turn approach to hitting or a turn to swing approach? If your shoulders should turn at least 90 degrees to hit a middle/in pitch, do you believe that your hips can facilitate this movement by staying perpendicular to the pitcher or get in a position towards 45 degrees? With kicking a football, are you also implying that the action of changing the swing plane of the leg produces greater force at impact? If so, could you explain your hypothesis?

Hi BobL,

I would be glad to explain my analogy. While I will concede to my detractors that kicking a football soccer-style is more of a curvilenear motion than the baseball swing, I do not necessarily think that both motions are mutually exclusive. My premise is that some of the smaller kickers who possess a powerful foot understands the same biomechanical principle that allows undersized hitters to accumulate great power. The principle to which I refer is clearly articulated by Joe Namath's "How to Play Your Best at Every Position," which argues that a circular path generates more speed than a linear path over the same time rate due to having "a wider range of motion."

I also recognize the "J" concept from Paul Nyman's site, which he deemed "fish hook" (probably based on the shape of the letter). The idea here is, as one decreases the width of the circular hand path during the swing, the angular acceleration (W) increases, "until the bat knob rotetes around the hands." Jack Mankin agrees with Nyman; however, he diverges with Nyman by opining that the "hook in the hand path" should be reached before or at contact, rather than after it.

I am not as familiar with postural adjustments for different positions; I need to do more research before I answer your question more throughly.

To be more precise, though, I will answer your question: fish hook (i.e., changing the radius of motion) allows both hitters and place-kickers to evolve to echelon that we see today on TV.

I will do my best to offer an informed opinion on your other question.

Best,
BHL