Posted by: Jack Mankin (MrBatspeed@aol.com) on Tue Mar 9 16:33:24 2010

> Rose - Keys to CHP
>
> Overhead - CHP & Plate Coverage
>
> New video - Lead-shoulder rotation
>
> Note: I will address my thoughts on Slaught, Candrea and Enquest in a following post on this thread
>
> Jack Mankin

>>> Hi Jack,i

Your clips are very interesting. Thanks for the analysis. I am very interested in your thoughts on Slaught, Candrea, and Enquest. Have you posted them yet or have I missed them? <<<

Hi CDH

In response to your question, I searched YouTube to find video of the coaches you mentioned discussing swing mechanics. I did not find any clips of Candrea that covered the hand path or the role of the hands and arms. I would assume that since he made a hitting video with Slaught and Enquest, he would hold similar views.

Below is a video I found of Slaught and Enquest (two videos) discussing their views of sound mechanics.

Slaught

Enquest

Enquest -- Bat Drag

Their presentations follow two main themes.

Theme (1) -- During initiation, the action of the back-arm is similar to skipping a rock or making a side-arm throw. Both Slaught's and Enquest's demonstrations stress the point that the back-elbow should swing under to lead the hands. -- In Enquest's second video (Bat Drag), it appears she is definitely not in favor of the early rearward acceleration of the bat. She advocates keeping the bat close to the neck until the hands pass the center of the body.

Here are two videos from Batspeed.com that discuss the bat's rearward acceleration and the role of the back-arm during initiation.

Early Bat Speed -- Good & Poor examples

Principles of teaching THT

One of the main problems exhibited in many young hitters is with their back-elbow swinging under the armpit and in toward their bellybutton as they rotate. With some of my beginning students, their back-elbow swings under the armpit to a point even with the lead-elbow. This is one reason I find the "Like throwing a ball side-armed" cue to be counter productive.

Theme (2) -- In Slaught's video, he states that the lead-arm action is similar to that of "Throwing a Frisbee." He demonstrates the lead-arm starts boxed (or about a 90 degree bend) and then straightens out approaching contact. He believes this action will take the hands in a more direct path and keep the bat in the contact zone longer.

Below are a couple of Batspeed.com videos that address the role of the lead-arm in high level mechanics. Follow the lead-arm of these four good hitters and see if you find their lead-arm straightening out as if throwing a Frisbee.

Four good hitters -- Lead-elbow

Elbow trajectories in lower level mechanics

I have already discussed plate coverage with a CHP (circular-hand-path) in videos at the top of the post. In closing, I think it is important to point out that even if a straighter hand-path did keep the bat in the contact zone longer, the loss in bat speed and "Pop" generated from taking the hands in a more linear path would far overshadow any gain in that area.

Bat speed and the CHP

Jack Mankin