Posted by: Black Hole Lexicographer (Knight1285@aol.com) on Wed Dec 22 18:57:57 1999

> Hi Jack,
>
> I took the liberty of reposting here as a new thread some of our conversation regarding the role of w/s (or lack thereof) in the generation of bat speed. By the end of our interplay, we had strayed far from the original subject, and I also feared you might not see a couple of other questions I had tucked waaaay down at the bottom of the sequence.
>
> Here are some excerpts from the last few posts of that thread:
>
> Jeff:
> "What would be the effect on bat speed if all weight shift/linear motion were eliminated from the swing, provided that the timing concerns discussed in your reply to Burgess were somehow otherwise accounted for?
> "Again, I want to reiterate that I'm talking about weight shift and linear motion at any point in the swing, not just at contact. ... (Y)ou seem to downplay the potential conversion of linear to rotational force"
>
> Jack's reply:
> "Jeff, I believe the mechanics that develop bat speed are pure rotary and any linear segment would be unproductive."
>
> Jeff's follow-up:
> Are you using " 'bat speed' and 'angular velocity' or 'angular displacement' interchangably? Also, would you use 'linear segement,' and 'weight shift' interchangably? And, one last one, could I rightly interpret your last response to me to mean that, timing aspects afforded by the stride excepted, a batter could at lest theoritically eliminate all weight shift from his swing with no adverse effect on bat speed?
> "I know you have others to tend to, so a simple 'yes' or 'no' will suffice on the first two questions. A slightly more lengthy response might be needed if the answer to the third question is 'no.' "
>
> And Jack, actually I'd like to add one other question if I might: Do you base your statement that "the mechanics that develop bat speed are pure rotary and any linear segment would be unproductive" solely upon your bat/steering wheel knob experiment, or does other information figure in as well?
>
> Regards and happy holidays,
> Jeff

Greetings Jeff,
I believe that weight shift is effective for bringing both legs and hips to a given balance point, but do not generate power. What I mean is some players, like Mac and Sammy, start out with the weight on the back foot. They must shift it foward to achieve 50/50 weight balance, which, according to Hit Your Potential, is essential for generating hip rotation, 'because hip rotations rotate the fastest from a balanced point, and too much weight on the front or back foot translates into poor hip rotation.'

Steve Ferroli, the author of this book, would probably argue that Bagwell does have a weight shift, and takes a negative stride since he feels comfortable with most of his weight on the front foot. To reach balance, he must have a weight shift backwards.

In essence, the weight shift gets the hitter to a position where he can maximize hip potential through rotation of balanced hips, but is not, in itself, a direct factor in power. Consider it a contributant.

Merry Christmas,
The Black Hole Lexicographer
Knight1285@aol.com