Posted by: Jack Mankin (MrBatspeed@aol.com) on Mon Sep 10 09:14:00 2001

>>>The last analysis seems spot-on. The hand pull/elbow down action it seems also takes care to ensure that the elbow stays somewhat wide of the rib cage, wider for outside pitches than inside ones that is. On inside pitches, it seems the pull draws the back elbow almost behind the body, dropping it nearly into the hollow above the kidney. No question, this early arcing of the bat back separates the good hitters from the others. Good hitters pull the bat back and rotate, while others push their hands at the ball. In any case, fine observations. <<<

Hi Melvin

I also think you made some fine observations. One of the keys to understanding how the mechanics vary for hitting the inside to the outside pitch, is to understand how the path of the back-elbow changes as the ball gets wider in the strike zone.

Jack Mankin