Posted by: Dave P () on Fri Nov 17 15:16:25 2006

> Chris, I agree...that's why we don't do "rotational" instruction anymore.
>
> Hitman, where did you ever get the idea that some linear movement and rotation couldn't abide in the same swing? Maybe the issue is semantics (which it often is on this site of experts) but clearly I disagree with you...there are many teachers who have students move the hands laterally to load and also have the knee move in leveraging or lateral move to the toe while keeping the hands back. The hips and upper body stay square promoting a torque like relationship between the lower body and upper body...hands stay back; the back elbow relaxes next to the body to get connected. The lower half starts to rotate while the hands drive inside the ball...you continue to rotate around a fixed front leg with hands driving to contact. I agree that this style may not produce the same bat speed as pure rotation as taught here but I believe it produces more consistent bat control and plate coverage. Sorry about being so long winded. jima

Hey Jima and All

Squishing the bug is not an efficient way of creating rotational mechanics and does promote linear hand movement in many cases. I will now explain and all may question after.

Linear and rotational techniques are based on the direction of the hands being either straight or circular. Body motions prior to or during these hand motions will promote or distract from the direction of the movement. Most but not all linear hitters tend to start their motion forward with their hands where as rotational hitters are supposed to allow their hands to stay back until the lower body begins to rotate so that their hands go around with the rotating body.

Now we continue to squishing the bug. Since a rotational hitter is to keep their hands back until their lower body rotates ahead of it do this little experiment. Get into your batting stance and put your hands against a wall that would be in the direction of the catcher. Take your stride or no stride and start to squish the bug and try to keep your hands against the wall. Good Luck. The mechanics of squishing the bug makes the front shoulder open up and turn at the same time as your hips and therefore you can not keep your hands back. In order to keep your hands back your knee of your back leg must go linear towards the pitcher and the foot must remain pointing at the opposing batters box during this motion before staring to rotate.

Next point someone will say is squishing the bug promotes rotational mechanics because your hips are rotating. Since your hips and shoulders are rotating at the same time and your weight is shifting rearward as the bat crosses the center of gravity (mid point of your body) the hands must know begin to staighten their path in order to stay 'on the pitch'. Since the weight is going rearward the upper body is counter balanced by the heavier lower body and batspeed and extention distance are both affected in a negative way.

Think of this example of throwing a ball overhand ( a rotational motion of the body, shoulder and elbow to propel an object) would you ever throw a ball while squishing the bug with your back foot. The answer is no because just when you are trying to release the ball your lower body is going backwards and you have NO POWER to throw the ball. In batting just when you want to hit the ball out front your weight is going backwards and you lose power.

This is my take on this thread.

NOTE TO JIMA: 'The lower half starts to rotate while the hands drive inside the ball' statement is not quite what happens if you watch the videos. The hands do not drive forward with the rotation of the lower body they are pulled around by the shoulders rotating. Most top batters the hands are still the same distance from their back shoulder from the initiation of shoulder rotation until the shoulders have rotated almost 90 degrees (slightly less for an outside pitch. If your hands where driving they would be going faster forward then your shoulders are rotating and this would cause person to get over the front leg. The hands should be rotating together with the shoulders to just prior to contact and extending through contact not driving forward.

Dave P