Posted by: tom.guerry (tom.guerry@kp.org) on Tue Oct 9 18:06:50 2001

One way to understand the swing better is by comparing/contrasting it to other skills that are similar.For you golfers out there,you can learn a lot about the swing Jack talks about here by trying out the swingjacket at your local proshop or checking out the website at www.swingjacket.com. I am not trying to make a sale here and have no financial interest in this device,nor do I know anyone who does.The similarities of the theories is simply worth invetigating for those who both golf and hit so they can understand both better.

The swingjacket is a device that was initially developed to prevent golfers from "casting" or "swinging over the top".It controls the arm,hand,and clubpath so that "tight connection" to the body is automatic.(Similar to Jack taping up his friend in the "final arc" or the hold the towel under the front arm drill except with both arms controlled in a way that permits a full swing.)The golf pro can then teach the so-called "single plane" swing to the student by teaching how to turn the body correctly back and forward.You can actually play with the jacket on.The only way to make good contact is to use the correct backswing and downswing of the body to deliver the club on plane to the ball.Hogan was the first to popularize this theory of the swing.It is different from the Bobby Jones type swing where the plane of the arms and body turn are more complex and less forgiving.Tiger Woods is a modern day proponent of this style.Body turn establishes tempo and the swing does not degrade when you swing all out as other golf swing types do.

Besides the concept of "tight connection" and swinging the hands arms and club in a single plane,the description and keys to how the body turns for the backswing and downswing are largely applicable to hitting.Of course,in hitting the backswing is very abbreviated since reaction time is limited and the premium is on timing.Here are the body rotation keys:

-Set up with feet hips and shoulders parallel to the target line

-The upper body/torso can not rotate correctly(around a fixed axis)unless the proper bend at the hips,not waist is taken in the set up(stance).To feel the correct way to bend,stand straight,pull the shoulders back by pinching the shoulder blades together,then bend over.This forces you to assume the right posture to suport torso rotation,bending at the hips,not slumping at the waist.Once you have bent over,you can relax the shoulders.

-The backswing is initiated with the upper body.The head must not go forward(toward the target)or out(toward the ball)on the backswing.The angle of the back leg should not straighten(should not get closer to 90 degrees/perpendicular to the ground as viewed from "the opposite batters box")during the back swing.

-The downswing is initiated by rotating and "clearing" the front hip(clearing the front hip can be thought of as rotating the hip so that the bottom of the front pants pocket ends up over the back of the front shoe after the hips have rotated to face the target)."Clearing" of the front hip means rotating out of the way so the back hip can rotate forward without changing the axis of rotation (without being pushed out wide).

-The spine angle should be maintained throughout the swing.

-One of the most surprising aspects of the swingjacket is that muscle memory can be changed very rapidly.

Most of these apply generally to the rotational baseball swing and can be looked for in video analysis.These concepts may help in using or interpreting cues.Unlike golf,the hitter must set a different spine angle for different locations as the preswing/swing proceeds instead of setting posture ahead of time with club selection/set up.

Jack's golf club demo("the Final Arc)is another example of comparing/contrasting the golf swing.As he demonstrates,the grip and wrist action must be different for hitting so that hand torque can be applied throughout the swing to achieve maximum acceleration with a shorter swing.In golf you instead use a long swing(big backswing/long handle club)with more gradual acceleration and a snapping wrist action to control the position of the clubhead.The circular handpath and need to stay on plane are common to both these swings.