Posted by: Jack Mankin (MrBatspeed@aol.com) on Mon Oct 15 01:56:49 2001

>>> Joe,
Everything you said is POSSIBLE, but not necessarily true in every case. Those hitters who use "bad" mechanics and hit the ball hard, can hit it even harder if they utilized "good" mechanics. Even though individuals may benefit by SMALL adjustments, there are certain "absolutes" that apply to the swing, which are required to hit the ball hard. Good rotation is probably the most important of these, followed by torque and a circular handpath.

And to answer your question "Do you think it might be possible that a 6 ft 2, 225 lbs, all mussle and bone 30 year old athlete who has been playing baseball since he was 5 years old can do things that your 5ft 1, 115 lb 14 yr old can't do?": Naturally it's possible, but not if that 6 ft 2, 225 lbs, all muscle and bone 30 year old athlete who has been playing since he was 5 uses horrible mechanics. If the 14 year old uses much better mechanics, thus generating more batspeed, he will hit the ball harder. Joe, I am not doubting the benefits of strength, experience, and adjustments but simply trying to bring up a very important point: MECHANICS MEAN ALOT!!! Sure, other factors are crucial too, but if the "absolutes" for batspeed are not present in the swing, strength, experience, and adjustments can be tossed out the window.

Also, it seems that you feel everyone on this site advocates that all ballplayers use the same swing. If this is in fact true, you bring a valid point that there is no such thing as the single "perfect" swing that everyone is looking for. Comfort and the ways to achieve comfort, and adjustments in the swing vary from individual to individual. This is going to change the appearance and style of the swing. But again I want to stress that although the swing may appear to change completely, the absolutes will still be there if it is a good swing.

Hope this helps to put things in perspective and wasn't too confusing! JC <<<

Hi JC

Good observations, the points you made are right on. I would also add that when a good hitter goes into a bad slump, you won’t find it is because he suddenly lost 20 or 30 pounds of muscle and bone or misplaced years of batting experience. A study of his swing will most often reveal a definable change in his mechanics.

The same is true for average hitters who suddenly start putting up numbers near the top performers. You will nearly always find that there has been a considerable change in their mechanics. Terry Pendelton is a good example. For six years with the Cardinals he was a .265, 6HR hitter. At the age of 32 the Cardinals traded him to the Braves. In his first year with the Braves, he batted near .330, 30+ HR and drove in around 130 runs. He was named that year’s MVP. – He exhibited a complete changeover in his mechanics. Terry had transformed himself from a batter with linear characteristic to a Barry Bonds style rotational hitter.

Jack Mankin