Posted by: Jack Mankin (MrBatspeed@aol.com) on Tue Jul 20 15:20:33 2010

>>> Jack I would like to know if the hands are supposed to stay close to the rear shoulder as long as possible while the shoulders turn. Or in other words do the hands turn with the rear shoulder?

Hi Joe

The main thing to remember is not to use the arms to drive the hands forward as you initiate your swing. The hands should stay back at the shoulder and allow the rotation of your shoulders to swing the hands around the swing plane.

However, this does not mean your hands should stay up at the back-shoulder as you rotate. For the bat to be swung in a productive path, the back-forearm (and hand) must rotate and lower away from a more vertical position down toward horizontal approaching the "lag" position (flatting of the hands). Keeping the back-forearm vertical (maintaining the "V") too far into the swing produces a bat trajectory that is still angling downward in the contact zone. -- This is a problem I find in many of the swings sent to me for analysis.

Jack Mankin