Posted by: Jim (jwelborn@lexcominc.net) on Thu Dec 28 19:32:34 2006

> > >>> Jack. Based on the clips, do you believe Sammy Sosa is applying top hand torque? He and Jim Thome appear to be taking their hands back in unison to the launch position. Barry Bonds and Ted Williams use more of what you describe. <<<
> >
> > Hi Guru
> >
> > With this clip, we demo THT with the swing being initiated with the bat already in the normal launch position – bat-head in the swing plane behind the head. This clip does not show a batter’s pre-launch movements that accelerates the bat-head from a cocked forward position back to the launch position.
> >
> > Since the cocked forward bat-head is being sweep rearward before shoulder rotation is initiated, we refer to this torque action as “Pre-Launch Torque (PLT).” We refer to the torque being applied as shoulder rotation is initiated as THT. – PLT accelerates the bat-head back to the launch position. THT continues the acceleration back to the “lag” position.
> >
> > Below is a post from the Archives I wrote on this topic.
> >
> > Jack Mankin
> > ##
> >
> > Re: THT
> >
> > Posted by: Jack Mankin (mrbatspeed@aol.com) on Mon Sep 8 15:14:35 2003
> >
> > Question/Comment:
> >
> > >>> Following is a link to a file with some frames showing my interpretation of THT. Please let us know if this is correct. How do you teach it? Is the que flatten the hands useful? (The file is best viewed in frame by frame mode)
> >
> > (http://webpages.charter.net/nickkio/THT.mpg
> >
> > Thanks, Nick >>>
> >
> > Jack Mankin's reply:
> >
> > Hi Nick:
> >
> > In order to generate maximum bat speed at contact, the better hitters first accelerate the bat-head back toward the catcher before rotating and directing their energies at the ball. The purpose of Top-Hand-Torque is to apply forces to the bat that will accelerate the bat-head in an arc back toward the catcher. With many hitters, Bonds and Sosa to name a couple, the bat-head is accelerated back in two phases.
> >
> > The first phase occurs prior to shoulder rotation and we refer to it as “Pre-launch” Torque. During this phase, the batter starts with the bat cocked forward toward the pitcher and has his hands some distance from the back-shoulder. Bonds, for example, starts with his hands low and forward from the back-shoulder. As he prepares the launch position, his hands (as a unit) are brought up and pulled to the back-shoulder.
> >
> > The bat-head is being accelerated into the normal launch position by the top-hand being pulled back at a faster rate than the bottom hand (THT). Therefore, the hands as a unit are being pulled to the back-shoulder but the top-hand is moving faster, or, arcing around the bottom-hand. During the pre-launch phase, one can clearly see the top-hand being pulled up and back (or toward the catcher).
> >
> > The second phase of THT occurs during initiation as shoulder rotation begins. The direction of force applied by the top-hand at initiation continues to be rearward, but shoulder rotation accelerates the hands (as a unit) around and forward. Therefore, once shoulder rotates begins, the hands (as a unit) are viewed moving forward, but the rearward directional force of the top-hand causes it (and the bat-head) to arc around the bottom-hand.
> >
> > Many good hitters do not use pre-launch torque in their swings. They apply THT at initiation as described for the second phase. Since they are applying THT as the shoulder start turning, the hands (as a unit) will always be viewed moving forward. --- Nike, the clips you are showing has the batters starting with the bat at (or past) the normal launch position.
> >
> > Note: With linear mechanics, at initiation, the direction of force of the top-hand and the hands (as a unit) are both forward. This results in a straighter hand-path. --- With THT, the rearward directional force of the top-hand results in the hand-path being directed more parallel with the catcher’s shoulders into a more circular hand-path (CHP).
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> Jack. Thanks much for the input as I was referring actually to pre launch torque. As such I did not notice Sosa using the pre launch torque as in the case of Ted Williams and Barry Bonds. And I agree 100% with your note of the difference between the two.
> >
> > Jack Mankin

This is an area where there is confusion among many. As one views the first phase of top hand torque on most Major League swing clips, one's sees that the top wrist moves largely in unison with the arm. The first thought is that since there is little or no independent movement of the hand and wrist related to the arm then how is torque being applied by the hand.

I believe it is more accurate to say that at this point in the swing the energy for the top hand torque is being generated by the lowering of the back elbow and transmitted through a rigid wrist. This efficiently accelerates the bat head toward a position that will line it up the line of the pitch. It also enables the hands to move to a palm-up, palm-down orientation that is essential for the second phase of hand torque.

Jack is correct in stating that if the bat head is moving toward the catcher during phase one, torque is being applied by the top hand.

The second phase of hand torque is where one can easily see the interaction of top and bottom hand torque on ML clips. I believe that bat speed accelerates not at a constant rate from initiation, but rather an increasing rate, with the speed curve becoming steeper as the bat moves through the lag position toward contact. It makes sense that this would be true because of the increasing influence of core rotation along with bottom hand torque as the rotational phase of the swing builds.

Jim