Posted by: Jim (jwelborn@lexcominc.net) on Fri Dec 29 19:24:54 2006

> > >>> Rotational Mechanics in laymans terms:
> >
> > “The power of the baseball swing comes from how fast you rotate around a stationary axis. Imagine a metal pole coming through your back and out your butt into the ground. Rotational Mechanics of the swing are what all the great hitters use to generate bat speed.
> > Arms do not need to be real strong to generate bat speed and to bring the bat to the point of contact. The muscles that are used to create great bat speed are the legs, shoulders, and abdominal muscles.
> >
> > So begin your swing with an inward turn, which adds power, and torque to the swing. To do this you simply reverse rotate so that your lead shoulder and hip should be pointing in the direction of the second basemen, but you don’t want to go back too far where it restricts your vision of the pitch. The pitcher should not be able to see your hands. The swing is started with the hips and followed by the shoulders. This should get the bat moving in a circular hand path, which all the great homerun hitters have used. Be sure to have flex in both legs, because creating great bat speed requires the push of both legs to power your rotation around a stationary axis. For middle in pitches your back arm should be in the power L position forming a 90-degree angle.” <<<
> >
> > Hi Guru
> >
> > The article you post does a good job describing mechanics that generates the body’s rotation about a stationary axis. In fact, it appears much of the material could have come directly from this site. However, the transfer mechanics presented on that site are based on linear principles – A to B extension of the hands and etc.
> >
> > Guru, almost all batters rotate about a stationary axis. It is the batter’s transfer mechanics that determines the amount of bat speed generated. -- If the transfer mechanics presented on that site are “Rotational Mechanics in laymans terms:”, I suggest you would be better served with the terms this site defined.
> >
> > Jack Mankin
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> Jack. No offense as I was only submitting information I obtained from a site that broke down some of the information in terms that are easier to immediately digest for some who have not been in the batspeed loop. Occassionaly I choose to submit information that I feel would be useful to those who seek a variety of information. My previous reference to slow pitch softball with regard to the tomohawk, high pitch drill.. simply illustrates the cause and effect of applying different principles. It is of course up to the individual to incorporate what he feels will work best under different perameters.
>
> As such, sometimes it helps for some to receive information that may be a quick fix. And in the article, the inward turn with regard to the front shoulder and the knee being pointed/coiled toward the 2nd baseman gives and immediate reference point for the hitter to understand the motion of the winding process of rotation.


Guru and Jack,

The statement, "So begin your swing with an inward turn, which adds power, and torque to the swing. To do this you simply reverse rotate so that your lead shoulder and hip should be pointing in the direction of the second basemen, but you don’t want to go back too far where it restricts your vision of the pitch. The pitcher should not be able to see your hands", is very important.

When a batter takes the "inward turn" to the extreme and it does restrict his vision, we call that "twisting". A very quick way to correct this is to tell the student to not allow his hips to rotate backwards and to take his hands toward the catcher. The effect of this advise results in a very favorable inward turn. We just have to make sure he doesn't go to the other extreme.

Jim