Posted by: Jack Mankin (MrBatspeed@aol.com) on Mon Jan 1 11:43:10 2007

Hi All

Happy New Year.

Last month I posted; “We are currently developing subjects to be covered in our Video Analysis DVD & Program. One of the topics is “Debunking Linear Cues.” So far, I have listed 12 linear batting cues that have stalled batters’ progress for decades. In order to be as accurate as possible, it would be helpful to have your input on the “intent” of these linear cues.”

As the first example, we discussed, “Don’t hit around the ball.” – What is the intent of this cue? – Some replied that the cue was meant to remind a batter not to “cast.” – Well, it just so happens that “casting” is one of the 12 linear batting cues addressed in “Debunking Linear Cues.”

For decades, the original intent of all batting cues followed one basic theme – “Straight is good – curved is bad.” The hands should be extended straight “A to B” (the shortest distance between two points is a straight line). If the hands followed a circular path, they were “casting.” Batters were told that casting the hands into a circular path produced a long slow swing.

I think most now agree that video analysis of the game’s best hitters debunks the “A to B” hand-path theory. An over head view of a great hitter reveals a series of accelerating arcs, similar to looking down at the eye of a hurricane. – Rotating around a still head is the shoulders. A little farther out is the arc of the limbs and then the hands. On the outside is the “Final Arc”– the bat-head accelerating around to contact.

However, old linear cues die hard. They are so engrained into many coaches batting terminology that they just can’t let them go. Instead, they try to re-define the cues from their original intent to fit what video analysis reveals. In most cases, re-defining the cues is like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole – it still just doesn’t seem to fit.

Jack Mankin