Posted by: Jack Mankin (MrBatspeed@aol.com) on Thu Jan 25 09:53:01 2007

Hi, Mr. Mankin. I'm new to this forum. I made a purchase to your DVD series earlier this month along with Mr. Charley Lau Jr.'s DVD.

I've studied the DVD, and tried Charley Lau's linear mechanic first. After getting used to his mechanic, I was able to make a consistent contact against the automatic fastball machine in the local baseball center that shoots the ball 84 to 87 miles per hour with line drive power. To be exact, this "pulling the knob to the ball" was the best point on linear mechanic that Mr. Lau has ever made. I just recently turned 16, and some coaches really like my hitting skills. And it's not that the fastball machine would shoot the ball to middle;the ball comes out in any directions in the strike zone.

Later, I was actually curious and took some advice on rotational mechanics on your DVD; I've practiced them. Soon, I did apply rotational mechanics against the fastball machine. I did make some good contacts that ended up with good power, but mostly, I didn't make a good contact (which would've resulted weak groundout in real situation) or missed it. It could've been some advices that I've missed or misunderstood from lack of my English skills, or... something else that I'm not sure of.

To be exact, I'm thinking linear mechanic is actually helpful of making straight contacts and sending balls to all fields. According to Mr. Lau Jr's DVD, some players, coaches spoke out on how they were benefited from his linear mechanics (George Brett, Cito Gaston and Tony Kubek). Although I've seen some rotational mechanics in major leagues (Albert Pujols has excellent swing), I think it kind of differs depending on different players. I don't know exact point of writing above paragraphs on linear/rotational mechanics, but I just wanted to tell you my view, that's all. I might change my mind soon though.

I have just moved recently from South Korea, and I'm kind of short on English. Here are some terms on your DVD that I didn't understand.

1. Before start bring your bat head to contact, your arm must be on plane of your swing. Or was it your bat must be on plane of the swing? I didn't really catch that, but can you kind of translate what 'getting into plane' means?

2. What's the easier way to understand 'Torque'?

3. Why would you choose rotational mechanics instead of linears if you want better contact? I'm kind of new around here, so I'm not familiar with things.

Thank you, and I'll appreciate your answers and readings despite I'm not really good on English <<<

Hi Captain Kim

Please excuse the delay in my reply. We are in the process of shooting video for our new “Video Swing Analysis DVD” and that requires most of my time. – In fact, one of your topics, "pulling the knob to the ball" will be covered in the “Debunking linear principles & cues” section we will be shooting. So let us discuss that first.

You state, “To be exact, this "pulling the knob to the ball" was the best point on linear mechanic that Mr. Lau has ever made.” – Kim, as with all cues, it depends on how the student (or coach) interprets the cue. If the coach means the lead-elbow maintains a fixed angle during rotation so that the knob is pulled around in an arc, that is fine. Taking the knob (and hands) in a circular path is a “rotational transfer principle” that induces angular acceleration of the bat-head from the “pendulum effect.”

However, when I ask most coaches to demonstrate “Knob to the Ball,” their lead-elbow starts boxed (about a 90-degree angle) and then extends to drive the knob in a straight (linear) path. This leaves the bat-head trailing behind the hands well into the swing (no pendulum effect). This results in the bat-head attaining its maximum angular velocity well after passing through the optimum contact point. Batters with these mechanics exhibit little power to the opposite field and most of their well it balls are pulled foul.

Note: George Brett may have taken a long aggressive stride. However, his linear forward movement slowed to a stop and he then rotated around a stationary axis. And even more important, Brett did not extend a “boxed” lead-elbow (a linear principle). He produced a circular-hand-path (CHP) by keeping his elbow at a fixed angle during rotation.

Jack Mankin