Posted by: tom.guerry (tom.guerry@kp.org) on Sun Dec 2 11:29:11 2001

rql-

Mike Epstein's torque position is theoretically the moment of maximum "separation",the maximum amount that the "hips lead the hands."

In his ideal model,this would happen when the front heel is dropped.The hands would stay back until a fraction of a second after the front heel starts weight bearing.If you froze a video at this point,then looked down on the rotational hitter from a bird's-eye view,you could draw one line through the hip sockets and another through the shoulder sockets.The angle between these lines would be an estimate of "separation".Heuristically(rule of thumb based on experience)Pro hitters with a torque angle of greater than 30 degrees go for 30 homers or more if their mechanics(and thinking) are sound.

Mechanically,the greater the separation(stretch with windup)and the faster the unwinding,the greater the power generation assuming mass is constant and mechanics permit efficient momentum transfer.

This is body torque(twist/power generation) as opposed to the hand torque(part of transfer mechanics) Jack emphasizes.