Posted by: The Hitting Guru () on Mon Jan 29 21:51:35 2007

> "To clarify our differences let us agree what we define as Linear Mechanics and Rotational Mechanics. Jack does a fine job talking about both, but doesn't really define the two."
>
> IMO, the key difference between the two is...
>
> 1. What the hands do.
> 2. What provides the power in the swing.
>
> Linear coaches want the hands to go pretty much directly at the pitcher. They then want the hands, wrists, and forearms to swing the head of the bat out into the path of the ball. Linear guys think the hands, wrists, and forearms supply most of the power in the swing.
>
> Rotational coaches want the hands to rotate with the body in a more circular manner (aka Circular Hand Path or CHP). This rotation of the body, and thus the hands, then causes the head of the bat to whip out into the path of the ball. Rotational guys think the muscles of the hips and torso supply most of the power in the swing. The muscles of the hands, wrists, and forearms just help to position the head of the bat.
>
> Some people think the difference between the two is in the stride, but I don't think so. Both linear and rotational hitters stride. However, I do think that linear hitting coaches tend to think that more power comes from the stride itself, while rotational guys tend to think that the point of the stride is to help get the hips and torso rotating.

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Dennis W. The way I see it is the following:

With linear, the hitter does mostly the following:

1. He uses a longer stride to create a stretch/elastic launch position from which he sweeps the bat through the hitting zone. The sweep creates the power because the hitter is able to use longer angles to contact the pitch. (EX. Will Clark, George Brett, (short stride exception Jim Edmonds) Even though these players do rotate, they are sweeping the bat more linearly than more purer rotational hitters.

More pure linear hitters would be a Davey Lopes, Wally Backman, Chuck Knoblack, Frank Thomas, Ichiro, Jermaine Dye, or Albert Belle. These players tend to take the hands either straight back without much torque, or take the hands directly to the ball with out using a strong launch position. This type of player tends to swing and stride to close together and sacrifice power at times. Belle is an exception because he has the ability to clear his front side early and delay his attack to the ball.

With the rotational hitter, the hitter uses more of the strength in the hands to thrust the bat into the ball while using the coil strength generated by the hips and torso. The use of both hands in the swing is crucial because the hitter is letting the ball get in on him more than with the weight shift linear hitter. This hitter is able to effectively, bring his hands in and use a tight arc to whip the bat through the zone. EX. Jim Thome, Barry Bonds, Eddie Murray, Reggie Jackson, Travis Haffner. These hitters tend to strike out more because they are not willing to cut down their swings just to make contact. Because of this they are sometimes completely overmatched because they are unwilling to make adjustments that would afford contact over power. Also because of improper swing planes the barrel must lift up to meet the ball. So if the swing is not started exactly on time it is almost impossible to connect on an exceptional fastball. Also since the rotational hitters not in the top ten averages tend to be more pull oriented an effort used to meet the ball out in front often results in a complete miss when the pitch is off speed or toward the outer half of the plate. This is because the hitter is gambling to meet the ball almost 2 feet in front of the plate which leaves a lower margin for error. So to use this style most effectively the hitter has to have a complete command of the strike zone as well as what pitches he handles best.

A hybrid hitter like Albert Belle is able to cover practically the entire plate because he uses both aspects despite not have the greatest batspeed. His pitch recognition, strength, and plate discipline allow him to spray homeruns to all fields.