Posted by: Jack Mankin (MrBatspeed@aol.com) on Thu Mar 1 11:11:27 2007

>>> Thanks for reposting.

I think the chp/connection needs to be in place as the hips decelerate which is somewhat after the shoulders have turned with the torso.

This may be seen about when the back toe starts to drag on players who don't keep their axis leaned back too much. <<<

Hi Tom

Once again, I think we are in agreement. You state, “as the hips decelerate which is somewhat after the shoulders have turned with the torso.” -- I take this to mean that you agree that the hips and shoulders do rotate in unison after hip-cock. There is a theory that basically states that hip rotation is first accelerated to attain maximum stretching the torso muscles. Shoulder rotation is induces once the hips reach maximum acceleration and begins to “decelerate.”

If I am not mistaken, this is the basis of the “X factor” in the golf swing – the more the hips rotate while the shoulders remain fixed, the greater the “X factor” and thus the more powerful the shoulder rotation. This would mean that the hips should be approaching open before the shoulders rotate. This may be true for the golf swing. However, my study of a hundred or so over-head views of MLB swings did not support this theory for the baseball swing.

These over-head views showed that just before the swing is initiated, the hips cock open about 20 degrees. From that point on (hands starting to move into CHP), the hips and the shoulders accelerate in unison. This clip of Pete Rose -- http://www.youthbaseballcoaching.com/mpg/Rose.mpeg – is fairly indicative of what I observed in those clips.

Note how the hips and shoulders are rotating together. Shoulder rotation did not wait until hip rotation maximized and begin to “decelerate.”

Jack Mankin