Posted by: Jack Mankin (MrBatspeed@aol.com) on Mon Jan 10 02:09:09 2000

>>>when can we see hitting drills using your theory. can you please explain with a little more detail how you fastened steering wheel knob on bat handle proving forward movement of hands as little effect on bat speed. <<<

Hi Bob

You can buy a steering wheel knob from about any auto supply store. The knob will come with an attached clamp that will secure it to a steering wheel – or a bat. Having a batter swing the bat with the knob can help him better understand the importance of an angular hand-path. When players first use this drill they discover that without torque they can develop very little or no bat speed. This is because their normal hand-path is to straight and out of time with bat head acceleration.

Working with one hand or two, a heavy bat and the knob are a little more than most kids can handle. So I use a 32-inch piece of a 1-inch dowel rod instead. The principle is the same and it is something they can easily work with.

When using this drill in the instructional video I am working on, I have a heavy bag set up at the contact point. This allows them to set their timing for maximum velocity at that point. Any movement after that would be wasted. The bag is also used in the same manner for torque drills. All energies expended; all muscles relaxed and at rest; good balance; body in good power position (double “Ls” & etc.) at contact point. All the bats’ energy is expended into the bag so there is no follow-through.

Jack Mankin