Posted by: The Hitting Guru () on Mon Mar 26 18:10:39 2007

> I play college baseball and am taught by probably one of the only instructors in america who actually knows how to teach the swing correctly...your swing mechanics are way off....I knew about 99% of coaches did not have a clue what they were talking about; but for you to post this as the most comprehensive swing analysis on the web is just terrible....rotation is probably the worst thing that can be in a swing a it forces a hitter "off line" ....i think i am going to write a book on hitting so no more nonsense can be sold to people....email me if you are interested once this happens....if it does....but trust me, reading this sort of stuff really makes me want to write one....


Sean. It is too bad that you evidently do not approve of the context of the material presented. But one should remember that hitting like many other subjects uses a lot of opinions as well as tools that help understand the general concepts. Also, one should remember that part of the purpose of this site is to promote rotational as well as bat speed concepts. As such it is very likely that many of the opinions will be skewed in favor of the primary subject matter. But we can all learn in this forum.

But I applaud the fact that you have a strong opinion. As such many may benefit from your incite as well as your future writings. Also rotational hitting in itself is still evolving as to what actually takes place. And most good hitters rotate at least somewhat. But it is clear to me at least that even great hitters rotational or otherwise make slight to large deviations from the Ted Williams mold in an effort to put the ball in play.

Ex. Rod Carew and Tony Gwynn slash hits using elements of rotation but lacked the physical strength to hit many homeruns to the big part of the park. They were more willing to take what the pitcher gave them.

George Brett, Rafael Palmeiro, and Robinson Cano are an example of smooth hitters who learned to pull the ball. They glide to the ball using lower body mechanics to finish of the transfer of the weight while still using elements of rotation through lead arm extension.

Jim Thome, Mickey Mantle, and Reggie Jackson used raw power combined with vicious swings to attack the baseball. These players used a two hand full rotational swing to put their total upper and lower body into the swing.

Barry Bonds and Ted Williams because of their plate discipline and batter presence were able to pick their pitches in an effort to exploit opposing pitchers. And because of their exceptional quickness were able to combine average with great power.

With the above being said rotational hitting is more than meets the eye as all the great hitters are not applying the same forces. But they do share a good sense of timing while making a few adjustments along the way.

Lastly, be careful when processing information on this site and consider the spirit as well as the words that the poster uses. In that way you will get the most out of the subject matter. For it is easy to get of track by just focusing on one blanket statement. And it is my opinion that Charlie Lau Sr and Ted Williams philosophies have more in common than it would appear.