Posted by: Jack Mankin (MrBatspeed@aol.com) on Tue Apr 17 10:35:44 2007

>>> Is it good to lead with the front arm in your swing? Why or why not? And are there any good drills to make you do this? I know of the drill where you just take your front arm and just hit the ball off the tee without using your back hand at all. Is this good to make you lead with the front arm and not drop that back shoulder? If this is good, how many swings like this per day should I do so that it becomes muscle memory? Thanks <<<

Hi Timmy

How you use the lead-arm is key to your generating good bat speed and a productive swing plane. Linear instructors would have you lead with a bent (or boxed) elbow and then extend the arm straight to contact. However, extending a boxed elbow straightens out the path of hands and therefore limits the acceleration of the bat-head from the “pendulum effect.”

Great hitters generate great bat speed by keeping the lead-elbow at a fixed angle (boxed or straighter) as they rotate. Maintaining a fixed lead-elbow as the shoulders rotate propels the hands into a circular path (CHP) which maximizes the acceleration of the bat-head from the “pendulum effect.” This is a key reason why rotational hitters generate much greater power than linear hitters.

Therefore, when practicing swinging with only the lead-arm, keep in mind the role of the arm when swinging with both arms. I have my batters use the “PathFinder” with their lead-arm drills. They soon learn that extending a boxed elbow is not productive.

Jack Mankin