Posted by: Chuck (jcshrwood8458@sbcglobal.net) on Wed Apr 25 17:46:44 2007

> >>> Jack (or someone),
>
> Could you please explain how and why your approach differs from that of Mike Epstein?
>
> I know that Epstein gets multiple things wrong, but I would like to hear from you exactly how your ideas and approaches differ. <<<
>
> Hi Chris
>
> There is probably little difference between Mike and I on the lower-body mechanics we teach to generate body rotation. We may have different approaches in how we teach, but we both are seeking the same results – rotation about a stationary axis.
>
> As I explained to George in my post below, Mike and I present very different concepts in our instructional DVDs on how the batter’s mechanics transfer the body’s rotational energy into bat speed. In Mike’s DVD, he teaches his batters to extend a boxed lead-arm (similar to throwing a Frisbe) to contact. This allows the hands to take a more direct path.
>
> It appears it is his belief that there is a “whip-effect” that accelerates the bat when the hands reach full extension. In our DVD, “The Final Arc 2” we use the PathFinder to prove that there is no whip-effect of the bat from a straight extension of the hands. However, there is bat-head acceleration from a “pendulum-effect” when hands take a circular path.
>
> This is why video analysis (over-head view is best) shows that all the best hitter’s mechanics produce a CHP – not a straight extension of the hands. Video analysis also shows that the best hitters do not extend a bent elbow to contact. In order to produce a the most productive CHP, they keep their lead-elbow at a fixed angle as they rotate. – Keeping the lead-elbow at a fixed angle (straight or boxed) during rotation is one of the “7 Key Positions” we look for in our new “Swing Analysis” DVD.
>
> Jack Mankin


Hi Jack,

Perhaps I'm mistaken, but my interpretation of what Mike refers to as the whip effect such as that of a "fly fisherman" is that it does not refer to the hands on the bat at full extension, but rather refers to the effect that the separation of the hips from the upper torso ("winding the rubber band") has on the hands as they accelerate into the CHP. The hands are going back on the inward turn and then they get yanked forward in an arc by the large body muscles. My son recently attended a clinic with Mike and Jake Epstein and they never talked about or taught any kind of forward extension. They always preached rotation and the importance of continuing the rotation of the front shoulder all the way around as far as possible. I know that in the dvd he does talk about the power-v out front, but he refers to that in conjunction with the importance of hitting the ball in front with your head up and hips rotated, as opposed to hitting it to the side with your head down. So while Mike doesn't refer to it as CHP and emphasize it like you do, I believe that in practical terms, that is what he is teaching.

Chuck