Posted by: Jack Mankin (MrBatspeed@aol.com) on Wed Apr 25 19:22:01 2007

>>> 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. <<<

Hi Chuck

I have received similar reports from other players that have attended Mike’s clinics. Some say he now promotes a CHP. However, as I stated, in his dvds and during my conversations with him a few years ago, he taught, and demonstrated to me, the un-flexing of a boxed lead-arm to take the hands in a direct path. This is why I usually premise my comments on Mike’s teaching with: “I’m not sure what Mike’s present views are, but….

Mike is a fine gentleman. I am sure that in our next meeting, we will agree on most batting principles.

Jack Mankin