Posted by: t olson () on Sat Mar 9 20:24:43 2002

> "I want max batspeed! However, when I swing I am unsure whether to concentrate on BOTTOM hand pulling the bat through the zone or top and bottom hand working together to torque the bat before impact."
>

Tends to be both but depending on location it may differ. The farther the ball is away from you (low and obviously outside) I find you must use your lead arm a bit more. In those locations your back side isn't in a strong position. On the low ball, if you allow the backside too much influence--you risk rolling over early. This is because the lead arm must take a lower route to the ball and the back arm can come over it (roll) easier.

When the ball is closer, I think that you must use the back side more because the front side sometimes just needs to get out of the way--and because you can't always get the lead arm extended as well to allow the lead shoulder to pull.

I think the more you swing at different locations, the more you understand that at different times, one side or the other is in a more advantaged position and may carry more of the load.

I know some believe that the swing is the same from all locations. I don't. I believe the actions of the lower body are more or less the same--but the upper body (such as more or less tilt) and the actions of the arms and elbows are and must be dynamic.