Posted by: Kip (kwindham@actionmia.com) on Mon Mar 25 11:38:38 2002

HAS ANYONE SEEN THE INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEOS BY TOM EMANSKY, MECHANICS OF THE MAJOR LEAGUE SWING1 AND 2, IF SO WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THEM, I FIND THEM VERY INTERESTING BUT I DONT KNOW AS MUCH ABOUT HITTING AS SOME OF YOU GUYS.WHAT DO YOU THINK?
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> > > > > > > Emanski's tapes are interesting. He is not controversial - he doesn't argue any of the points you see debated on these websites.
> > > > > > > He shows pictures of Major League hitters and says "they are the best in the world. If they do it, it must be right. Do it that way"
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> Can anyone tell me how to get the emansky tapes?
> rick
> > > > > > > He never explains why.
> > > > > > > For instance, he likes the bat 'in the slot' - tilted forward, bottom hand wrist cocked, at stretch/hands back point. He never mentions top hand torque or why anyone does this, but suggests that is what the top guys do, so do it that way. Its a tease for the theorists.
> > > > > > > If you look at his hitters, they seem to sit back on the back foot a lot. His style is a straight front leg, squish the bug lower body action. If you watch the commercials, you see the hands cast early on some of the swings, not on others.
> > > > > > > Emanski's tapes are fun to watch and a lot better than anything else you'll find advertised on TV. If you want to UNDERSTAND more, Jack's tape and Mike Epstein's (for lower body stuff) will teach you more IMO.
> > > > > > > I started on Emanski's tape and then Dusty Baker's book. Then 'graduated' to the wonderful world of the internet. The foundation I started with gave me a good foundation to grow from.
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> > > > > > > i too started out with baker's book/videos and emanski's video, along with charley lau's art of hitting .300, book & video.....but with the internet there is so much more opportunity to see a variety of ideas as well as to exchange ideas on various concepts........but it's interesting how ideas come and go.....baker advocated the fence drill, which in my opinion is becoming increasingly a discredited theory......emanski focused a lot on rear foot action & i think that theory has been becoming discredited as well....5 years from now, everyone's books and videos will be talking about top hand torque, circular hand path, weathervaning, elbow in the slot, etc......respectfully, grc.......
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> > > > > GRC:
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> > > > > I know you must have explained thes things a million times, but bear with me, I'm new to this site.
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> > > > > What is weathervaning? elbow in the slot?
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> > > > Who discredited the fence drill? I always thought it was a good drill for keeping the hands inside the ball.
> > > > Bill
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> > > Bill:
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> > > Read some of Jack's comments on the fence drill.In fact , there is a post this month a little further down. I think he makes a very convincing argument that the drill is counter-productive.
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> > I am a confessed Charley Lau fan; I admit my biases. Can someone talk to me about this "squash the bug" theory? More specifically, I get the mechanics of it, but have a real hard time moving beyond the fact that some of the best hitters of all time have a rear foot barely touching (Frank Thomas comes to mind), let alone "sqashing" anything. From my point of view, I see it as a result, not a cause, of a decent swing, but think the swing is too dynamic to assign any arbitrary one motion to the practice; (we aren't speaking about hitting a machine pitch here). Further, I don't want any of my hitters thinking of the "rear" of their body when I want that weight transfer "hands forward" and their forces dynamically moving to impact. I am casting no judgement and would gladly be converted by a good argument. macpj@aol.com


You can't get a full & complete hip turn without the back foot and leg giving a little. When you allow the back foot and hip to rotate, you don't hinder the hip turn. Try this: get in your stance, put your hands on your hips, and try turning your hips without letting your back foot and leg rotate or "squish the bug." You can't get a full hip rotation.
As far as not wanting your hitters to have to think about the "rear" of their body when there's far more important things to consider, you don't want your hitters to "think" about proper technique anyway. You want it to be habit. Make them practice turning the rear, to allow full hip rotation, so they don't have to think about it.
Frank Thomas' back foot isn't off the ground at the beginning of his swing. He turns his back leg and pushes into his front transferring his weight before he makes contact. After the rotation of his lower body and weight transfer does his back foot come off the ground. Plus he is a professional playing at the top level for many years, some of them do things a little different. Most of us, I assume, teach younger children and turning the back side "squishing the bug," allowing a full hip rotation, transferring the weight while maintaining good balance, is what they need to make habit.
KIP