Posted by: Jack Mankin () on Sat Mar 30 14:44:36 2002

>>> what Nyman describes as (after flail) the whip portion/dog hitting end of leash as "L" comes out of back elbow and front forearm extends at elbow fully decelerating torso. <<<

Hi Tom

Once again, I have grave reservations referring to a “whip” action as source for generating bat speed. Naturally, I agree that the body’s rotational energy transferred via a circular-hand-path (flail, if you prefer) is responsible for a good portion of bat speed generation. But, it is inaccurate to attribute the balance of that bat speed to a whipping action such as Nyman's, “dog hitting end of leash.”

Acceleration from a whip action depends on energy stored in a moving mass (whip, dog or bat) and the end (tip, butt, or bat-head) accelerates as the uncoiling mass decreases. Many batters have been mislead into thinking that if they just accelerate the bat knob first, the energy stored in the bat or system will cause the bat-head to come “whipping” through as the hands near full extension. Well, it won’t, and that is what I proved with the test (steering wheel knob on bat) in the video. Without the ability to apply torque, the bat-head never accelerated as the knob slowed to a stop – “that dog never came around.”

It is not a whip action or the release of stored energy in the bat (or dog) that accounts for the balance of bat speed generation; it is the constant application of “torque” that adds to the chp transfer. For more linear hitters who accelerate the bat knob first, torque is mainly applied as the back-hand is driven passed the lead-hand (push-pull action) as the hands near full extension. --- So once again, it is “torque” not “stored energy in the bat or whip action” that brings the bat-head around. Bat speed depends on the rate of angular displacement on the hands and the amount of torque applied from initiation to contact.

Jack Mankin