Posted by: Richard Schenck () on Mon Jul 8 19:34:33 2002

>>> I don't recall saying you had to fully extend the arms. Apparently you don't understand "knob to the ball". It requires little or no extension if the rear elbow is kept in the slot. The photo shows a line telling the hitter to pull his hands from the back shoulder area to his front hip area. No mention of extending or casting. Try it you'll find is useful. The key here is the "cue" v "reality". The hands to the ball is the cue. Do they ever get there? NO! Why? because of the hips rotate. But they do get to the front hip. <<<
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> Hi Richard
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> Your interpretation of “knob to the ball” seems to be quite different from what most coaches I know teach. So just to clarify a couple of points – would you say that while the batter is taking “the knob (or the hands) to the ball,” should (1) the hands follow a circular or straighter path (2) the bat-head stay back near the back-shoulder to be released later. Or, (3) should the batter apply torque to accelerate the bat-head away from initiation.
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> Jack Mankin

Jack

I'm not sure!! How's that!! Are these 3 the only choices available? What I am sure of is I'm a believer in the "swing the axe" swing and the "hit the heavy bag" swing. What I most like to see is the hitter with the elbow in the slot, probably against his side, with his top hand across his chest, and his body completely facing the pitcher at contact, which is straight out from his front knee toward home plate. Of your three choices #1 doesn't describe what I do because even though the cue is "knob to the ball" which implies a straight path, the hand path is only a few inches before the hips rotate causing a circular or fishhook path. Remember, the elbow stays in the slot. #2 asks if the bat head stays back by the back shoulder to be released later. This sounds like a trap. I'd like to say yes but how later is later. I do feel the bathead is accelerated by the top hand but it is imposed after/during/or at the same time that the front hand pulls to the ball. I do not tht back toward the catcher.

Probably what describes what I do best is picture the "t" where contact is to be made and I swing an axe at the T trying to time the ball and bathead to reach the T at the same time so that the bat is perpendicular to the pitch (assuming a pitch down the middle). I also prefer to talk about swing direction which is what my "knob to the ball" does for me. If the pitch is away, my "knob to the ball" handpath (which is only a few inches before hip rotation)takes me to a location deeper in the zone and obviously away from my body more so than a pitch down the middle or an inside pitch. On a pitch down the middle the hand path is right to the ball down the middle and on an inside pitch the hand path is down and in supplemented by more hip rotation than the others.

This is difficult to put into words which probably describes why teaching hitting is so difficult. One word means something to me and yet something different to someone else. Another thought that should be said is that the handpath sort of sets the swing direction (inside, outside, down the middle) while the hip and shoulder rotation actually do the moving/swinging. It's almost like the handpath determines the direction to the hit zone, while the hip and shoulder rotation actually swings the bat. I definately don't consider my swing arm only. In fact, the elbow stays in the slot the entire time. I'm trying to control the "swoosh" sound of the bat to be in the proper area (the location of the pitch). I consider the "swoosh" sound to be an indicator of where the bat speed is the greatest and I try to get it to the right spot with a short stubby handpath toward the ball that is overtaken by hip and shoulder rotation.
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