Posted by: Jack Mankin (MrBatspeed@aol.com) on Sat Aug 11 00:36:00 2007

>>> Hi Jack:

I think you and I concur on this point: "keeping the arms more relaxed and allowing the larger muscles of the legs and torso to 'swing' the bat around, produces that loose, smooth, ever accelerating swing." In the past, you explained that one can accomplish the aforementioned merely by pressing the lead arm against the chest, and allowing the lower muscles of the body to rotate the upper torso and limbs around to the point of collision. Where I depart from your teaching, though, is your insistence that, if one envisions correct trajectory of the bat-head, the lower body will do its job, as aptly named by your cue, "rotate the heel, rotate the bat-head."

Jack, the brain is a complex system that controls the movements of one's body, and everybody's brain is wired differently. When neurotransmitters send messages to neurons, they usually "fire all or none," meaning the part of the body receiving the signal is usually responsive, or does not receive a brain signal. Let us apply neuroscience to hitting.

Suppose a person's brain is NATURALLY RESPONSIVE to the "rotate the heel, rotate the bat-head" cue. This will mean that thinking about the bat arc will cause motor neurons to fire, and send signals to the lower limbs. The legs will then do their job seamlessly.

The same, though, does not hold true if a "hip-first" hitter (we are assuming that the hitter mentioned models the precise hitting precepts that you define). If they are told to concentrate on the arc of the bat, the brains will not send a signal that will cause the legs and lower body to be involved in the swing. This will effectuate an arms-only swing.

By contrast, if that individual is instructed to focus on the lower body, then the brain will signal the upper body to do its job naturally.

Jack, this is why I do not disagree witrh the fact that using your system can produce batspeed. Where my disagreement with your model lies is that teaching everybody to "rotate the heel, rotate the bat-head" will "automate" a movement.

Best,
BHL
Knight1285@aol.com

P.S. Jack, if your swing can produce a swing that will clear every fence, why not encourage people to swing for the fences outright once they have mastered the correct movements? <<<


Hi BHL

I find that in many of the swings sent to me for analysis, that the student has ample hip and shoulder rotation. The problem is that upon depleting body rotation, the bat is left dragging far from contact. I use the cue, "rotate the heel, rotate the bat-head," to impress upon the student that as they initiate body rotation, they must also rotate the bat-head in sync with body rotation. --The cue works fine for me. If it does not work for you, them by all means, don’t use it.

You state, Jack, if your swing can produce a swing that will clear every fence, why not encourage people to swing for the fences outright once they have mastered the correct movements? – “Once they have mastered the correct movements”, I would suggest the batter would be better served concentrating on matching the plane of the in-coming pitch -- rather than the fence.

Jack Mankin