Posted by: Jack Mankin (MrBatspeed@aol.com) on Sat Aug 25 17:07:24 2007

>>> hey jack....What i mean by flying open is the shoulder actually opening prior to any hand movement. Alot of players do this; then the bathead slowly drags to the ball, and rotation is completely over with, so you really only have your arms coming to the baseball. Keeping your shoulder in is a term, that if exaggerated, which many coaches preach, will mess hitters up badly. Because now the opposite happens. Now hitters begin with hands moving forward, with no body rotation to start the swing. Now my version of the swing differs from your slightly as I believe it is linear and rotational, but we will not get into that because many things you teach are great, and I'd like to stick to the topic at hand. The beginning of the swing is driven from rotation. But as the body begins its rotation, the hands must aso begin their path to the baseball. At the same time! So now as the hands begin close to body as body rotates, they are moving towards the baseball at the same time the upper body is slowly, and naturally opening up.....THIS IS WHAT I MEANT BY KEEPING YOUR SHOULDER IN THERE. hope this helps a little....? <<<

Hi Sean

From your post, I think we agree that the lead-shoulder starts its’ rotation as the swing is being initiated.

You state, “What i mean by flying open is the shoulder actually opening prior to any hand movement.” – What you are calling “flying open,” I refer to as “loose linkage” leading to ‘disconnection’ from shoulder rotation. In other words, looseness in the batter’s launch position allows the shoulders to start rotation without accelerating the hands. With the proper linkage in the launch position, any rotation of the lead-shoulder causes the hands to be accelerated.

From your first post, we do have disagreement with the action of the lead-arm. It seems to be your contention that the batter should allow a “semi stiff front arm” to flex and then extend to produce a more linear hand-path. You correctly stated that I believe the lead-arm should remain at a fairly fixed angle, (straight or boxed) which produces a more circular hand-path (CHP).

I have already used the two clips below in another thread, but they are also revenant to this discussion. They explain why a fixed lead-arm during rotation and the resulting CHP generated is superior to a more linear hand-path produced from extending a more “boxed” arm.

CHP vs “Whip Effect”

Rose – Keys to CHP

Jack Mankin