Posted by: Jake () on Tue Nov 5 16:27:08 2002

What is the preferred grip for the rotational hitting approach? It appears that most "rotational" players are using a choke grip to where the middle knuckles line up with the bottom knuckles. This is quite different from the "8-middle knuckles all-in-a-row" approach that I had been taught and have been teaching.
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> I read Dusty Baker's "The Art of Hitting". I used it as my Hitting Bible and thought it was a very good book for teaching standard mechanics including the "8-middle knuckles all in a row". But, I am rejecting much of that now in favor of the rotational approach. I used to have much more power hitting the ball before I read the Dusty Baker book. I thought maybe I was just getting old. But, I think I have made some rather bad adjustments based on the book. I have also taught my little league teams (now 13-14) the same conventional approach --- But, I am now favoring the rotational method.
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I think the 8 middle knuckles lined up is unrealistic if you want to hit the ball hard. Keep in mind that different people have different hands and fingers but in my opinion rotating and applying torque feels much more fluid using the "middle to bottom" knuckle lineup.