Posted by: Jack Mankin (MrBatspeed@aol.com) on Fri Aug 19 13:10:06 2011

>>> Over the last ten or so years, more and more people have been exposed to rotational mechanics. This is (at least in my estimation) a good thing. Linear or "weight-shift" mechanics are still (unfortunately around). However, many people have begun teaching rotational mechanics, and some hitting instructors for MLB clubs teach it as well.

On this site, there is a "Truism And Fallacies" section. I am going to go through each cue and indicate what I think is meant by each of the cues.

Keep your shoulder in there: Initiate swing with the lower body, keep shoulders closed for brief period in order to build up more elastic energy (and more power)

Get Your Arms extended: Don't cut off your swing, (I hate using this term), "swing through the ball". Let the momentum that you built up pull your arms out rather than trying to keep them in.

Roll your wrist at contact: Don't cut off your swing (more of a feel cue than anything else)

You must have quick hands: Don't let your hands get tied down to your back shoulder. They must operate independently (but still in a CHP)

Transfer your weight to a stiff front leg: Don't hit off your back foot.

Stride with the front toe closed: Don't open up too early. Don't show your chest to the pitcher until rotation/hip thrust starts

Swing down: Don't drop your hands and uppercut the baseball. Start the path down, but level it out. (Old timers said "swing level" to get the same effect)

Let go of the top hand: Again, don't cut the swing short

Keep back elbow down: Prevents "long swing" with linear mechanics.

You're pulling your head off the ball: Improper sequence. Initiate with the lower half, then everything else. Rotate under a steady head.

Swing for the fences-ruin your mechanics: Don't try to hit a home run on every pitch. Don't over-swing. Just hit the ball squarely and the ball will travel.

The shortest path between two points is a straight line: Don't have an overly wide CHP. (casting) >>>

HI Paul

If all coaches (and Dads) followed your interpretations of linear cues, I would have little problem with them. However, this is not what I find in far too many cases. I receive countless frustrated e-mails from my students complaining their coaches teach linear mechanics (many of them are college coaches) and demand they conform to their teaching -- "Their way, or, the highway."

Paul, from the number of e-mails I receive on this topic, the problem is much greater than I had once thought.

Jack Mankin