Posted by: teddyw () on Mon Dec 16 14:51:06 2002

TOM
I am sitting here watching video of A Rod. I see the back elbow starting up and the BACK scapula loaded (as you call it). I do not see any "internal rotation of the back arm with hip cock". That's because I do not really know what you mean by that term, but what I think internal rotation is - the turning in of the back arm towards the body - I do not see any. The back elbow comes down after toe touch and heel drop and it seems to me that he is not just dropping his back elbow but that his front shoulder is definitely pulling his elbow into the slot. Does it matter whether the back elbow causes the front shoulder to move or the front shoulder causes the back elbow to drop? You can definitely see the external rotation - that is what all this THT business is about, I think -- the external rotation of the humerous, yes; but more importantly, the external rotation of the forearm. I think it is more the forearm causing the humerous to rotate than the other way around. Lastly, it seems AROD stops his shoulder rotation at about 90 degrees while the back arm flexes to the V and after the V, the momentum of the top hand is what powers his finish. In other words, there is definitely that rabbit punch or push with the back/top hand after contact to extension. Then top hand releases during follow thru. One interesting note, AROD is off the plate -not as close to the plate as Bonds and is swing/arc radius is not as tight probably because of his "more active" top hand. That's what I see anyway.