Posted by: rql () on Sat Sep 22 17:47:11 2007

I have been spending some time lately focusing on the very 1st movements of the bat and what moves it and directs it.We know about the top hand being driven by the rear elbow and shoulder pulling the top hand back however what has not been looked at or observed by myself before is the very 1st movements of the bottom hand and how the entire lead arm apply force to move the knob before any lead shoulder pull.The 3 clips that teacherman put up allowed me a good example to use and how the bottom hand works the knob differently for the outside pitch vs inside.Now it takes many clips of consistency to help prove a point not just a couple hand picked but these seem to follow the tendency I have seen in other clips.On the away pitch the knob normally starts out pointed back toward catcher or there abouts but it will be turned and pointed toward the oppo base before any lead shoulder turn really begins that has been spoken of as the 1st oppo pull to create torque of the bat with bottom hand.As I see it the back elbow acts in unison with the lead hand but the raising of the lead elbow and helped with muscles of lead shoulder in an up not forward motion is what not only drives the knob toward the base but it is what is driving the barrel downward into swingplane and as this knob begins to turn it is the assistance by the top of the bottomhand driving the bat rearward helping the tophand to to pull back.
In some 1 arm tests I did,I found there was little ability to apply force on the away pitch with just the top hand because the way you have to turn the knob to get it out and around the away pitch to increase bat radius puts the arm in a weak position by itself.However with the bottom hand the outside pitch and the inside pitch can be handled with just the bottom hand.The natural top hand wrist angle feels to be strongest when the elbow is just lowered pulling the bat rearward but not downward.
Now the inside pitch or ball to be pulled, the outward rotating of the knob gets aborted and the knob is worked more down to get quicker inside the ball before shoulder rotation begins,these movements and forces being applied by the bottom hand at the beginning are what set the swingplane and radius for the final contact point later.
When I 1st came to the sight nearly a decade ago I said that when I was a hitter I was in a groove when my hands felt as 1 and jack said this was wrong,and in his idea of both hands going forward 1st he was right but the idea of the oarlock and the top hand working around the bottom creating the torque did not seem to feel right to me,but in my most recent swings the active use of both hands working in different directions not necessarily opposite directions before shoulder rotation begins has me feeling again equal pressure being used and them working as a unit though not in the same direction.These 1st movements though not strong enough to swing the bat is strong enough to get the bat moving and setting up the important swing planes and radius that the body will finish up later in the swing.