Posted by: Mark H. () on Sat Feb 1 21:12:53 2003

If anyone doubts that linear principles still rule in the world of baseball instruction, please take a gander at the following link, and open up the discussion entitled “8-yr old hitting mechanics.” This thread promises to expand, but already some of the advice is astonishing.
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> > > > > > http://www.eteamz.com/baseball/boards/baseball/
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> > > > > Wow. Think of it this way - if that many people think the youngster's swing is better, that makes it so much easier for the kids with good swings to succeed!
> > > > > Perhaps we should have Darwin awards for hitting tips and hitting posts...
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> > > > Major Dan:
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> > > > My thoughts exactly. Whenever I see this kind of “advice” doled out to another kid, I figure my 11 year old is a notch closer to someday making his high school team. I do note that Tom Guerry has now joined the discussion over there and is endeavoring to introduce a bit of rotational good sense into the mix. I do believe it is a noble fight that we Mankin and Epstein “cultists” (as one would have it) must wage.
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> > I agree. I used the word facetiously (that’s why it’s in quotes) because it was used by one of the linear proponents on the eteamz board to refer to followers of Epstein. If there is a cult, it is comprised of the blind loyalists who refuse to believe that what they learned as youngsters just might be imperfect.
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> Steve,
> Every time I run across posts by those who find it necessary to combat science, careful research, and common sense with effete buzzwords, I am reminded that Leo Tolstoy once said that there will always be men who "can seldom accept even the simplest and most obvious truth if it would oblige them to admit the falsity of their conclusions which they have delighted in explaining to colleagues, which they have proudly taught to others, and which they have woven thread by thread, into the very fabric of their lives." (And I might add, those which they have promulgated on their websites)

In their defense, to do so is a painful thing, almost like asking them to change religions. Must have been difficult for Tom House to stand up in front of the world and say he had been teaching the wrong things for years. I'm no professional hitting guru so it wasn't that difficult for me to convert. But to confess, I thought Tom was a whacko when I first started reading his stuff. Now I count him a mentor. Be patient with these coaches. Most of us can't point with pride to our own research as the basis of our beliefs like Jack can. To some extent, most of us have been lucky to be exposed to the right people. If any pride is called for on our part it would only be for having enough of an open mind to do the research. As I read BgTx's eteamz posts lately, I see frustration and a little desperation. Perhaps he is near either opening his mind or slamming it shut forever. If the kids he will teach are our first priority, be patient but firm with coaches such as him.

Mark H.