Posted by: tom.guerry (tom.guerry@kp.org) on Mon Oct 8 09:16:55 2007

Jack -

I would recommend you review the following golf instructional material:

Jim Hardy PLANE TRUTH FOR GOLFERS, the 3 DVD set.

Especially DVD #3 which describes the transition from the top into the downswing.

He describes two VERY diferent ways of turning the body based on how the connection between the arms and body is made through the shoulders.

The high level hitng swing you describe the mechanics of the best is like the so-called "2 plane" golf swing.

In the 2 plane golf swing AND high level hitting AND high level throwing, the torso coils and uncoils in what is traditionally decribed as a way that Creates a firm front side to keep from "flying open" which is part of the "early batspeed" capability you describe.

For a quick swing, the body needs to coil the torso ending with a quick stretch and with the hands already turning the bat.

To do this, the body must "wind the rubber band" which means stretching the muscles fromt the feet to the hands in a way that creates late/controllable torso coil.

As hardy explains in golf, This can not be done by actively turning the shoulders becasue this interrupts the desired coil. Nor can the quick controllable stretch happen via "inertia" alone due to the shoulders and hips being separated and in somewhat different turning planes.

How the rest of the body functions to support these 2 different ways of using the shoulders is VERY different.

This is the only resource I have found that explains how these diferent patterns work based on how the shoulders function as the primary pattern determinant.

I would get the DVD if you want to review the material because it is visual in nature and you get a better picture than with the books.