Posted by: rql () on Wed Sep 10 20:26:09 2003

>>> Following is a link to a file with some frames showing my interpretation of THT. Please let us know if this is correct. How do you teach it? Is the que flatten the hands useful? (The file is best viewed in frame by frame mode)
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> (http://webpages.charter.net/nickkio/THT.mpg
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> Thanks, Nick >>>
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> Hi Nick:

>.Jack ,I am not seeing the tht the same as you describe.Your quote"The bat head is being accelerated into the normal launch position by the top hand being pulled back at a faster rate than the bottom hand. therefore the hands as a unit are being pulled to the bach shoulder as a unit but the top hand is moving faster,or arcing around the bottomhand.During thr pre-launch phase,one can clearly see the top hand being pulled up and back [or toward the catcher]."I see the 2 hands being pulled back together as the scap load and during this time, barrel is being bent back toward pitcher and knob at catcher.Barrel is never accelerated back as hands are going back.Now I see that there are four things going on in the same frame of video,1 lead heel comes down,2 rear knee drives forward,3 rear elbow comes down and 4 lead shoulder begins to pull forward as elbow works up.These are merely initiated in this frame but what is pertinent as I see it is that the rear elbow coming down is what forces the top hand back and it is the lead shoulder beginning to turn that is tightening up any slack in lead arm as it begins to pull knob forward.Torque at its beginning is created by the top hand coming back as bottom hand pulls forward[pressure being applied in opposite direction]and rotation has started.I cannot see any video that shows the barrel going back toward the catcher as both hands going back together nor do I see one going back faster than the other.Again the knob is pointed at the catcher as both hands go back and there is no torque or barrel acceleration only as top hand is driven by rear elbow and lead shoulder rotation drives knob forward do I see torque and the beginning of chp.I just can't find torque being in 2 phases ,not in Sosa or Bonds or anyone else. I also think that the hands stay back for a moment because of torque from rotation which is beginning in hips and shoulders but having barrel and knob work around the hands before they take off.
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> In order to generate maximum bat speed at contact, the better hitters first accelerate the bat-head back toward the catcher before rotating and directing their energies at the ball. The purpose of Top-Hand-Torque is to apply forces to the bat that will accelerate the bat-head in an arc back toward the catcher. With many hitters, Bonds and Sosa to name a couple, the bat-head is accelerated back in two phases.
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> The first phase occurs prior to shoulder rotation and we refer to it as “Pre-launch” Torque. During this phase, the batter starts with the bat cocked forward toward the pitcher and has his hands some distance from the back-shoulder. Bonds, for example, starts with his hands low and forward from the back-shoulder. As he prepares the launch position, his hands (as a unit) are brought up and pulled to the back-shoulder.
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> The bat-head is being accelerated into the normal launch position by the top-hand being pulled back at a faster rate than the bottom hand (THT). Therefore, the hands as a unit are being pulled to the back-shoulder but the top-hand is moving faster, or, arcing around the bottom-hand. During the pre-launch phase, one can clearly see the top-hand being pulled up and back (or toward the catcher).
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> The second phase of THT occurs during initiation as shoulder rotation begins. The direction of force applied by the top-hand at initiation continues to be rearward, but shoulder rotation accelerates the hands (as a unit) around and forward. Therefore, once shoulder rotates begins, the hands (as a unit) are viewed moving forward, but the rearward directional force of the top-hand causes it (and the bat-head) to arc around the bottom-hand.
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> Many good hitters do not use pre-launch torque in their swings. They apply THT at initiation as described for the second phase. Since they are applying THT as the shoulder start turning, the hands (as a unit) will always be viewed moving forward. --- Nike, the clips you are showing has the batters starting with the bat at (or past) the normal launch position.
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> Note: With linear mechanics, at initiation, the direction of force of the top-hand and the hands (as a unit) are both forward. This results in a straighter hand-path. --- With THT, the rearward directional force of the top-hand results in the hand-path being directed more parallel with the catcher’s shoulders into a more circular hand-path (CHC).
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> Jack Mankin
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