Posted by: tom.guerry (tom.guerry@kp.org) on Fri Jun 22 09:03:28 2001

BsH-

One way to understand the distinction Jack is making is by comparing the mechanics Jack describes to the typical "linear" mechanics most kids have.See Nomar vs Jake Jr at setpro thanks to Paul Nyman:

http://www.setpro.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/000345.html

A great way to teach is to emulate your hero and swing 12 hours a day and figure out how to be like Nomar.Using clips and good coaching may speed up this process if the coach understands the principles underlying the swing as Jack has explained them here,for example.

Jake has the usual "whipping" hand path.He is pushing out early with the top hand sending the hands away from the body early.No circular handpath.This prevents any lower body energy from getting through the torso to the bat.Instead,The hips just open to get out of the way so the torso can swing the bat directly,again,as Jack has described.There has to be lunging or backside breakdown due to the shifting axis of roatation that must go along with this handpath.When the torso is used in this fashion,which it has to be if the arms are allowed to extend early to take the hands to the ball,the result is:

-a long swing that gradually picks up speed(long to ball)

-a swing whose maximum batspeed is stillsuboptimal(low power)

-a swing that does not match the plane of the pitch well(poor contact and hard to keep ball fair).

The bat goes out away from the torso(sweeping)extends with early wrist roll,then pulls across the body(if the clip goes this far)hitting around the ball with the dreaded low hit yourself on the back finish.As Jack says this gives you the weak stuff to the opposite field or the dead pull foul to the pull field and not much in between.

Now compare this to Nomar.The hands stay in.The body turns around a stationary axis.The hands stay ahead of the back elbow(unlike Jake's whipping handpath),the bat stays on the shoulder plane/plane of lead arm,the energy builds up and transfers efficiently with a rapidly accelerating bat that is quick to the ball with an angle of contact that can keep the ball fair.

Also notice what the back leg action says about momentum transfer.Nomar's back toe drags as momentum whips from the hips up into the torso and continues to drag as the hands stay in the circular path and fire the bathead which demands momentum transfer from the torso efficiently.At or after contact,the hands extend out of the handpath circle sending a second wave of equal and opposite torque through the hips to the leg turning the heel back down.If you look at Jake,he only exhibits this second kind of action indicating momentum transfer.There is no significant momentum transfer from the lower body.Instead,there is only the sign of momentum going from the torso to the bat(without the torso havong received momentum transfer from the lower body).So the power can't get to the torso and the swing is long,slow and off plane.Lots of room for improvement.