Posted by: Jack Mankin (mrbatspeed@aol.com) on Sat Dec 20 13:39:32 2003

>>> Lamber he has the same form at contact as every great hitter accept his arms are a few inches farther out in front tops on a few pitches. This means to generate the bat speed needed to hit the ball as far as he does by hitter a tad bit farther out in front he could not just rely on a rotational lower half. He must use both forms of torque to create the batspeed he does. I remember a video clip i saw of him hitting a HR off steve sparks I believe, it was to right center and it cleared about 10 rows. You cant hit a 68 mph pitch that far without creating a ton of batspeed. He has a rotational swing that has a few different things in it than most players, but nonetheless it is rotational. <<<

Hi Dave A

In order to attain maximum leverage for Bottom-Hand-Torque, the top-arm needs to stay back in the "L" position. This is a stronger position for the pull from lead-shoulder rotation on the bottom-hand to accelerate the bat-head to contact. Therefore, hitters like Bonds and Sosa who exhibit a more 50/50 balance of BHT & THT normally have little extension of the back-arm at contact.

Hitters like Mac and A-Rod who are predominately THT hitters rely less on the BHT (say 60/40) will generate a wider hand-path and their back-arm, therefore, would be more extended at contact. These hitters usually stand a little farther from the plate and treat most pitches as pitches away.

Dave, you are so correct. Regardless of the ratio of Bottom-Hand-Torque to Top-Hand-Torque, they all exhibit a Circular-Hand-Path and the "Absolutes" required for a good rotational swing. The Main test: --Did their mechanics first accelerate the bat-head in an arc back toward the catcher - or - did the bat-head just slide over and trail more linearly behind the extending hands at initiation?

Note: In a recent discussion, my son commented that most of the hitters used in my analyses are from an older era. Back when I was conducting my study. Wouldn't my readers be better served if I spent time studying the swings of the current players. - I replied that of course it would be helpful when discussing the swing of a particular hitter. But, I have found over the decades, that although the faces and styles of the players have changed, the core mechanics of the best hitters remain constant.

Jack Mankin