Bat Speed -- Baseball Hitting Forum

Posted by: Jack Mankin (MrBatspeed@aol.com) on Sun Dec 10 18:56:54 2006

Hi Jim

Your post was well stated and insightful. As I mentioned earlier, the more we discuss batting principles, the more you will find we are more in agreement than disagreement.

You state, “I believe linear hip slide in no way hinders hip rotation when correctly done.” I agree. In fact, linear hip slide serves a necessary function with some hitters. However, the function of their hip slide is not to acquire linear momentum to be converted in rotational momentum. The function of their hip slide into “hip-cock” (overlapping) is to set the axis angle of rotation (as your post outlined).

Where our analysis may (or may not) differ is where the axis of hip rotation should be once hip cock (overlapping) has been attained. You state, “Hip slide creates weight transfer. Weight transfer toward the front side allows the back foot to become unweighted and is the only way spinning on the back foot and “squashing the bug” can be avoided.”

I agree hip slide lessons the weight on the back foot. However, I do not have the negative connotation surrounding the term “spinning” that most coaches have. To me, “spinning” is just another way of saying an object is rotating about its center. In the case of the hips and shoulders, they would be “spinning (or rotating) about the spine.

I have charted the swings of many top hitters where, after hip cock, their hips and shoulders rotated (or spun) about their spine. I also found some of the top hitters whose hip axis was closer to the front hip-joint. – Your statement “As hip slide decays and hip rotation builds, the axis which first establishes itself near the front hip, moves to the spine” seems to allude to this. Therefore, I have not declared either hip axis an “Absolute for” good hitting.

Many coaches proclaim that hip rotation is only efficiently transferring energy when the back-hip rotates about a posted front hip (like a gate swinging on hinges). I have often asked, – Since it is obvious the shoulders rotate (or spin) about the spine, why do they think the hips rotating about a different axis (the front hip) is more efficiently transferring energy.

Jack Mankin

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> Hi Jim
> 
> Your post was well stated and insightful. As I mentioned earlier, the more we discuss batting principles, the more you will find we are more in agreement than disagreement.
> 
> You state, “I believe linear hip slide in no way hinders hip rotation when correctly done.” I agree. In fact, linear hip slide serves a necessary function with some hitters. However, the function of their hip slide is not to acquire linear momentum to be converted in rotational momentum. The function of their hip slide into “hip-cock” (overlapping) is to set the axis angle of rotation (as your post outlined). 
> 
> Where our analysis may (or may not) differ is where the axis of hip rotation should be once hip cock (overlapping) has been attained. You state, “Hip slide creates weight transfer. Weight transfer toward the front side allows the back foot to become unweighted and is the only way spinning on the back foot and “squashing the bug” can be avoided.”
> 
> I agree hip slide lessons the weight on the back foot. However, I do not have the negative connotation surrounding the term “spinning” that most coaches have. To me, “spinning” is just another way of saying an object is rotating about its center. In the case of the hips and shoulders, they would be “spinning (or rotating) about the spine. 
> 
> I have charted the swings of many top hitters where, after hip cock, their hips and shoulders rotated (or spun) about their spine. I also found some of the top hitters whose hip axis was closer to the front hip-joint. – Your statement “As hip slide decays and hip rotation builds, the axis which first establishes itself near the front hip, moves to the spine” seems to allude to this. Therefore, I have not declared either hip axis an “Absolute for” good hitting. 
> 
> Many coaches proclaim that hip rotation is only efficiently transferring energy when the back-hip rotates about a posted front hip (like a gate swinging on hinges). I have often asked, – Since it is obvious the shoulders rotate (or spin) about the spine, why do they think the hips rotating about a different axis (the front hip) is more efficiently transferring energy.  
> 
> Jack Mankin  
> 
> .

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