Posted by: rql (RLOWERY13@tampabay.rr.com) on Wed Aug 1 09:33:10 2007

> >>> The bottom hand torque is when a hitter pushes his top hand toward the ball and his bottom hand back to the catcher during the swing. But does the hitter literaly applies force with his bottom hand or just keeps his bottom hand still and attacks the ball with his top hand?
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> Also, what is the exactly is the top hand torque? <<<
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> Hi Leonel
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> There are two forces a batter’s mechanics applies to the bat that generates bat speed. (1) The angular acceleration of the bat-head from the “pendulum effect” that occurs when the hands are taken in a circular path (CHP). – (2) The angular acceleration of the bat-head from “torque.” Torque is applied at the handle when the hands apply force from opposing directions. --- The amount of bat speed generated depends directly on the efficiency of the batter’s mechanics to supply these forces.
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> As stated above, correctly applying torque at the handle is an essential factor in generating maximum bat speed. However, there are two important points to keep in mind to efficiently apply torque. (1) The application of torque ‘must not’ alter (or straighten) the CHP. (2) Most of the force supplied through to hands to the handle ‘must’ come from ‘shoulder rotation’ – not the arms. In a high level swing, the arms serve mainly as linkage from the rotating shoulders to the bat.
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> To illustrate this, let us use the marked-up clip below of Ken Griffey’s mechanics. First, study his lead-arm. Note that that the elbow maintains a fairly fixed angle from initiation to contact. Therefore, it is not the flexing or un-flexing of the lead-arm that is supplying a pulling force on the lead-hand. It is the rearward rotation of the lead-shoulder that is supplying the power. – The arm is serving mainly as linkage from the rotating shoulder to the hand (and knob-end of the bat).
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> www.batspeed.com/media/Griffey_analysis1.wmv
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> Now, play it again and study the back-arm. Note that once the back-elbow lowers to his side, it remains back at his side (in the “L” position) during rotation to contact. Therefore, it is not the muscles of the back-arm that is mainly driving the top-hand forward. It is the forward rotation of the back-shoulder that is supplying the real power.
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> Are the muscles of the back-arm exerting force? Yes, but the force is more to maintain the “L” position that to extend the arms. This is similar to the way you would use your arms to push a car. The arms are exerting a strong force to keep the elbows from collapsing under the pressure, but it is not their extension that moves the car. It is the larger muscles of the legs and torso that is supplying the real power – the arms are their “linkage” to the car.
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> Leonel, you asked, “But does the hitter literaly applies force with his bottom hand or just keeps his bottom hand still and attacks the ball with his top hand? – In order to apply maximum torque, the bottom-hand must apply an equal (but opposing) force from initiation to contact. – I will address your THT question in another post to this thread.
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> Jack Mankin
>With Griffey he has a long swing[pretty flowing swing]his body style and long limbs allows him to get off the plate and pull balls well away from him and therefore he must have extension forward in his lead arm as he hits ball well out front.On a ball he goes the other way that is outer 3rd of plate he must have extension but the lead arm is more perpendicular to ball that those he pulls,nevertheless he still carries linkage and chp to create batspeed.Bonds is opposite,close to plate shoeter arms and bat and more flex in lead arm on many balls pulled.i think the flexing of lead arm is the adjustment made for the barrel to go out to the balls away[straight lead arm] and bent more for inside pitches drawing the hands inside the ball which allows ball to stay fair and not hitting around the ball.