Posted by: Jack Mankin (MrBatspeed@aol.com) on Sat Jan 14 15:44:06 2006

>>> I made an earlier post regarding my problem with over-rotating. I concluded that I tended to use my back-side more than front side, pushing my back hip forward and by pulling too hard with my front shoulder. Jack teaches that the hips rotate because of the front knee driving to straighten the leg, which pulls the hips around. Frankly, I'm having a hard time developing a moderate, but powerful amount of hip rotation. I either swing with the wrist and no hips, or drive the upper around too far. So Jack, I have some questions regarding the proper way to rotate the body around a stationary axis:

A) Does it all result from simply straightening the front knee?

B)Does the back leg play a role? Do you yourself oush the back knee and hip along with the straghtening of the front knee/pull of the front hip? Or does the back hip come around and back knee form an 'L' by itself from the pulling force of the front hip?

C) A recent post made on another site regarding how the hips rotate....."The legs provide a stable base from which the hips rotate. It starts in your center....not in your legs. Your lead leg will stiffen. But, it is being stiffened by rotation......not the other way around. " Jack, can you agree with this? Does the front leg stiffen as a result of hip rotation or do the hips rotate as a result of the front leg stiffening? <<<

Hi Dougdinger

These are good questions and you may get differing opinions based on each coach's preferred method of inducing hip rotation. Rotation is induced by muscle contraction in the pelvic region or from torque supplied from the legs' or a combination of the two. Therefore, rotation is not always coming from a single source.

With that in mind, let us apply it to your questions.

>> (A) Does it all result from simply straightening the front knee? <<

Obviously not, batters who use the Charlie Lau method already have the front leg fully extended at foot-plant. And since the back leg is starting to drag forward before the hips rotate, there is little or no torque supplied from the legs.

Therefore, with the Lau method, hip rotation is mainly induced by muscle contraction in the pelvic region. Many refer to this as "middle out." - Note: Although I do not agree, for those that feel linear momentum is also involved, it is fine with me.

>> (B) - Does the back leg play a role? Do you yourself oush the back knee and hip along with the straghtening of the front knee/pull of the front hip? Or does the back hip come around and back knee form an 'L' by itself from the pulling force of the front hip? <<

The back-leg may play a role, but I do not feel it in my swing nor do I even mention the back-leg to my students. I find that if the student sets the correct axis angle and makes proper use of the lead-leg, the back-leg winds up in the correct contact position.

>> (C) - A recent post made on another site regarding how the hips rotate....."The legs provide a stable base from which the hips rotate. It starts in your center....not in your legs. Your lead leg will stiffen. But, it is being stiffened by rotation......not the other way around. " Jack, can you agree with this? Does the front leg stiffen as a result of hip rotation or do the hips rotate as a result of the front leg stiffening? <<

I can understand why coaches that teach a form of the Lau method would say the lead-leg plays no role in hip rotation. To them, if a batter should have flex in the lead-knee at foot plant, the leg would straighten due to "middle out" action -- not leg drive. This is certainly not the case with my students or what I see in many of the very best hitters.

One of the key mental cues I have a student practice is to have their lead-shoulder pulling back toward the catcher at contact. To accomplish this, I want them to have ample flex in the lead-knee at foot-plant. And then use the extension of the lead-leg to aid in rotating the lead-shoulder rearward at contact. -- My best guess would be that about 50% of my hip rotation comes from "middle out" action and 50% from lead-leg extension.

Keep in mind as you practice, although hip and shoulder rotation is important, the ultimate purpose of all swing mechanics is to rotate the bat-head - first, back toward the catcher. Therefore, as you concentrate on inducing hip rotation, concentrate even more on accelerating the bat-head rearward -- this may help you keep everything in sync.

Jack Mankin