Posted by: Jimmy () on Sat Feb 24 11:25:27 2007

> I didn't reply?
>
> What is this?
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Posted by: Teacherman () on Sat Jan 13 21:07:38 2007
>
> The barrel turns about the hands in a plane different than what you describe.
>
> You describe a swing plane that is centered by the spine. Or, said another way, the body
is inside the swing plane. I believe today's hitters stand next to the swing plane as the
barrel is turned in the hands in a diagonal plane out over the plate. See the hitters shown
in the clips below.
>
> Your model describes a mostly horizontal swing plane which IMO, doesn't match today's
high level hitters.
>
> www.teachersbilliards.com/hitzone/dortiz.gif
> www.teachersbilliards.com/hitzone/delgado5.gif
> www.teachersbilliards.com/hitzone/bonds4.gif
>
> I will say, that at or near contact, the lead upper arm, lead lower arm and the bat can
seem to line up. Form a line. But the path they took to get there is far from in the
"shoulders momentum plane" and is not produced by shoulder rotation. And, because of
this fact, the entire launch of the swing is misunderstood. And only a handful who play at
the highest level know this.
>
> At launch, the barrel is torqued immediately by the hands (forearms) and rotates in a
plane roughly 90 degrees to the lead forearm. An immediate launch and spend of energy.
And, as a hitter approaches contact, that angle approaches 180 degrees (lead upper arm,
lead lower arm, bat seem to get in line). When a hitter hits the ball in the perfect spot deep
in the zone, with perfect timing, it is hit before this allignment.
>
> The hitter does his best to hit the ball before the swing rounds off and pulls the hands
out of the hitzone.
>
> It is my opinion, that teaching a circular hand path is a mistake. It is my opinion that
hitters resist the circular path but lose. They attempt to keep the hands out over the plate
as they rotate the barrel, but because of the body's rotation and their timing on any given
pitch, the rotation will eventually win and round off the swing. That is far from an attempt
to "create" the circular hand path. The circular hand path is inevitable. The body's rotation
will win. But, the hitter, by jutting his lead elbow upward and rotating the forearms, does
his best to keep that rotating barrel, that barrel that is rotating roughly 90 degrees to the
lead forearm, out over the plate and in line with the ball. The hands must stay out over the
plate, in line with the ball AS THEY ROTATE THE BARREL.
>
> See the overhead Rose clip with the lines drawn on it. Everyone says "see....circular hand
path." Well, study it a little closer. The lines are not drawn as accurately as they could be. If
you used the same spot on the hands for each frame and drew a line connecting the spots,
the initial move of Rose's hands is very, very straight to the ball. Then, as the rotation
wins, the hand path rounds off.
>
> This Second Engine upper body mechanism has several outstanding qualities. But,
probably the most important (if I can say one is more important than the other) is.....the
hands/forearms turn the barrel rearward at launch and this rearward movement of the
barrel creates resistance that is used to break the upper and lower body apart. It is a
mechanism that creates separation. The barrel loading, as Swingbuster calls it, the barrel
going rearward, keeps the hands at the armpit while they turn the barrel. Guru after guru
seek a method to keep the hands back. To keep the hitter from thrusting his hands
forward. Well, high level hitters don't thrust and they use this mechanism to make it easy.
It is automatic with the Second Engine. High level hitters use the barrel's weight and the
resistance it's rearward movement creates, to keep the hands at the launch position and to
break apart the upper and lower body. The hands are busy torquing the barrel
rearward...therefore they don't go anywhere. And, finally, this barrel movement backward
gives the hitter what DMac calls a running start. A huge advantage. The hitter starts the
barrel in its arc rearward prior to any committment to the pitch. Then, when the decision
is "go", he simply fires the forearms and continues the barrel in it's rearward path and it
turns the corner and hits the crap out of the ball. The Second Engine will consistently
square bat and ball because of the path of the arc. Shoulder momentum swings, lead
shoulder pulling the bat around, double pendulum type swings have a sloppy arc and
consistently slice the ball.
>
> That's a lot of words to simply say.....Create the arc rearward....keep the arc in front of
the ball.
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> It's very simple Jack. And if you's swing a bat and try it you would feel it immediately.
>
> You've loaded. Then, at "go", the forearms rotate turning the barrel rearward in the
hands. The shoulders laterally tilt (a much more explosive move than rotation; much
greater leverage) as the "two forearm unit" which I call a triangle, rotates about the hands,
which remain out over the plate to the best of their ability. And as seen in all mlb clips.
There is extension into and through the ball.....the hands do not wrap around the body as
they would if the hand path was generated by shoulder rotation.
>
> Now you wonder how does the hips energy get to the forearms which are the prime
mover.....The lead elbow juts upward and creates resistance, the bypass, and does it's best
to keep the shoulders back.
>
> While that is going on the hips energy goes into the already rotating forearms.
>
> Swing a bat and try it. You'll feel the hips energy go into the lead arm as it juts.

Teacherman,

Very good explaination of the swing. Especially the portion about the "second engine".
This is a much more accurate description of how advanced hitters use the complex
machine called "The Body".

Jimmy