Posted by: Mark H. () on Mon Apr 15 09:16:21 2002

>>> At webball.com they have some good info but no forum to ask
> > > questions. Maybe you can help. They have published some research that
> > > says to stay inside the ball "a straight line is always the most
> > > direct and quickest route". That statement is obvious, common sense,
> > > but they go on to say "with the bathead kept close to the back
> > > shoulder, you're staying inside the ball". That's the statement that i
> > > would appreciate some clarification on. Thank you so much <<<
> > > >
> > > > Hi Max
> > > >
> > > > "Knob to the Ball, "Hands inside the Ball", "Hit the inside of the
> > > Ball" are just a few of the batting cues used by linear instructor's.
> > > The intent of these cues is (as you stated above) to have the
> > > hand-path take the straightest route (A to B) during the swing. In
> > > other words, the linear instructor wants to eliminate any arc or
> > > circular motion of the hand-path as the bat is accelerated.
> > > >
> > > > As I show in the instructional video, a straight hand-path does not
> > > apply any force to the bat that causes the bat-head to accelerate
> > > around the swing plane. As long as the hands are extended straight
> > > out, the bat-head will simply trail behind the hands until the batter
> > > applies torque at the end of the swing. So the coaches at Webball.com
> > > get the result they are looking for, and "with the bathead kept close
> > > to the back shoulder, you're staying inside the ball".
> > > >
> > > > The problem is, without the additional bat speed generated from a
> > > circular-hand-path, the bat-head is always lagging behind the hands.
> > > The batter has little choice but to "Hit the inside of the Ball" or
> > > "Hit to the opposite field." --- You will hear coaches instruct their
> > > hitters to "Keep your hands in-there" and then complain about the bat
> > > "dragging" in the zone. How can the poor kids can't win with linear
> > > mechanics/coaches?
> > > >
> > > > Jack Mankin
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> > > Thanks to Jack and others,many coaches are willing to acknowledge that
> > > there are different kinds of swings that can be classified as
> > > rotational or nonrotational/linear.One reason kids still can't win
> > > even though this is dawning on coaches is that coaches don't realize
> > > that a good nonrotational/linear swing can NOT be a power swing.The
> > > more you try to power the nonrotational/linear swing,the more the
> > > power plane of the body(perpendicular to spine)will fight the plane of
> > > the armswing so spatial and timing accuracy are degraded.Coaches would
> > > do much better acnowledging that this is a placement/control swing.If
> > > you are going to swing hard some times and less hard others with
> > > linear mechanics,you will be very inconsistent.Better to swing the
> > > same way for each location and look for this locat
> >
> >
> > So if you are going to use linear mechanics, resign yourself to hitting little opposite field punch singles since this is the strong point of linear hitting. IOW don't try to make linear mechanics do something they are not suited for like trying to hit for consistent power. If you are going to do this in fastpitch, you would be wise to do it from the left side considering where the rf plays. And coaches in both sports, whatever you do, don't teach linear mechanics to the big strong slow kid. And please learn the basics of the two mechanics so that you will quit trying to prescribe linear fixes and drills to rotational hitters.
> >
> > Thanks,
> > Mark H.
>
> Thanks for trying to help but I'm afraid you are caught up in the trap of trying to describe everything as either "linear" or "rotational". Real world: my brother-in-law plays AAA baseball and they don't use terms like "linear". They do teach "stay inside the ball" and these guys do hit for power. Apparently being inside the ball does not mean little bloopers to the opposite field. It's ok for you to express your opinion but I think you should attach a disclaimer to your statements stating that this is all theory that you dreamed up based on watching videos and not based on pro ball experience. Adios.

Adios? Stick around and tell us what the truth really is. Since most of us don't get to play pro ball, we study what the best do. Who should we study? And inside the ball doesn't imply lack of power or otherwise. Matter of fact, I've heard different definitions from different people. Don't just tell us we're wrong. Tell us what's right. As far as a disclaimer on this site, Jack is very, very clear about how he derived his theories and views of the swing. Maybe read the whole site and tell us what you really think. Come on, be a contributor. Welcome and come on in.

Mark H.