Posted by: Roby () on Wed Jun 13 09:06:08 2001

>>>Do we advocate 50/50 percent split between linear and rotational?
> > Weight Transfer
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> > The is an ongoing argument that some hitters may be more weight transfer than rotational. Linear hitters are thought to hit more singles and doubles. I read somewhere that George Brett was a pure weight transfer hitter, do we think so? If you can see Brett on Esptein's video you can see that he is definitely a combination of the two. Many argue that Frank Thomas is more weight transfer than rotation. He might be, but he also uses rotational power. However, he is not purely weight transfer. So what is he, 60% weight transfer, 40% rotational? or viceversa and if so, doesn't that make Alex Rodriguez the same type. Some like Jim Edmonds would seem to be more of a pure rotational hitter or even Griffey, I would think?
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> > A total rotational hitter will have more power than the weight transfer hitter simply because he uses his hips and legs more. However hitters who are rotationally are generally thought of having a longer swing, tend to pull off the ball more and be more inconsistent. So I think that there has to be a ratio of both closer to 50/50 for the batter to be consistant. In the "Blast" video by Jim Schwanke, he believes in stepping forward and driving thru the ball, however the hand path and technique is rotational and you see his hitters rotate and generate torque from the same cues as Epstein advocates and his drills display the same principle as Mankin's in that the swing generates a very easy and powerful swing. That seems to be a good adjustment between power and consistency. What do you all think?
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> > Also, I believe that as you approach contact your hands stay close to your body in a rotational hand path till you are getting close to contact point, in front of the plate, there you extend the power V towards the pitcher, maybe add Lau's one hand extension to the equation and end the rotation of your shoulder and the swing.
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> > Opinions, thought? <<<
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> > Hi Roby
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> > To answer your question we must first define which segment of the swing you are referring to. --- The stride and weight shift segment is completed before the swing is initiated. Or, in other words, the forward movement of the body’s center of mass comes to a stop (or near stop) before rotation starts. So to say the batter is “50/50 percent split between linear and rotational” really has little meaning.
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> > During the transfer segment of the swing, a batter may start with a circular hand-path and then extend his hands lineally to bring the bat-head to contact. – This 50/50 rotational/linear split, which most average hitters do, I do not agree with. Great hitters are rotational all the way to contact (including George Brett), and they only extend the back-arm on pitches to the outside part of the plate.
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> > Jack Mankin
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> My impression of the 50/50 split is not that the swing starts rotational and then gets converted to linear through the contact zone - I agree that this would lose the momentum generated during the rotational "phase". What I think happens in some cases is this - if you consider the rotational mechanics swing to look like a circle from a top view - then the entire circle shifts forward 6 inches by striding and moving the center of gravity without leaning or lunging. This shifts the weight forward while maintaining the rotational mechanics. This may not be what is actually happening, but that is the way it appears in real time and normal slow motion playback. So my questions are 1. Is this happening? 2. If it happens, does the forward weight shift combined with no break in the rotational mechanics contribute to power? Thanks

How much is generated with a back to center movement and how much is generated rotationally. I think Daniel explained it well by saying that you move your axis forward creating forward momentum and with that momentum acting forward and adding centrifugal force you initiate the rotation around the completed stationary axis that had forward momentum. In the case of Alex Rodriguez, he steps from back to center and there he goes rotational. The point I was making is that it seems to me that if you do this, rotate with power and complete the motion around the power "V" with the Lau one hand extension it might just be very effective not only on outside pitches but to compensate for the lack of proper timing on balls to the middle and off speed stuff. I have been disecting some video from baseball tonight on ESPN and some batters seem to be doing that when you look at it frame by frame.