WebBall.com - An Original Hitting Theory

An Original Hitting Theory

Jack Mankin Jack Mankin has for years billed himself as Mr. Bat Speed. The material included here was first published on WebBall long before he founded his own batspeed.com website. We have not always agreed with every precept he presents or every term he has defined, or every action/consequence he has explained. But we have always appreciated his willingness to go with what his research tells him, and we admire that he has never been content to simply pass on traditional teaching. We should all be as willing to challenge conventional thinking and find our own path. (Click to close.)

Here's . With the help of physics researchers and pro athletes, in the 1990s Jack Mankin attempted to redefine how batters transfer energy from bat to ball.

This is what it says it is: a hitting theory, not an instructional approach. Any coach or ballplayer who wants to work on this, will need to develop their own technique for learning and practice, or appreciate that some of what they are already doing now successfully may be based on this - without you needing to understand the theory.

'Stationery Axis' Model

Mechanics Defined

Batter takes position in batter's box - a line through his shoulders would point back toward pitcher.
About 60% of his weight is over back leg. Body may be tilted away from pitcher about 10°.
Lead knee and leg will rotate hips and shoulders (around the spine) away from the pitcher. A line through the hips and shoulders would now point in the direction of second baseman.
This should bring the hands, center of axis (spine) and pitcher's mound in line. (Not a 'coiled' position - we don't want to stretch muscles around locked joints. Feet and knees should be allowed to pivot the body as a relaxed unit.)
Batter completes optional timing step and rotates to a good launch position. All forward motion will have ceased and he's ready to start the swing. Now, it's as if a stake had been driven down through the head and body, out the butt and into 6 feet of concrete.
Rotating around this stationary neck-spine axis is 'ground-up' - knees, hips and shoulders all rotate in unison. Lead knee and leg rotate and straighten to drive front hip in an arc back toward catcher, as back leg rotates back hip toward pitcher. Both hips rotating evenly allows the axis to remain stationary while large muscles of both legs accelerate rotation.

'Back to Center' Model

Mechanics Defined

As batter prepares for the swing, the front foot will be planted firmly on the ground and closed at about 45 degrees.
About 70% of the weight will be back and the hands will be over back foot.
As swing starts, back foot accelerates the back hip around a firm front side.
Weight transfers from 'back toward center'. During this time the hips lead the hands and the lead shoulder is held 'in there' or closed.
As hands and arms are accelerated forward, they clear out the front shoulder. The lead elbow must remain bent during the first part of the swing to allow the swing to be 'tight and compact'.
The lead elbow will straighten just before contact and the back arm will reach full extension sometime after contact.
The direction of force of the top hand is toward the pitcher. As the batter turns and drives with the top hand, having the elbow down places the arm in a good position at the start of the swing.

Energy Transfer

Energy developed in the body must be transferred to develop bat speed. Two forces combined (and the length of time they're applied) determines bat speed.

Energy of Rotation - bat undergoes angular displacement when hand-path also undergoes angular displacement. As long as hand-path stays circular, bat speed is developed. Once hand path straightens out, angular displacement ceases.
Torque - two forces applied to an object from opposing directions. The object rotates about a point between the two forces. (One wrist forward, one back.)

C0MPARING MODELS

Mechanical differences in energy transfer	STATIONERY AXIS	BACK TO CENTER
Lead Arm Path	fairly straight throughout the swing	straightens after contact
Hands accelerated	by the rotation of the body	by the muscles of the arms
Lead Arm at Contact	being pulled back toward the catcher	extending toward the pitcher.
Top Hand Force (as swing initiated)	toward the catcher	toward the pitcher
Wrist flex (as hands accelerate)	should be very little flexing and unflexing	flexed on acceleration; they unflex just before contact

Note: WebBall has one primary concern with this comparison chart as developed by the author: We don't know any batter or coach that subscribes to the "back to center" model as defined here. It seems to be a description created to be knocked down.

Reader Commentary: WebBall members are invited to comment.