Thread by @SteveEnglishbey

I'm sure quite a few here have seen this overhead clip of Pete Rose done quite a few yrs back by Jack Mankin:

I consider this to be one of THE greatest clips ever that really helps to clarify what a high level swing actually looks like. Why? Well, one needs to understand the historical context of this clip.

Going back to around circa 2001 or thereabouts, aside from Paul Nyman's lead arm swing models, NO one had really shown this kind of clip of the relatively circular path of the knob from initiation to contact.

And to Jack's great credit, no one [aside from the info from Setpro], had so described how the bat/hand movement is almost entirely a function of TRUNK ROTATION.

Jack comments on the STABILITY of the flexion angle of the lead elbow joint [from initiation to contact] and makes mention of the "pendulum effect" of the arms linked to the trunk.

These are very correct observations that I have tried to further explain, detail, and operationalize, so to speak, over the last 15 or so yrs.

I would only add to Jack's very astute observations, a couple of points:
1] Note that the upper lead arm stays along the shoulder line and very close to the lead pectoralis from initiation to contact.

2] Note also the degree of hip flexion---that results in the head/shoulders much more "over the plate", so to speak, relative to the hip line.

Note also as to how the back arm elbow aligns to the back hip joint from initiation to contact.

This kind of "geometry" so to speak of the spine angle [due to hip flexion], the lead arm, and the back arm, are critical components in what I refer to....

.....as creating very good bat/body ALIGNMENT from initiation to contact.

THIS kind of geometry is a key part of my very simple explanation of elite hitters:

Elite level hitters know how to create very good bat/body alignment and very good rotation [trunk rotation which optimizes speed, magnitude, timing].

Again great credit to Jack for his very astute observations as regards some very fundamentally correct points he made about a high level swing.

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