quote:Originally posted by PGStaff:
...It also, (in my opinion) shows the value of strong hands because at contact the barrel is real close to being in front of his hands....
What is the correlation between strong hands and barrel being in front of hands at contact?
It is my opinion that he is early on this pitch and made a nice adjustment with the extension. Kept him in the zone longer.
Get in your stance. Lock both elbows against your side(s). Let the bat lag or droop. Hold it loosely. Now, whip the body. Load/unload. Negative move/positive move. Without "manhandling the bat". Did the bat get in front of the hands.......did it require hand strength.
The above is not a description of swing mechanics. It is a demonstration that the bat gets moved by the body not the hands in a good swing. The hands can control the direction of that force but they aren't producing the force. The hands are not pushing on the handle. The hands are allowing the force to flow through them to the handle. The force created by the body's rotation.
Another cheap example. Take a pencil and tie a 3 inch string to the top. Imagine a small ball on the end of the string. Hold the pencil in one hand and with the other, grab the ball and throw it so as to make it wrap aroung the pencil.
Now, put the pencil between both palms and spin it rapidly.
Which ball moved faster?
That is the difference between swinging with the arms/hands and having a strong rotating body.
If anything, the hands can interfere with the force (change it's direction; slow it) but they can't produce much. Not to say some hits aren't punched through after making a bad decision or being fooled......but we're talking about the good swing.