Question on Wrist action

[Stinger4]

I have been watching plenty of mlb games lately and have noticed the hand set and positioning. I see that many big leaguers, ryan howard, carl crawford, pujols,---- take the top hand and flex their wrist so that their entire palm is facing the pitcher.
The wrist and forearm pretty much at a 90 degree angle on the top arm and most likely the elbow comes up. When I tried this while hitting, I was amazed at the wrist action I got on the ball, like an uncoiling effect. It just felt very smooth and powerful. My question is why does it work and do all big leaguers achieve it at some point?

[Jake Patterson]

I have been watching plenty of mlb games lately and have noticed the hand set and positioning. I see that many big leaguers, ryan howard, carl crawford, pujols,---- take the top hand and flex their wrist so that their entire palm is facing the pitcher.
The wrist and forearm pretty much at a 90 degree angle on the top arm and most likely the elbow comes up. When I tried this while hitting, I was amazed at the wrist action I got on the ball, like an uncoiling effect. It just felt very smooth and powerful. My question is why does it work and do all big leaguers achieve it at some point?

As the wrist completes its rotation the palm will always face the pitcher (forward) at some point. Uncertain what you are asking... Do you have a clip??

[Stinger4]

I was actually watching a replay of the 2006 Homerun Derby and saw some guys with that top hand set up I described earlier. I was fooling around and tried it and was amazed at the results. Its amazing how that simple top hand set up has changed my swing. It has produced smooth, effortless power.I wasn't sure of the reason why it worked so well until I read the post by Swingbuster. Prior to the top hand change all my power was to pull side. I was able to hit 375-400ft homeruns to pull side, but nothing over the fence to oppo gap because I was spinning from the sounds of it. I changed my top hand and started hitting balls oppo gap just as far as pull side. Good stuff.

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Written by Swingbuster
THe problem is ...the hips can turn , the shoulders can turn and/ or they can turn together( spin). We must break them apart to get torque . AT GO...the shoulder must be mechanized to stay in as the hips turn naturally. THe first negative hand action effecting the bat barrel positioning can smoothly break them apart

A one piece spinning pattern is a common swing flaw . Late in the swing( just before contact) the shoulders can be pulling the hips around if the hips don't lead. You see that in many kids if you look hard

To get some overlap or delay, the hands must be going back as the hips start forword unconsciecely.

SInce this is hard to do you must place the top hand in a position where it MUST go back before it can advance the barrel.

Place you top hands in front of you right arm pit and open the palm facing the pitcher and sloped down.

From that top hand position the barrel will go back 100 % of the time before it can bring the barrel forward.

Any other position can allow linear hand action with both hands pulling forward instead of rotation of the barrel at swing initiation.

Tip & Rip is grounded in science & kinesiology. Hip shoulder separation and connection of the hip drive to the barrel through the shoulder/ arm/ hand linkage is dependant on the initial direction that top hand moves

People think if they push both hands back then that is loading and the swing will initiate correctly. Only when the hands torque the handle , turing the barrel back into plane at swing initiation can the top and bottom halves break apart and stop one piece spinning . Once you gets some torque the right way you can reduce your total effort, increase your power and hit gap to gap( get inside the ball)

THis can be mechanized or put on auto pilot by pronating the top hand in the set up

[BoardMember]

I think he means like this:




As the wrist completes its rotation the palm will always face the pitcher (forward) at some point. Uncertain what you are asking... Do you have a clip??

[tom.guerry]

It takes a lot of understanding of the whole mlb swing to reverse engineer the requirements all the way back to grip and set up.

The key to the mlb swing is a "running start" that gest the torso coiling, then adjusting swing timing and plane very late on top of this ongoing coil/running start with very quick acceleration.

The swing itself/firing of bathead only takes and can be checked about 3-4 frames to/from contact.

The running start/torso coiling requires torquing the handle of the bat.

The plane adjustment requires tilting the shoulders.

The forearms have to "swivel" to avoid a bind.

The segmented loading of the BODY is the key to powering the swing and is best practiced like "hitting OPPO" or hitting with unbroken wrists as Williams recommended.

So the wrists have quite a job.

They have to let the arm/forearm action torque the bat handle, yet remained "cocked" (aBducted) somehow until contact. They have to permit "swivel" so there is no bind or interference with setting uop swing plane or enabling the "immediate launch and spend" as bathead fires.

They have to keep the hinge angle from getting too narrow (which is what happens mechanically when in the double pendulum/flail for example, transfers momentum as the first pendulum shows, BUT they can not be uncocked or ADducted early.

To prepare for the swing action, the positions or levers and grip must all be set to later unfold right.

Grip has top prevent "bind".

Front shoulder has to be lowred/tilted down so it can later untilt.

Top/back forearm has to be pronated so it can later supinate as part of swivel.

Wrists have to ABduct so they can later ADduct at contact.

Lead arm has to come down and externally rotate so it can later come up and internally rotate so it can swivel,then stay fixed/internally rotated in lead shoulder socket through contact.

Back arm has to internally rotate so it can promiote hip cock and later externally rotate to synch upper and lower body load timing as well as promote swivel/handle torque.

Wrists have to accomodate all this.