An MLB testimonial on mechanics

[Swing Coach]

Just had a nice conversation with (third-year) Rays ss/utility player Ben Zobrist. He has a lifetime .221 batting average. He told me he could always hit the ball, but not with power. Nobody in the minors ever touched his swing or taught him anything. Then this past season he was frustrated that guys smaller than him had more power and he began acquiring tips that taught him to use his body more. He said he would always come straight down (too far)with his hands and then power back up too late. He now says he has learned to use his body and to get the barrel of the bat into the hitting zone much earlier. In his first two years in the bigs, he had just 3 homers. He had 4 in the last week of the 08 season....and he attributes his changed mechanics as the sole reason he got a few starts in the world series. Pretty cool.

He said I wouldn't believe how many major leaguers don't know their own swing. He said he knows of some who think they are throwing their hands at the ball, swinging down through the ball etc. I told him I did believe him.

He said he worked with a guy Jaime Cevallos (www.theswingmechanic.com) who helped him a lot. Check out the product he sells....Zobrist says it is supposed to help get into the "slot" sooner and hit in a bigger zone. I can't tell how it works from the site.

Anyway....just another testimonial that confirms how few people (including professional hitting coaches) really know the proper swing mechanics. Zobrist said it best, "just because you could hit the ball in the major leagues doesn't mean you can teach hitting."

SC

[Chris O'Leary]

He said he worked with a guy Jaime Cevallos (www.theswingmechanic.com) who helped him a lot. Check out the product he sells....Zobrist says it is supposed to help get into the "slot" sooner and hit in a bigger zone. I can't tell how it works from the site.

I am skeptical about all products that claim to allow more time in the hitting zone because the only way to do that is to reduce bat speed (the ultimate example of maximizing time in the hitting zone being the bunt).

Hitting is about timing and trajectory; about matching the timing and trajectory of the head of the bat through the hitting zone to the timing and trajectory of the ball through the hitting zone.

[beemax]

I am skeptical about all products that claim to allow more time in the hitting zone because the only way to do that is to reduce bat speed (the ultimate example of maximizing time in the hitting zone being the bunt).


Where does it say anything about maximizing time in the hitting zone? Zobrist said it allowed him to hit in a bigger zone, not maximize time in the zone.

[Chris O'Leary]

Where does it say anything about maximizing time in the hitting zone? Zobrist said it allowed him to hit in a bigger zone, not maximize time in the zone.

Six of one...

[bob_r]

It looks like a stubby bat - does anybody know how it's supposed to work?

[korp]

http://www.theswingmechanic.com/products.html

Explains the product right there. I too question this product however.

[CoachB25]

Swing Coach, I went to the site and read the info. On the "About Us" page, he states that, "Theswingmechanic.com, the #1 baseball swing analysis and instruction website, ..." I didn't see any discussion board etc. Do you know how he accomplishes this on this site? I didn't see a place for analysis or discussion.

[Swing Coach]

Nope...you know as much about the site as I do. Zobrist told me this guy is big on positions...teaching players how to get in the correct positions throughout the swing is the main goal of understanding what a high-level swing is. I'm just not sure how that "tool" works.

[FiveFrameSwing]

It looks like a stubby bat - does anybody know how it's supposed to work?

Good question.

The website doesn't give an example, which leads me to wonder this is just a matter of following Yeager's cue of hands passing through the back nipple or Mankin's Power-V .... both of which lead to hitting in a longer zone.

[Chris O'Leary]

Nope...you know as much about the site as I do. Zobrist told me this guy is big on positions...teaching players how to get in the correct positions throughout the swing is the main goal of understanding what a high-level swing is. I'm just not sure how that "tool" works.

I remain skeptical.

It's nothing more than another short, heavy bat.

If it works, it may be by building up the muscles that maintain connection.

[dominik]

Good question.

The website doesn't give an example, which leads me to wonder this is just a matter of following Yeager's cue of hands passing through the back nipple or Mankin's Power-V .... both of which lead to hitting in a longer zone.








What is the power V? Is it the same like Lau's power V (extension in front of the body)?

[bob_r]

I am skeptical but I would like to try it out. I'm speculating because of the heavier weight and the shorter length it forces your body to manipulate or favor certain leverages that get you in the right slot position as they suggest. I have a very heavy bat that Robby would try and swing and I noticed he became less armsy and had to use his lower body to get the bat around. Maybe it's similar scenario?

[Chris O'Leary]

What is the power V? Is it the same like Lau's power V (extension in front of the body)?

No, these are two totally different things

Mankin's Power V is kind of a combination of connection and elbow slotting.

[ShawmLee]

No, these are two totally different things

Mankin's Power V is kind of a combination of connection and elbow slotting.

Chris,

Have you studied Mankin? I thought I'd read somewhere that you don't have any of the "gurus" material so you won't be accused of copying it. If that's so, how can you in good conscience comment on everyone's stuff?

[Chris O'Leary]

Chris,

Have you studied Mankin? I thought I'd read somewhere that you don't have any of the "gurus" material so you won't be accused of copying it. If that's so, how can you in good conscience comment on everyone's stuff?

Mankin puts tons of stuff up on his web site (to his credit), so it's not too hard to get a sense of what he believes.

[mnh999]

Mankin puts tons of stuff up on his web site (to his credit), so it's not too hard to get a sense of what he believes.

Come on Chris. "Getting a sense" is not even close to studying and understanding what someone is teaching or describing. Most people on this site are smart enough to understand this. You wouldn't like people misrepresenting your video or beliefs without really studying and understanding them first.
You've really been exposed quite a bit the last couple of days Chris. Maybe you should have just backed off the keyboard once you decided to start selling stuff. Most folks on this site won't comment or say it, but I guarantee they can see it.

[Chris O'Leary]

Come on Chris. "Getting a sense" is not even close to studying and understanding what someone is teaching or describing. Most people on this site are smart enough to understand this. You wouldn't like people misrepresenting your video or beliefs without really studying and understanding them first.
You've really been exposed quite a bit the last couple of days Chris. Maybe you should have just backed off the keyboard once you decided to start selling stuff. Most folks on this site won't comment or say it, but I guarantee they can see it.

I have spent one hundred plus hours studying Mankin's stuff.

I actually started out on his web site because there is so much quality stuff out in the open.

[dominik]

Come on guys. Why don't you discuss your opinions on Chris O'Leary in the thread about his DVD, so that we can here discuss about baseball?

[Swing Coach]

Amen brother

[Ursa Major]

MNH said: Come on Chris. "Getting a sense" is not even close to studying and understanding what someone is teaching or describing.Chris is right about Manking putting it all out there on his web site. I've got Mankin's Final Arc DVD, and it really is a very basic introduction to rotational mechanics. By contrast, his all-public website -- which he contributes to assiduously -- has tens of thousands of posts. So, one can easily pick up from the web site whatever it is that Mankin is saying -- and certainly about whether Mankin's "power V" concept is or is not the same as Lau's, which is all Chris was referring to. Chris didn't need to be an expert on Mankin to answer that question; he wasn't discussing the merits or details of Mankin's philosophies. I don't need to know squat about auto mechanics to know that a Porsche is in many ways different from a mini-Cooper. Please read what other posters actually say before launching an attack.

[CoachB25]

Wow MarkH is active on the boards. Must have been the material questioning tilt and turn into the ball.

I am now on my 3rd sentence and all 3 so far have said very little about hitting. In fact if I throw in some personality stuff, I'll be equal to the type of content Mark provides on a consistent basis.

So I think PCR types are bad-bad-bad people. Naughty Naughty.

There that about sums up the pattern.

Encinitas, being a PCR type myself, I was wondering if that was a Michael Jackson "Bad" or a George Thorogood "Bad to the Bone" bad? (Or as I often refer to him George Throughly Good!) :laugh