General thoughts on the one handed follow through...

[ASTROCREEP]

I've never been a fan of releasing your top hand from the bat after it has gone through the hitting zone. But Frank Thomas made a career of it. Willy does the same thing.

Watching Ensberg follow through (with 2 hands) as he hit that bomb yesterday, was a thing of beauty.
But is this a "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" type of thing, or is following through with two hands generally a standard technique taught to young hitters?

[Waldo]

McTweet did it too.

Maybe it's the same as batting stances - whatever works.

[pravata]

Quote:
I've never been a fan of releasing your top hand from the bat after it has gone through the hitting zone. But Frank Thomas made a career of it. Willy does the same thing.

Watching Ensberg follow through (with 2 hands) as he hit that bomb yesterday, was a thing of beauty.
But is this a "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" type of thing, or is following through with two hands generally a standard technique taught to young hitters?

see Walt Hriniak and Charlie Lau.

[homer]

Quote:
I've never been a fan of releasing your top hand from the bat after it has gone through the hitting zone. But Frank Thomas made a career of it. Willy does the same thing.

Watching Ensberg follow through (with 2 hands) as he hit that bomb yesterday, was a thing of beauty.
But is this a "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" type of thing, or is following through with two hands generally a standard technique taught to young hitters?

As pravata already pointed out, the Big Hurt was coached to hit that way. Walt Hriniak was the hitting coach for the White Sox from 1988-1995, and had actually replaced Lau after Lau died. One of the other fundamentals he preached was 'keep your head down'. LaGenius is also a Lau disciple.

[davek]

Quote:

Quote:
I've never been a fan of releasing your top hand from the bat after it has gone through the hitting zone. But Frank Thomas made a career of it. Willy does the same thing.

Watching Ensberg follow through (with 2 hands) as he hit that bomb yesterday, was a thing of beauty.
But is this a "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" type of thing, or is following through with two hands generally a standard technique taught to young hitters?

see Walt Hriniak and Charlie Lau.

Lau did a pretty fair job with that George Brett fellow...

[ASTROCREEP]

Quote:

Quote:
I've never been a fan of releasing your top hand from the bat after it has gone through the hitting zone. But Frank Thomas made a career of it. Willy does the same thing.

Watching Ensberg follow through (with 2 hands) as he hit that bomb yesterday, was a thing of beauty.
But is this a "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" type of thing, or is following through with two hands generally a standard technique taught to young hitters?

As pravata already pointed out, the Big Hurt was coached to hit that way. Walt Hriniak was the hitting coach for the White Sox from 1988-1995, and had actually replaced Lau after Lau died. One of the other fundamentals he preached was 'keep your head down'. LaGenius is also a Lau disciple.

Thanks, I remember now. Lau's technique became "news" when Frank Thomas started to really mash in the early 90's.

Is there a specific thoery behind the top hand release?

[pravata]

Quote:

Quote:

Quote:
I've never been a fan of releasing your top hand from the bat after it has gone through the hitting zone. But Frank Thomas made a career of it. Willy does the same thing.

Watching Ensberg follow through (with 2 hands) as he hit that bomb yesterday, was a thing of beauty.
But is this a "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" type of thing, or is following through with two hands generally a standard technique taught to young hitters?

As pravata already pointed out, the Big Hurt was coached to hit that way. Walt Hriniak was the hitting coach for the White Sox from 1988-1995, and had actually replaced Lau after Lau died. One of the other fundamentals he preached was 'keep your head down'. LaGenius is also a Lau disciple.

Thanks, I remember now. Lau's technique became "news" when Frank Thomas started to really mash in the early 90's.

Is there a specific thoery behind the top hand release?

"Maximum extension" see The Link

[Limey]

I prefer the two-handed follow through.  Apart from asthetics, the swing must be both more powerful and more controlled with two hands on the bat.  Otherwise, you'd swing one handed like a tennis racquet.

[homer]

Quote:

Quote:

Quote:
I've never been a fan of releasing your top hand from the bat after it has gone through the hitting zone. But Frank Thomas made a career of it. Willy does the same thing.

Watching Ensberg follow through (with 2 hands) as he hit that bomb yesterday, was a thing of beauty.
But is this a "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" type of thing, or is following through with two hands generally a standard technique taught to young hitters?

As pravata already pointed out, the Big Hurt was coached to hit that way. Walt Hriniak was the hitting coach for the White Sox from 1988-1995, and had actually replaced Lau after Lau died. One of the other fundamentals he preached was 'keep your head down'. LaGenius is also a Lau disciple.

Thanks, I remember now. Lau's technique became "news" when Frank Thomas started to really mash in the early 90's.

Is there a specific thoery behind the top hand release?

Full lead arm extension in the follow through.

 Lau's Laws on Hitting

[homer]

Quote:
I prefer the two-handed follow through.  Apart from asthetics, the swing must be both more powerful and more controlled with two hands on the bat.  Otherwise, you'd swing one handed like a tennis racquet.

McTweet would disagree:

 

Quote:
McGwire is descended from Lau through La Russa, his first manager as an A's rookie in 1987. Additionally, McGwire's hitting coach as a rookie was Bob Watson, who played under Lau with the Yankees in 1980 and '81.

"The great majority of Mark's swings, you'll see his top hand release," La Russa says. "Which is the ultimate irony for Charlie Lau. People thought what Charlie taught, taking the hand off, meant that you would obviously lose power. All he was saying was to hit through the ball and take the hand off at maximum point of extension so you can get more extension. Ted Williams was violently opposed to Charlie. He said he was teaching to go to the opposite field. He misunderstood. Charlie took guys who weren't home run hitters and raised their average 50 to 60 points by getting them to play the center of the field.
 

 A self serving article, obviously

[Galvatraz]

You could always tell when Fred McGriff was gonna hit one out in his cubs years, because he did that one-handed helicopter thingy. Didn't really ever do it unless he really got a hold of one.

[HurricaneDavid]

There were a few instances last year when I saw Vizcaino release his BOTTOM hand.  He's the only player I've ever seen do that.