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Resident Experts Column - February 2007
The Great Debate: Rotational v. Linear Mechanics
And why people on both sides are right
by Coach Hardin

Six years ago, I sat in a room full of like-minded coaches listening to the authority on all topics related to softball: Mike Candrea.

Within this room, there were several questions about how a hitter should set-up, swing, and follow through. One coach even pleaded, “I just want to know how to make my kids hit as well as the teams that are pounding my pitchers.” Coach Candrea is a magnificent clinician, and he thoughtfully answered all of the questions and addressed the hopeless pleas. Coaches swallowed up his advice with pens a’ blazing (including myself)!

At that particular time, I would characterize most of Coach Candrea’s teaching as being more of the linear variety. From the stance to the swing path, it was stressed that all parts should be pointed or moving straight to the ball. This technique wasn’t shared by just Mike Candrea, but also by thousands of other coaches, including other leading experts of our game, like Sue Enquist. And who could argue? These are the same iconic figures who were winning more than anyone else.

Fast forward to the future! Today, we have this great debate between the previous technique mentioned and that of rotational mechanics, taught by hitting gurus such as Mike Epstein--both of which are being widely shared by coaches with their players across America in some form or fashion.

What I’ve learned recently is that you really can’t have one technique without the other. Essentially, a swing has to have both linear and rotational mechanics to perform at its best.

I had the great fortune of speaking with Don Slaught (yeah, 15 years in the Bigs), and he convinced me, as he has others, that a baseball swing and a softball swing is one and the same. His software program, Right View Pro, proves that the best hitters in both sports are doing exactly the same things, and in fact, they demonstrate both linear and rotational mechanics.

In our conversation, I also learned that Coach Candrea and Coach Enquist are also onboard with his ideas. No longer are coaches who use Slaught’s system teaching a linear swing or a rotational swing, but instead, a combination of both.

His software proves this technique to be best by using countless examples of major league hitters and comparing them to any softball swing. Or, for that matter, you can compare any of your own hitters’ swings against Chipper Jones, Derek Jeter, or many other great baseball players as well as a number of prominent softball players. It allows you to break down any swing, frame-by-frame, and put it side by side to your own player’s swing.

The evidence is astonishing, and it’s revolutionizing the way that softball coaches are teaching hitting.

Now, nobody will argue, Mike Candrea is still the authority on all things related to softball, and one of things that makes him so successful is that he views the game with an open-mind and constantly learns new ways to teach his athletes.

Article by Guest Expert: Coach Hardin

Coach Hardin's Website: Championshiop Fastpitch