There's this hunk of metal down there at the end of this rope....
It doesn't take much to start pulling hard on the rope from the top as you try to knock the ball "into next week." So to speak.
This pulling does add some speed to the hunk of metal, but the metal HAS TO LINE UP with the handle at the top of the rope at some point.
The body has moved back and around—"from a dead"—a bunch, as the hunk of metal is moved back away from the ball.
It can add some speed to the ball whack at the bottom, but more or less, it's job is to stabilize and align the whack.
Some people try can't line the thing up soon enough.