Hitting and Hitters Discussion hitting article

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here is an interesting article advocating Right Veiw Pro and the baseball swing.

(i think the reactions times are less due to the fact that the artical use 40' for the pitching distance, when it is closer to 34' from release after the leap)

http://www.openloopsport.com/HighSpeed.htm

 

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could you show me good bat drag or wrist snap on any of these MLB video clips
http://imageevent.com/siggy/hitting not being smart i just dont see it zed

 

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here is a good example of bat lag. scroll down about half way and look at pic #4.
The swing and hip rotation has begun. The hands are out in front but the bat lags waiting for wrist release. (sooner on an outside pitch and later on an inside pitch)
Don Slaught creator of RVP talks about the laws of addition at this point. If the rotation and wrist release are timed correctly, great force will be imparted on the ball with seemingly no effort.

http://www.sparqtraining.com/features/?p=115

 

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This is another example of terms, definitions or cues being slightly different from one hitting guru to another.

Bat lag is a term Slaught uses to describe the "crack the whip" action of the rotational swing. The hips and core turn first, with the final movement of the wrists and bat being the last piece in the chain (ie: the end of the whip when you "crack the whip&quot He is describing the transfer of rotational power through a mechnical chain that remains linked (connected) to the body's core.

Bat drag is a term used to describe "slop" in the swing where the bat is lagging behind the rotation to a degree that you loose some of the "connection" with the body's core.

The article describes something I have also heard discussed in different terms- the difference between bat speed and bat quickness.

Bat speed refers to the maximum bat speed acheived. Bat quickness refers to the elapsed time from the point the swing is initiated to ball contact. They are not the same thing and there is a trade-off made to acheive one or the other.

For example, think of a drag race car as it leaves the line. One car might spin the tires before hooking up. Ultimately, that car might eventually hit a higher speed, but its elapsed time will be slower because the speed came later in the race than the other car.

Another example that relates more to a swing: Slow pitch softball players have been recorded with bat speeds in the 110-120 m.p.h. range. Yet Major League baseball players will top out at a bat speed of about 90 m.p.h. There has been a tradeoff between bat speed and bat quickness. The slow pitch player has all of the time in the world to react to the slow, arcing pitch. Bat quickness can be sacraficed to get a higher bat speed. The baseball player needs more bat quickness to allow more reaction time to changing pitch speeds and breaking pitches and some ultimate bat speed will be sacraficed.

Bat quickness is promoted through removing "slop" (tire spinning) in the rotational chain. This allows the hitter to wait a tiny fraction of a second longer to read the pitch and react accordingly. While some bat speed must be sacraficed, the advantage to the hitter being able to hold off a few more ticks will result in more consistent contact with the ball.

You can generate all the bat speed in the world, but if you can't do it quickly you will be reacting late to the pitch and decrease your chances of getting the bat on the ball.

 

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Good stuff Bretman!

Another thing Slaught points out at this phase of the swing is that with good bat lag you can easily adjust from an inside swing to an outside pitch with good mechanics in place, but you cannot start the swing outside and adjust to an inside pitch. Without good bat lag you are stuck with the swing you started and cant make any split second adjustments. Buy using your wrists to "crack the whip" you buy valuable time to make adjustments, not to mention the tremendous force cracking the whip will impart to the ball. He also compares it to "skipping a rock"

the sparqtraining site advocates that the swing starts from the ground up. I believe that RVP says the back elbow will start the swing (minus the negative move and toe touch).

 

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Bret,

Excellent! I wish more softball people had your understanding of the high level swing. Slowly but surely it is changing in the softball world. Good article too. Provides perspective on just how hard it is to hit a softball and why swing quickness is required at the higher levels.

Bonds didnt have a problem understanding it. Like him or not.

Elliott.

 

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Hitting is such a confusing element of the game, or is it?