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Reply to "Marking Launch angles in batting cages?"

I personally have been really focusing on hitting up on the ball.  I have naturally had a flat swing or slight up swing and this goes back to the days where I was told to HIT DOWN on the ball, even as a power hitter.  Never made sense and I struggled.  I fight with the zepp attack angle numbers because when my swing clearly shows up on video and zepp is telling me its -25' and the ball is going up I get frustrated.  So I try and change mechanics and swing plane and hands and shoulders and swing up.  I used to be a home run and power hitter but I dont have video of that far back so I have to assume my swing has changed over time.  

Here is why Im posting...  IEBSBL posted something interesting about pitches coming off a mound and launch angles.  This got quickly dismissed because launch angles dont really have to do with pitch angle in theory because the angle is off the bat compared to the ground.  BUT, when I hit in a 70-80mph cage off a machine or a live pitcher not on a mound, the ball is coming in at a much less angle vs off a mound.  That in return changes what we do with the bat and swing plane which in return changes the launch angle.  I never considered this but it makes sense.  Maybe I do swing on the proper angle but I dont realize it because in training the ball is coming in flat or very slightly downward bc of gravity.  So I swing flatter to match that path.  

If I look at the zepp app and look at mike trouts swing from the side, his launch angle is matching the pitch angle.  The pitcher is sitting a bit in front of the mound, behind a screen, tossing at a slow speed.  This is creating a very dramatic pitch angle so Mike has to swing up to match it.  Im sure his subconscious tells him to match the pitch angle.  But in my videos from cage work the ball is coming in basically flat and my swing gets on plane and matches that angle.  

Make sense?  It makes it VERY hard to swing up on a ball that is coming in flat.  You are cutting the impact area by a large percentage because now you have only a small spot on the ball and a perfect timing to hit that ball up.  Unless you get on plane of a flat pitch with a flat swing and catch if just under the equator.  But at that swing you arent hitting home runs but fly outs without any real force.  

This must all have a huge impact on hitting and training without knowing it.  

Last edited by Cap217
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