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Reply to "Hamate Fracture"

@Grady posted:

Francis7,

Regarding your question about the broken hamate injury in baseball? Two things have changed and one thing has not: players are stronger, the swing has changed and the core design of the bat has stayed the same. When combined, the resulting collision of new swing mechanics and old product design result in the broken hamate injury. And the performance of the players swing is being limited by the design of the bat. You can find many examples of swings referenced below on YouTube.

  1. Change One: todays players are stronger and more specifically trained to generate more power and force than ever – including youth players in middle school. They all have access to technologies which allow players and coaches to assess in precise detail, the assessment and use of ground force, the kinetic sequence, increased strength, power and mechanics of their body to swing a bat. Players at all levels now train with specific intent to generate more precise power focused on launch angle and exit velocity.
  2. Change Two: the swing itself has dramatically changed. Watch video of players from the 50’s 60’s and even 70’s like Ted Williams, Stan Musial and Hank Aaron. Even those swings are dramatically different from the earlier swings of Ty Cobb (split grip) and Babe Ruth. Notice how low the hands start at the “top of their load” (the moment just prior to moving the hands forward), then notice how the barrel is dragged through the zone and how flat the finish is – the swing is long and level with the hands being almost at the same level of the barrel at contact. Lastly watch how the hands cross over the central axis of the bat during finish – it’s not a rough transition. Now watch the contemporary swings of players like Mike Trout, Bryce Harper and Aaron Judge. The hands start higher and the barrel path (angle of attack) is arched (similar to a golf swing). The hands start higher and stay higher, they pull the bat knob down and through to the ball rather than swinging the barrel around to meet the ball. This generates massive power potential, which is released as the hands slow and act as a pivot point for the bat – the barrel then explodes through the strikes zone with greater force. Notice how violently the hands now snap over the central axis of the handle after intended contact, specifically as they cross over the knob and the barrel finishes higher.
  3. The “no-change”: While the swing has dramatically evolved, the design of the bat has not. The design of the conventional bat knob is a 140 year old relic of the past and it's colliding with the evolved swing of the 21st century. After intended contact, watch how the hands snap over the central axis of the bat and specifically how the base gripping hand is forced over the conventional knob to complete the swing. That is the moment where conventional knob compression mashes the heal of the base gripping hand causing compression which h is the root cause of the broken hamate injury. That compression also results in a slowing of the batters swing, something I call the “speed-bump” effect.

There is clear evidence that the conventional bat knob design is a real threat to players getting injured. There are three things that show the effects of knob compression: 1) worn batting gloves and contusions in the hands (always in the area of the heal of the base gripping hand, formally known as the hypothenar, 2) thrown bats caused by knob compression of the hypothenar under which lyes the ulnar nerve, which controls the grip of the pinky and ring fingers. 3) The broken hamate injury caused by compression of the 140 year old conventional knob on the hypothenar under which also lies that little bone called “hook of the hamate.”



- Grady

Excellent post. Thanks. This is very much appreciated.

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