Teacherman,
True, from a pure physical standpoint hitters are done hitting at contact.
I have had some success talking to young hitters about the finish and worked backwards. I see lots of young hitters who do not finish their swings. They make contact and the bat drops as if it weighed 50 lbs. Whether it’s the arm throwing or the bat swinging, in my way of thinking, any interruption in a fluid arc is a warning sign and a fault. Not as big a fault as getting to the ball incorrectly, but never less a fault. I also believe players are still throwing the ball after it has been released. Of course there is deceleration that plays a part.
Of course the most important thing is what happens before and during contact. I believe you and others are more inclined to study the physical aspect of hitting and that is vitally important. I perhaps spend just as much time on the mental aspect of hitting. I believe in the end that’s the part that separates hitters.
Swingbuster,
For some reason I couldn’t get that clip so I went to the site mentioned. I saw two Glauss clips one from CF and one from the side. I believe it was the HR contest. I have seen Glauss many times. He does have a tendency to over-swing and he is a power first guy. This swing is not what I would teach to young players though no matter how much people might like it. Yes, other than the search for extra power and the body moving too much (linear) it is a good swing. Do you have any clips of him hitting in a live game. I would bet his swing would be a bit different. If you look at the first clip of Sosa (in an actual game) and the second clip (in HR contest) you will see a different swing. Not that he’s the best example.
I looked at some of the other clips on that site and Bonds kind of stood out to me. (who’d a guessed it). Other than the odd (spread out) position that Bagwell starts out of and his negative stride and hand drop, I really like his swing and he sure doesn’t have any problem firing the hips. I'm pretty sure his swing didn't happen overnight. And I’ve always thought Mark Magwire had a great swing. I know he was a power guy, but I think his swing mechanics would work for most anyone. He really improved his swing over the years and became very efficient for a power guy.
It is kind of fun looking at those clips. Even with the similarities in some things it proves there are many different styles of hitting.