As diverse as these items may be, they all have the one thing in common. They all have their most weight at the far end.
They are most effective when one works with them along with gravity. All are lifted and brought to their greatest effective height (potential energy). All are allowed to fall with gravity and guided by our arms, forearms, hands and wrists (kinetic energy).
Many people unfamiliar with a 16 pound sledge expect to be able to swing it supporting the weight. They find right away that it is difficult to guide and the weight at the end is hard to support. Once they learn to raise the hammer or use a pendulum stroke, they have success. They allow the tool to work and they work with it.
An ax also has its greatest weight at the far end. When raised to the proper height or angle for the job at hand, the lower weight of the ax head allows us to employ some wrist action aiding gravity in bringing the ax head to the desired point of impact. The shape of the handle and proper wrist guidance bring about the most effective result.
Baseball bats are the same. The greatest weight is at the far end. If one tries to support the weight of the bat using primarily their wrists, they will find the bat heavy and clumsy to guide through the impact area. The greatest results are gained by raising the bat and as with the ax using slight wrist action in assisting gravity to bring the bat head down to the desired area of impact.
Remember to allow the bat to go through the zone with your follow through.
Using this line of thinking may help you in handling the baseball bat and getting the greatest results from your contact with the ball. It helped me speed up my swing, make contact more often and hit the ball further.
Whoda thunk it.
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