Your reference is to a 'simple lever'.
The body's musculo-skeltal dynamics presents a complex system of levers and pulleys almost incomprehensible to explain in detail.
But all of the motor functions work on the principle of leverage.
You cannot possibly drive your hands and elbow down to the ball and be a successful hitter at a high level. The coach either doesn't know what he is talking about or doesn't know how to teach what he's really trying to get across to his player. This is also a big problem in coaching and instruction-being able to teach. It is a skill like everything else. Just because someone played for this school or in this miner league system or whatever doesn't mean that they can teach!
IMO, powertoallfields & tfox seem to have a pretty good understanding of some of the complicated mechanics & biophysics of the professional swing. The illustrations tfox provided are good examples, and as he said-these aren't even your big hitters. I still cannot understand why anybody would NOT be teaching kids to hit like the best hitters in the world?
IMO, powertoallfields & tfox seem to have a pretty good understanding of some of the complicated mechanics & biophysics of the professional swing. The illustrations tfox provided are good examples, and as he said-these aren't even your big hitters. I still cannot understand why anybody would NOT be teaching kids to hit like the best hitters in the world?
Welcome to the board.
Have you ever seen a successful hitter at any level hold the bat below the expected contact point?
Or do they all hold the bat higher in order to drive their hands down to the ball?
Just something to contemplate.
Have you ever seen a successful hitter at any level hold the bat below the expected contact point?
Or do they all hold the bat higher in order to drive their hands down to the ball?
Just something to contemplate.
I believe the term 2 plane swing has some merit.Most of the best hitters in the world do start high.
Ideally, a swing should end as high as it starts.
It would be cool if anyone with great imaging software could capture the swing paths of Williams and DiMaggio from the Hall of Fame sight.
Williams
http://web.baseballhalloffame....mv&type=v_free&_mp=1
DiMaggio
http://web.baseballhalloffame....mv&type=v_free&_mp=1
It would be cool if anyone with great imaging software could capture the swing paths of Williams and DiMaggio from the Hall of Fame sight.
Williams
http://web.baseballhalloffame....mv&type=v_free&_mp=1
DiMaggio
http://web.baseballhalloffame....mv&type=v_free&_mp=1
Thanks, Quincy. I've been reading the boards for a couple years and have really enjoyed some of the discussions and have learned a thing or ten as well. Now that Jr. is a freshman, figured I might start putting my 2 cents in on occasion.
All top hitters arrive at the same point at the start of the swing. Where they started from(stance)is mostly a style issue. How they get their hands to the correct position is no doubt similar, but not universally the same. I totally agree with you that most hitters start with their hands higher (in the stance) than where they end up at the start of the swing, so yes the hands do have to come down. But, as I said, telling a kid to drive his hands down is not correctly conveying what really needs to happen, and in fact could lead to worse problems. There are other biomechanical factors that help the hands get from their position in the stance to the right position to start the swing.
All top hitters arrive at the same point at the start of the swing. Where they started from(stance)is mostly a style issue. How they get their hands to the correct position is no doubt similar, but not universally the same. I totally agree with you that most hitters start with their hands higher (in the stance) than where they end up at the start of the swing, so yes the hands do have to come down. But, as I said, telling a kid to drive his hands down is not correctly conveying what really needs to happen, and in fact could lead to worse problems. There are other biomechanical factors that help the hands get from their position in the stance to the right position to start the swing.
I would prefer that they say drive your hands down to the hitting zone.
Some hear 'down to the ball' as a choppy swing on top of the ball. In reality, it is the first step in the swing that assists the hands' flight to the ball and contact.
Check out the swing paths of Williams and DiMaggio in the links above.
Some hear 'down to the ball' as a choppy swing on top of the ball. In reality, it is the first step in the swing that assists the hands' flight to the ball and contact.
Check out the swing paths of Williams and DiMaggio in the links above.
JMHO-Ted was the greatest hitter ever. If it wasn't for WWII he would be very close to owning most of the major offensive records.
Williams, for most of his career, actually started with his hands a little lower than most, so he didn't have to drop his hands much. I find this pretty interesting.
Dimaggio was actually a little different than most hitters in that for the most part he stayed tall and more upright thru his swing, and he would drop his hands more as opposed to lowering his body somewhat to the pitch. Just tremendous hand eye coordination.
Williams, for most of his career, actually started with his hands a little lower than most, so he didn't have to drop his hands much. I find this pretty interesting.
Dimaggio was actually a little different than most hitters in that for the most part he stayed tall and more upright thru his swing, and he would drop his hands more as opposed to lowering his body somewhat to the pitch. Just tremendous hand eye coordination.
