Opposite Field Hitting

Where the ball is pitched should determine where the ball should be hit.....

Batspeed determines how far the ball will be hit......Strength has very little do with hitting......

Ball flight distance is determined by three things

1. Where the ball hits on the bat

2. The angle that bat strikes the ball in relation to the direction of flight

3. bat speed


I would think oppo hits are good. Depends on the nature of his swing and less dependent on the results of a few at bats.

That being said, I have seen kids go a whole season and wrap every ball to 3B. So congrats!, for whatever caused it. An exception would be an extremely closed stance which would make him weak on the inside ball

I am an oppo fan as many pitchers will throw there and most call strikes are batters staring at a location they intuitively know they cannot handle due to the nature of their swing

NCMtnBBDad:

I agree with both Blue Dog and Swingbuster. 7 at bats are not really enough to get a trend. Watch to see if your son is hitting both inside AND OUTSIDE pitches to the opposite field. He should pull inside pitches to left field, hit down the middle pitches up the middle and outside pitches to the opposite field if he is swinging in the manner and at the ball where it is pitched as he should. If he is not hitting one group of pitches in that manner [for example, he is not hiting inside pitches to left field] then he needs to work on that during down time [for example this winter].

Good luck.

TW344

Have you checked to see if he is pushing his hands toward the ball and not finishing rotation? This will also prevent his wrists from unhinging, therefore everything will go to the opposite field and reduce power.

Guess what? 2-2 on thursday night and yes both singles to right field. I'm going to have to video his swing to really see what he's doing. He may be pushing his wrists through the strike zone. I also need to stand behind the plate so I can see where the pitches are that he's hitting. It's hard to tell him to do something different if he's 6 for 9.

It really matter's were the pitch Location is that your son is hitting.
Inside pitch should be pulled, Outside pitch takin the other way.

Many young HS players are not physically strong enought to pull the ball regularly

Many good HS hitters are guys who get their hits to right center---as they get into the junior and senior years you will see them pull the more often

Bat angle determines direction of the hit, not strength.....

Blue Dog--- without strength you do not pull the ball--most young hitters are not strong enough physically to pull the ball consistently

OK, Bluedog, now you say "bat angle"

quote:

Originally posted by BlueDog:
Strength has very little do with hitting......

Simpy put - you really dont have any idea what you are talking about - do you?

MCMDad, the board trolls have arrived.....They will try to ruin the discussion....

TRhit, you may be right. He's a sophomore who is 5'10" and 145lbs. I hope you're right. I've dusted the old camcorder to record his at bats this week. I hope I can figure out how to post them for you all to reveiw.

Here's a recent study done on forearm and wrist strength's effect on batspeed....Pretty revealing....

http://blog.swingtraining.net/2006/09/14/study-effect-o...ng-on-bat-speed.aspx

Thanks to Jeff Albert......

Bluedog,

Calling people names does nothing to further the discussion. IMO.

You made a statement that strength of hands, arms and wrists have little to do with hitting.

I believe that is horrible advice to give to young aspiring baseball players.

Citing a blog article will do little to change that.

The fact is - in reality - players need to be as strong as possible to compete in college and pro ball.

The players at these levels continue to get bigger and stronger.

IMO - All young players that aspire to higher levels of baseball need to understand that strength (throughout the entire body) is critical if they are going to be able to compete with the bigger, stronger and faster athletes we see in the game today.

BLUEDOG

From my experience, for what it may be worth to you, the stronger kids 16 thru 18 are the kids who pull the ball---

The young man noted above 5-10/145 obviously won't have the strength of the 5-10/190 players

I have seen numerous players evolve from the Right Center Field/Left Center Field hitter into pull hitters as their bodies matured and they filled out in the upper body and arms

By the way your use of HR Hitting Contest clips is a poor way to teach, IMO, because the HR Contest swing is not the players normal swing

As has been mentioned by one poster, the pitch location determines where the hit should go. If your son is hitting inside or middle pitches oppo, then there is something to be corrected.

If the pitches were outside, then he is doing fine.

Should he be taking inside pitches oppo, one other thing to look for that I don't think has been yet mentioned. See if the bottom hand is over-rotated (e.g., check knuckle alignment).

Too tight a grip with the upper hand can also create oppo hits by inhibiting wrist action.

With regard to the strength discussion. Power comes from the ground up. Yes, a hitter wants to increase his strength - including the upper body and arms. But I have seen small hitters lead their team in HR's. They did a great job of using their hips (as did the Babe, although he would not be termed "small").

If I talk strenght with one of my playes, it's core strength that matters. Players will develop arm strength... via repetitions swing the bat... However, this doesn't guarantee quickness. Strength, in my opinion and as it relates to hitting a baseball, has more to do with the body working as a unit than it does with individual muscle groups. Take those strong arms and hold them away from the body or abduct them. Tell the person to hold those arms and not let you push them down. They won't be able to do it. Now have them place their "weak hand" or left hand for a right handed hitter right off of that right armpit area and tell them to not let you move it. You will find it very hard to move. Take that same hand position and have it working as a portion of the body as it swings the bat and good things will happen. Again, JMHO!

Hitting to the opposite field = swing plane, body posture and ball location.

quote:

Players will develop arm strength... via repetitions swing the bat... However, this doesn't guarantee quickness.

This is worth saying again....Where ya been stranger?....

I don't know if you have read it but I sent a pm a couple of weeks ago.

Everyone else, MEAT AND POTATOES! I bet we all disagree on some aspect of the swing, what hitters do, call it what you'd like. However, if we need to be critical, all I ask is that you give us some Meat and Potatoes along with that criticism. I want to learn and know I don't have all of the answers.

Hitters learning for themselves -- believe it or not, sometimes this isn't a bad avenue. At times, kids understand a lot more than we give them credit for. Naturally, I've done my share of messing kids up with poor coaching. THATS WHY I'M HERE ON THE SITE. I DON'T LIKE MESSING KID'S SWINGS UP. Of course, there is also that infrequent young man that just hasn't reached a level of frustration to want help. As terrible as it sounds, for some, they have to reach that before they want help. Note- that doesn't stop me for trying to help. In a way this is also allowing hitters to learn from themselves.

Enough preaching!

OK dog -

So lots of traditional coaches think that hand/arm strength is important.

A study fails to show a direct relationship between increased grip strength and increased batspeed.

Another study shows a similar thing:

http://blog.swingtraining.net/2006/03/25/softball--does...-more-bat-speed.aspx

But I thought quickness was more important than batspeed.
And the guru-N-man tells us (wrong again) that batspeed and quickness are "diametrically opposed".

So who is more likely right, the old fashioned coaches or the (pseudo) "scientists".

I'll take the coach most of the time.

As the guru said, it's no wonder science gets a bad name in baseball.

quote:

Hitting to the opposite field = swing plane, body posture and ball location.

Outside pitch location hitting is bottom hand launch/ top hand whip.

It is an inside / out approach. Inside seam deeper ball contact.

It begins in the loading phase with plane transition and segmentation.

Piazza is the clinic

Hitting the outside pitch oppo field with power is as simple as letting the ball get over the plate before contact is made. No changes in the mechanics are required.

Coachb25,

I really dont know what the Meat and Potatoes thing is all about.

But here is some very direct advice to any ballplayer that aspires to play at a higher level.

GET STRONG.

All parts of your body - including your hands, arms and wrists.

For a baseball player - now more than ever - if you have not maximized your strength - you will be operating at a significant disadvantage to your competitors.

IMO.

And stay flexible...

Texan,

Agree - and the player needs to realize the difficulty involved in doing both.

Not as easy as it sounds. IMO. But critically important in all aspects of the game - not just hitting.

I knew you were well aware of the importance, IIG. Just threw that in as a reminder for young players who might read this thread (heaven help them...).

quote:

No changes in the mechanics are required.

I agree....Why build a repeatable swing if you're not gonna use it?

The title of the thread is a bit misleading---

Two aspects that I see--

Learning to hit to the opposite field is one thing

BUT

In this case I think it is more a question of the hitter not being strong enough at this stage of his development to pull the pitches he wants to

I don't think we know enough to say it is a strength problem (or any other problem for that matter - we're just throwing out things for the dad to check).

I have seen hitters who were plenty strong, but had the bottom hand over-rotated (improper knuckle alignment in the grip). They could hit it out, but everything was oppo.

I have also seen hitters who "locked" their wrists and tended to hit everything oppo. They were plenty strong, but had mechanical flaws.

Just because the kid is 5'10" and 145 doesn't mean he can't get around the ball.


The discussion has drifted somewhat, but what else is new.

quote:

Originally posted by itsinthegame:
Coachb25,

I really dont know what the Meat and Potatoes thing is all about.

.

Very simple. Its easy to critize. Harder to critize then explain some type of rational for why another poster is misguided, wrong... whatever you want to call it. Many posters such as I want to learn from constructive arguments. Often one insult leads to another and then what could be a very educational thread gets locked. Therefore, "Meat and Potatoes" simply was a request for more than criticism. Often we don't listen to the message because we don't like the messenger. That's like looking at how ugly I am and thinking I'm dumb!

Regarding strength, I'll reinterate again that core training is essential. We do an indepth plyometric and weight program for our team. I'm not opposed to strength training at all. I do think that some confuse strength with speed or quickness. That's a big mistake. Also, a comprehensive plyometric program includes much more than just jumping which is a falacy that many believe. Plyometrics can actually be benefical for both speed and strength and, for lack of a better phrase, really concentrates on "using muscles." One example is what we call "haybales" where we toss 15 lbs plyoballs similar to tossing haybales to the guy on the hay wagon. This translates into working those core muscles required in a swing. (This is a crude description of hay bales!)

I hope someone finds some "MEAT AND POTATOES" in this post. LOL!

Sorry if you dont like the fact that I am participating in the hitting conversation and offering my opinion. I do enjoy the reading - and the occasional post as well.

However - I do not agree with the statement made about strength in arms, hands and wrists having "little to do with hitting" - regardless of who the messenger is. I think it is bad advice for young ballplayers.

If you believe that is an unfair criticism - or a criticism based on the messenger - or just a crticism that isnt up to your standards - please forgive me. Its the best I got.

Itsinthegame, my intent was not to single out any one poster. I ask you to forgive me if you thought that it did. Also, I'd be the last person to suggest that I know more than anyone here. Therefore, I view your contributions as well as anyone elses as an opportunity to learn.

As a Moderator on this forum, I've often had to lock a thread knowing that the potential for learning was immense and yet the personal attacks were so numerous that the topic was no longer benefical. Yes, I have to make that decision at times and to be honest I'm never comfortable doing that.

Again, if you believe that I've personalized my posts toward you then I apologize. That is not my intent.

quote:

Originally posted by TRhit:
The title of the thread is a bit misleading---

Two aspects that I see--

Learning to hit to the opposite field is one thing

BUT

In this case I think it is more a question of the hitter not being strong enough at this stage of his development to pull the pitches he wants to

You don't have to be strong to pull a ball....good mechanics can help you do that. You need to be strong to hit the ball a long way though. David Ekstein can pull balls quite well, but he can't hit them as far as his teamate, Pujols.

quote:

Originally posted by bbscout: David Ekstein can pull balls quite well, but he can't hit them as far as his teamate, Pujols.

bbscout, thanks for the chuckle!

CoachB25,

No problem at all and no need to apologize.

I think I've figured out what my son is doing. The only time he gets his arms extended to hit the ball hard are on outside pitches. When the ball is over the plate or inside, he brings the barrel of the bat in towards his left hip(he's a righty) or belly button. He also is waiting to late to swing. He's unable to extend his arms to hit an inside pitch because he's waiting too late to swing. So by the time he's swinging, he gets jammed up. Does this make any sense to those in the know?

NCMtnBBDad,
I'm new here and far from an expert when it comes to trying to explain things in writing, but I'll do my best at trying to give you some help.

In my opinion the window the batter is trying to hit is up the middle with pull being toward the SS position and opposite field toward the second baseman. As long as that is the goal then the extra left or right is a margin of error and allows for some hook or slice in the fly ball.

If that window is where every hit should go then on an inside pitch, he does not want to extend at contact but after contact as he goes through the ball. His hand should be inside the ball at contact. I don't think you really want to encourage him to get the bat around the ball for a pull hit.

Before changing his swing, I would take a look at your video tapes and see what his hands are doing just before and during load. Perhaps he has a hitch or is doing something that increases the time it takes to get his hands to the ball.

Just some food for thought.

NCMtnBBDad what you put in your last post is great in terms of figuring out what is wrong with his swing. I believe a young man (like your son) will have trouble with inside pitches (unless he "cheats" and swings early) until he develops his strength.

Strength from the weightroom is not bad as long as you keep flexible.

You have two areas where strength comes into play
1. Arms and Hands - this strength is good because without it the bat would give at contact and you lost hitting power.
2. Core - this strength is what develops bat speed. Power coming from the twisting of the body is due to power coming from abs and thighs.

But without flexibility you will lose the overall quickness that comes with strength.

One thing I would look for is if your son is hitting to the opposite field with strength. I am not saying homerun power but good line drives that come off the bat solid. If he is doing that then he is probably going to be fine once he matures. Of course if he is struggling with inside pitches don't let him cheat (swing early, pull his hands as you mentioned etc..)

Do some inside soft toss to help him start developing functional strength.