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This is a phrase I heard recently, but wasn't sure what it meant. Previoulsy, I'd heard that a short, quick stroke was good, lwhich made sense to me. Could any one here explain what this means and, if anybody has a video clip which demonstrates it, I'd love to see it posted.

I THINK I know what is meant by "short to zone," but I'm particularly baffled by the "long though zone" phrase.

Many thanks for your help!
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It means keeping your barrel through the strike zone. When we teach short stroke, sometimes players tend to be quick in the zone and then quick out of the zone. You want to be short to the ball and then long through the ball with your barrel. It creates back spin and line drives. The best hitters in the game stay through the ball with thier hands and barrel.
quote:
Originally posted by bubandbran:
It means keeping your barrel through the strike zone. When we teach short stroke, sometimes players tend to be quick in the zone and then quick out of the zone. You want to be short to the ball and then long through the ball with your barrel. It creates back spin and line drives. The best hitters in the game stay through the ball with thier hands and barrel.


Hogwash.

How can you be quick to the zone and long through it?

Two ways: Slow down once you get there.....or lengthen the path to stay in it longer (disconnect).

Neither is good.

The cue is meaningless.
Last edited by Linear
Listen, I played in the major leagues and played professonally for 11 years. I have played along side Miguel Tejada, Todd Helton, Miguel Cabrera, David Ortiz, just to name a few. Edgar Martinez told me personally in Spring Training to use my hands to stay through the ball with my barrell. When you are quick in the zone and then quick out, you top a lot of balls, which produce weak ground balls. Staying through the ball produces back sping line drives. It is a technique, that professional players work hard to perfect. But a young player can do it and work on it as well. Good luck.
When I think about "short thru the zone" i am thinking about what we call "hook barrel". Basically not extending the follow-thru towards the pitcher... (good view of proper extension in the Chipper Jones clip) but instead extending towards the dugout. This is a major flaw that I see in young kids learning to rotate. ok Linear I got brave and spoke...am I out of my mind?
Welcome bubandbran,

Please continue... Chest thumping is allowed! I read lots of it here! You deserve our respect.

Reading your bio, I bet you have hit against my son at some point in your career.

The term "short to and long thru" can be called "staying on the ball" or some define this as the word "extension". None of these words are used by some of the folks here.

You will find yourself agreeing with 95% of what is said, but being torn apart unless you eat it all up "100%". crazy

Feel free to email or PM me if you want to - pgjerry@qwest.net
Mr. Linear, don't get bitter. I am not puffing my chest, there are just many of you that don't have a clue of what you are talking about, and young players read these forums and they need to know what is hogwash, and what isn't. And, who the source of the hogwash is. That is all. In a perfect swing, if the end of the bat were glowing in the dark, you should see a half moon type pattern. TO do this you would need to stay through the ball. If you didn't the end the glowing bat would look like more of angle pattern. I hope that picture makes sense. I am happy to help and be a resource. Not puffing. 11 years of pro ball, I lost my ego a long time ago.
Last edited by bubandbran
Linear....I understand what you are saying about staying connected... but when I think of extension i'm not talking about hands/arms extending b4 contact but elbows extending at follow through towards the pitcher. Is this an outdated "hit three balls" approach? Watching clips I see MLB players getting extension in the follow thru towards the pitcher...??
Linear, all due respect, you have no idea what you are talking about, sorry. Good posture doens't mean you a good hitter. I have seen plenty of players with bad posture and great hands hit in the big leagues. Don Mattingly, terrible posture, incredible hands. Hands are the key to a good hitter. Tony Gwynn, horrible posture, great hands. I been around the game my whole life and I have never heard of anyone say that good posture makes a good hitter. Sorry.
its,

I gotta be honest with you. I don't agree with everything Linear says. I don't like the fact that he gets a bit personal with cutting remarks in his replies.

I tend to like everyone, but sooner or later we have to recognize what's going on. Linear IS NOT the only one making the cutting remarks! I know because I read a lot of what's written!

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