I know I will catch some flak for this statement but I believe it to be the truth. All you have to do is meet a baseball it will go. Its not like a softball and slow pitch where you have to generate every bit of available energy. Try to kill a baseball and I will show you a strikeout waiting to happen. All that really matters is to get a comfortable position and load yourself and meet the ball..Sounds overly simple but its the truth.
quote:Look at how he starts his swing, then his back foot starts to rotate.
Baseballpapa,
Good morning sir. BTW, the link I posted in PM is now working
If you will sir, go back and look at that rear foot a little closer.
It actually comes off ground without rotating IMHO
SHep
I would like to see where those balls ted is hitting were goin.... I know for a fact you can hit off front food but lose power if ya go too far.
Sorry, I need to clarify some things I posted. That clip really fires me up!
Williams does have a bend in the waist. You cannot have your head in front of your feet without a bend. Period.
What I love this clip for is his back foot. I've known for some time that the back foot rotation (or backside rotation) does not lead a swing. The hands lead the swing. Some MLB players have fairly simultaneous initiation of the hands and backside, but usually there is hands then backside. Williams really delays the backside. This gets his bat through the hitting area. I went back and looked again. His back foot does not face towards the pitcher until he is through the hitting area and he is going to recoil (the bat is coming back). Jeter has a delayed backside as does A-Rod. Hitters with delayed backsides have their bat stay on the outside of the plate longer. Hitters with a quicker backside are quicker to the inside pitch, but the bat does not go through the hitting area as long. Once the backside rotates the bat wants to come back. However, the backside must rotate to get as much power as you can from a swing.
Many years ago a golf video showed a golfer on his knees hit a golf ball 250 yds. He then stood up, took a normal swing and hit it 300 yds. The point was you cannot have backside rotation on your knees and most power is in your wrists. The same is true in the baseball swing. I saw Jeter in a World Series get completely fooled by a pitch. He committed his legs to the pitch but kept his hands back. He used almost just his wrists to barely put the ball over the right field wall.
Williams does have a bend in the waist. You cannot have your head in front of your feet without a bend. Period.
What I love this clip for is his back foot. I've known for some time that the back foot rotation (or backside rotation) does not lead a swing. The hands lead the swing. Some MLB players have fairly simultaneous initiation of the hands and backside, but usually there is hands then backside. Williams really delays the backside. This gets his bat through the hitting area. I went back and looked again. His back foot does not face towards the pitcher until he is through the hitting area and he is going to recoil (the bat is coming back). Jeter has a delayed backside as does A-Rod. Hitters with delayed backsides have their bat stay on the outside of the plate longer. Hitters with a quicker backside are quicker to the inside pitch, but the bat does not go through the hitting area as long. Once the backside rotates the bat wants to come back. However, the backside must rotate to get as much power as you can from a swing.
Many years ago a golf video showed a golfer on his knees hit a golf ball 250 yds. He then stood up, took a normal swing and hit it 300 yds. The point was you cannot have backside rotation on your knees and most power is in your wrists. The same is true in the baseball swing. I saw Jeter in a World Series get completely fooled by a pitch. He committed his legs to the pitch but kept his hands back. He used almost just his wrists to barely put the ball over the right field wall.
I can see that you think alot like myself..Dont read many people on here talking about it but body has to be loaded to fire but hands start swing and meet baseball. IMHO
Mniterambler what you said about meeting the ball is good. Bonds has a quote "I love me" O sorry not that quote, he says "I dare a pitcher to throw to as hard as he can. I let the pitcher supply the energy in the swing. I just try to catch the ball with the bat. If a catcher can catch a pitch thrown 103 mph, why can't I."
Well I know for a fact it works. People try to talk power hitter contact hitter, its all the same if your body is comfortable and you snap on baseball it will go you dont have to generate power as long as the right angle is there. You also will be alot better hitter when not trying to kill the baseball. You have to learn where to hit a baseball. I want to see line drives with bottom spin sail out of the park, not those towering high ball that an undercut swing will provide. yes they do go out but I believe you will be a better hitter with line drives because when you miss and get bottom spin alot of those balls seem to find a hole.. Pardon my english I dont usually try to explain much.
Williams used what he termed was an "upswing". The ball is coming at a downward angle. He wanted to match the trajectory and not swing level with the ground. He did have, however, incredible bat speed. I tell my hitters to swing "fast" or "quick" not hard. Hard creates tension. However, the bat speed is necessary to get as much read time as possible. It is important for your son to increase bat speed as much as possible to play at the next level. A good rule of thumb is the batspeed needs to match the ball speed. If the pitcher delivers from 55 feet to the plate at 75 mph and the hitter swings from an arc length of 5 feet at 75 mph, then the swing is delayed while the ball is in the air. The batspeed then relates back to ability to hit. My son has a 90 mph+ batspeed which allows him to explode on the ball and take away spin and give him more read time.
I agree with everything but that upswing that everyone loves..Start from a comfortable position so that you are ready but relaxed muscles. Tight muscles are alot slower to start, and explode the hands thru the ball. I know that every kid is different,and I have changed my sons mind set several times because he gets off on something and forgets what he already knows..He can hit and hit anything because of his hand speed....I just have to worry about his eye sight now because its getting worse, He wears contact lenses and can't pick up spin the way he used to...And I dont think that is impossible either as some people do.
Define hand speed for me.
quote:Originally posted by Infopimp:
Define hand speed for me.
The speed at which the hips, followed by the shoulders pull the hands though the zone???
quote:Originally posted by Shepster:quote:If my job as a coach is to teach the transfer of force from the barrel into the ball, then the hitter must be bent at the waist at contact to do this. To use Ted Williams analogy
Is Ted bending waist here?
great clip
not in my book troy
quote:Originally posted by baseballpapa:
More exactly, the hands are off or near the front heel at contact on inside, middle and outside pitches. The bat angle is different but the hands are between the feet at contact.
I'm not sure I agree with this. For outside pitches, you have to let the ball get deeper and hit it closer to your back leg. For the inside pitch, closer to the front foot.
To me, the bat angle doesn't change, its just a matter of how far along in the swing you are at contact.
Your way would require alot of wrist action to either keep the bat head back or forward. Not sure that's what I would teach my kids.
quote:His back foot does not face towards the pitcher until he is through the hitting area and he is going to recoil (the bat is coming back).
Papa is right about this statement. The bat does recoil but take a look at this clip of Ted BB shared with us a while back>Ted's Homerun
No recoil there IMHO>Once again the first clip again is perfect example of why conditioning, flexibilty, and the CENTER are so important; even for the greatest hitters to ever walk the face of this earth. Shep
Will go ahead and say before somebody else does.
The second HR clip really doesn't run long enough in finish to determine if recoil is present
The second HR clip really doesn't run long enough in finish to determine if recoil is present
quote:Originally posted by goMO:
For outside pitches, you have to let the ball get deeper and hit it closer to your back leg. For the inside pitch, closer to the front foot.
To me, the bat angle doesn't change, its just a matter of how far along in the swing you are at contact.
Your way would require alot of wrist action to either keep the bat head back or forward. Not sure that's what I would teach my kids.
Agree....
About to have to leave for the afternoon so will go ahead and write the purpose of why I put clips up of Ted Williams to begin with.
This was intent and my punchline.
BTW (Papa, it is not to try to disprove any of your statements as you may think about bend in center, rear foot, etc.)
It is more along the line of a player being in tip top physical condition when preparation meets opportunity and bringing seperate aspects of baseball training together like in marriage, if you will. Like to call it combination thinking of the successful player, my patent, BTW.
This is where the rubber meets the pavement of the hard work and sacrifice required that so many are not willing to pay the price but still expect to just get by on just learning proper mechanics but got news, IT AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN. The body has to also be conditioned in combination with learned mechanics.
IMHO, unless the player gets on all-american diet and works out constantly with MEDICINE BALLS/ PLYOMETRIC WORKOUTS / THERABAN WORKOUTS / BASEBALL RELATED DRILLS / ETC ETC ETC , that player will not have the edge needed to be the "best". He will just fall in line with the long list of mediocre players and has beens.
This is what I truly do believe. This is what works. This is what I want, even in my middle age. The is what every player out there should want who wants to be a real player.
Someone whose primary focus is to teach what is necessary to get body in condition/position to perform accelerated/advanced baseball related movements. This is the kind of teacher anyone out there who wants the best should pursue.
Here is one element I will use since the center bend at contact by hitter has become primary focus in this thread> Do not believe one can be achieved without the other just like the statement I wrote to Blue in the other hitting thread. Involves upper and lower halves> Here ya go>
THE CENTER OR MIDDLE OF BODY IN ROTATION HOLDS TOGETHER THE LOWER AND UPPER HALVES AND IS ACTUALLY THE COG THAT TURNS THE WHEEL.
Any of you out there who are really serious about achieving greatness will want this example of marriage to come to fruition in your baseball life too.
Gotta go for now but will be thinking while at the park, always am trying to think of ways to better explain key concepts of hitting
Only when my ashes are spread on a diamond somewhere will I personally stop seeking more.SHEP
This was intent and my punchline.
BTW (Papa, it is not to try to disprove any of your statements as you may think about bend in center, rear foot, etc.)
It is more along the line of a player being in tip top physical condition when preparation meets opportunity and bringing seperate aspects of baseball training together like in marriage, if you will. Like to call it combination thinking of the successful player, my patent, BTW.
This is where the rubber meets the pavement of the hard work and sacrifice required that so many are not willing to pay the price but still expect to just get by on just learning proper mechanics but got news, IT AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN. The body has to also be conditioned in combination with learned mechanics.
IMHO, unless the player gets on all-american diet and works out constantly with MEDICINE BALLS/ PLYOMETRIC WORKOUTS / THERABAN WORKOUTS / BASEBALL RELATED DRILLS / ETC ETC ETC , that player will not have the edge needed to be the "best". He will just fall in line with the long list of mediocre players and has beens.
This is what I truly do believe. This is what works. This is what I want, even in my middle age. The is what every player out there should want who wants to be a real player.
Someone whose primary focus is to teach what is necessary to get body in condition/position to perform accelerated/advanced baseball related movements. This is the kind of teacher anyone out there who wants the best should pursue.
Here is one element I will use since the center bend at contact by hitter has become primary focus in this thread> Do not believe one can be achieved without the other just like the statement I wrote to Blue in the other hitting thread. Involves upper and lower halves> Here ya go>
THE CENTER OR MIDDLE OF BODY IN ROTATION HOLDS TOGETHER THE LOWER AND UPPER HALVES AND IS ACTUALLY THE COG THAT TURNS THE WHEEL.
Any of you out there who are really serious about achieving greatness will want this example of marriage to come to fruition in your baseball life too.
Gotta go for now but will be thinking while at the park, always am trying to think of ways to better explain key concepts of hitting
Only when my ashes are spread on a diamond somewhere will I personally stop seeking more.SHEP
You're not saying it's a center out move (versus a ground up move) are you?
Can you say that here?
Can you say that here?
hey - maybe its both! dyanamic, baby!!
