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108 replies

tips for hitting with more power

B bbscout1,000+ posts
quote:
Originally posted by bbscout:
I don't even know what wrist flicking is. He may mean something else.

I know that you still swing the bat, so here is something I would like you to try. Get in the box and then go through the start of your swing in slow motion. get to the point where you have taken your stride and your hips and shoulders are opened up most of the way, but your hands and bathead are still back. Stop there and then just swing the bat and see how much bat speed you can supply. You would not be using your hips, as they have already opened. If I was standing 20 feet in front of you, you would take my head off with a line drive. That is the extra that the hands,wrists and arms can supply.



You can read my post above. It is the one you disagreed with. What it shows is that the hands, wrists and arms have a lot of value when hitting a baseball and they supply a portion of the power, along with guidence. Try the drill and then if you still think that they don't supply power, I will then know that you have a powerless swing.
Last edited by bbscout
T Teacherman500+ posts
quote:
Originally posted by bbscout:
I could put my hips in a vise and still hit the ball hard.


Can you put your hips in a vice in the batters box against a pitcher and still hit it hard with your arms?

No. Why? Because you lose your ability to adjust. The arms/hands can not make quality adjustments once they've committed to an area.

In about .01-.02 seconds a hitter predicts where the ball will be and where to swing. He then begins his swing. A good hitter begins this swing with a connected unit that rotates and brings the barrel to the ball as one unit. The hands/arms etc are simply part of the unit. Nothing acts independently. If he's on time and on plane he'll knock the **** out of the ball.

However, when fooled, he can break down and let the hands go if he needs to and hopefully punch out a single. Pujols has been doing alot of this lately. Getting fooled, taking horrible swings, still punching singles to the opposite field.

I suppose hand strength helps him in these instances. But, my point is and always has been, in the good swing, hand strength is overrated. The body is a unit in the good swing.
T Teacherman500+ posts
quote:
Originally posted by bbscout:
...What it shows is that the hands, wrists and arms have a lot of value when hitting a baseball...


It does not. Your drill is so far from a real swing it has no value.

Your arm drill results have no relationship to a connected unit swing's results.

Just as the arm wrestler, who has very strong hands and forearms and can't hit, demonstrates little about a swing, so does your drill. It is so far from a real swing that it has no value.

For the sake of getting away from this drill and moving on to a real swing, I'll acknowledge that with completly opened hips and torso that your arms can still hit a ball 200 feet. Is that what you want to hear? There. You have it.

Now, let's talk about a real swing and the value of the parts in a real swing.
B bbscout1,000+ posts
Of course, the whloe body working well provides the best swing, but you are missing the point. The point is that the hands, wrists and arms supply some of the power, and I gave you a drill to do that can prove that to you if you are willing to have an open mind. If not, you will have a powerless swing.

The drill I asked you to do is not against live pitching, it is done with a tee or soft toss, just as I would not ask you to put your hips in a vise and then face live pitching.
B bbscout1,000+ posts
quote:
Originally posted by Teacherman:
quote:
Originally posted by bbscout:
I could put my hips in a vise and still hit the ball hard.


Can you put your hips in a vice in the batters box against a pitcher and still hit it hard with your arms?

No. Why? Because you lose your ability to adjust. The arms/hands can not make quality adjustments once they've committed to an area.

In about .01-.02 seconds a hitter predicts where the ball will be and where to swing. He then begins his swing. A good hitter begins this swing with a connected unit that rotates and brings the barrel to the ball as one unit. The hands/arms etc are simply part of the unit. Nothing acts independently. If he's on time and on plane he'll knock the **** out of the ball.

However, when fooled, he can break down and let the hands go if he needs to and hopefully punch out a single. Pujols has been doing alot of this lately. Getting fooled, taking horrible swings, still punching singles to the opposite field.

I suppose hand strength helps him in these instances. But, my point is and always has been, in the good swing, hand strength is overrated. The body is a unit in the good swing.


Let me ask you a question......why is it than when we tested the best high school juniors in the country that the kids that had the best grip strength also had the most power? Some of them were very surprising, as they were not big and did not look real strong, but they had very strong hands.
B bbscout1,000+ posts
Pujols having a tough time right now has very little to do with his swing mechanics. He has been outstanding for 4 years and the other teams have been searching for ways to get him out. They have come up with a few things and are messing with his timing and as a result have messed with his confidence. His job is to find a game plan to counter what they are doing. All great hitters make adjustments and that is why they are great.
L LouisianaTexan10+ posts
Wow, a lot has happened on here since I last checked. Teacherman, you don't have a clue about baseball and I truely believe that. If you are teaching kids to hit I don't want them. Yes, a lot of swings have their hands "outside the ball" in baseball terms. Learn the terminology, then start talking. There are a lot of factors that make for a good, powerful swing. I happed to have just used the wrists because I felt like it. Good hip rotation, hands inside the ball and good wrist action at the point of contact are three of the keys ones. I know what I'm talking about because I know how to swing. I could teach you a few things but you're not willing to learn. "Hands along for the ride." Nope!, try again.
Last edited by LouisianaTexan
T Teacherman500+ posts
quote:
Originally posted by bbscout:
Of course, the whloe body working well provides the best swing, but you are missing the point. The point is that the hands, wrists and arms supply some of the power...


Strength of the hands, arms, and wrists, or the hands arms and wrists?

Of course, a stronger player will have more power than a less stronger player. But not because he uses his hands more.

And definately not because he flicks his wrists.

Scout, at least set LaTx in his place.
Last edited by Teacherman
H hsballcoach100+ posts
The hands and wrists and arms only role is to form an allignment such that the power of the body's rotation is delivered through them efficiently. They do not actively apply force to the handle. Force is applied through them with proper connection by the rotation of the body. And, it helps for the hands to be strong to deal with this force.
quote:


This to me sounds like throwing a change-up as a pitcher. Good arm speed and rotation, but no wrist action to help supply the final force. No doubt that all components of the swing need to be properly timed but quick hands and wrists are invaluable as a hitter. Watch how late the bat head goes theough the zone for a great hitter and you will develop an appreciation for the late wrist action.

quote:
If you don't believe it why can't you check all swings?? Because the bat is going so fast the hands can't stop it.

If this is true, how could anyone ever stop their swing to check it?
T Teacherman500+ posts
quote:
... but quick hands and wrists are invaluable as a hitter. Watch how late the bat head goes theough the zone for a great hitter and you will develop an appreciation for the late wrist action....


As Coach May says, I tell it like it is.

This is poppeycock!

"Quick wrists" is the standard line used by all coaches who don't know WTF is really going on.

You've heard it many times, "Hank Aaron had the quickest wrists I've ever seen". Hogwash. The people saying that just don't know what he's doing that gives that appearance.

Finally...."Watch how late the bathead goes through the zone for a great hitter." Sorry, but if he's a great hitter, the bathead went through the zone on time.

Look at this....



If the wrists are so important, can you explain why the bat blurs (from moving so fast) while it's still behind her head??????

I want you to get your video camera out. I want you to set up in your stance and use your wrists and duplicate this "early" blur. Please post the clip.
Last edited by Teacherman
itsinthegameitsinthegame5,000+ posts
quote:
Originally posted by bbscout:
Of course, the whloe body working well provides the best swing, but you are missing the point. The point is that the hands, wrists and arms supply some of the power...


Simply put - and easily understood.
No blurring bats behind the head - no answers in question form - no wrist-flicking diversions.

Just a simple - and accurate - description that clearly makes the point IMO.
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