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Hitting |
Test
the Crack of The Whip Theory The Quick
Hands and Inside Out enthusiast would also argue that bat
speed is developed by quickly extending the hands (or heel of the bat) at the
ball. They maintain that it is the slowing down of the hands that transfers the
energy (or momentum) in a crack of the whip and wrist
snap type of action. A player swings a bat very much like a weight
on the end of a rope. Conversely, a force at the handle is not
transferred to the point of contact, Energy of
Rotation The concept that a
substantial portion of a good hitter's bat speed is derived from the
circular path of his hands may be better understood if we think of swinging a
ball on the end of a string. As long as we keep our hand in a circular path, the
ball will continue to accelerate in a circle. But once the hand-path
straightens, say you took off running with the string, angular displacement
slows. The same is also true for the bat head. Forward movement of the body or
thrusting the hands straight out during the swing causes the hand-path to
straighten and adds nothing to bat speed.
Torque Regardless of whether
the batter uses linear or rotational mechanics, ONLY the combination of
rotational energy and torque and the length of time those forces are being
applied to the bat will determine the rate of angular displacement. It is
important to remember that mechanics that accelerate the hands in a straight
line and apply forces of both hands in the same direction can not develop
maximum bat speed. To reach maximum bat speed, the batter must apply torque from
initiation to contact and keep the hands in a circular
Many coaches do not
understand there is a clear destination between the body's movements to the
launch position as compared to the body mechanics of the actual swing. Most
hitters do stride forward as they prepares to swing. But once the actual swing
is initiated, hand acceleration and body rotation begins, there is no further
forward movement of the body. Lateral and rotation movements of the body do not
occur at the same time --- Test after test have concluded that forces required
for accelerating the bat head in an arc are not generated from lateral movement
of the hands and body. The rate of angular displacement of the bat is derived
from torque and rotation energies around a stationary axis.
The batter has rotated
to the launch position and completed his timing step. The front foot has been
firmly planted. Forward motion has flow to a stop and he is ready to initiate
the swing. Now, it is as if a stake had been driven down through the head and
body, out the butt and into 6 feet of concrete; this will be the axis the batter
will rotate on.
Rotating around a
stationary axis (neck and spine) is a ground-up movement where the
knees, hips and shoulders all rotate in unison. One does not lead the other. The
lead knee and leg rotate and straighten to drive the front hip in an arc back
toward the catcher at the same rate the back leg rotates the back hip around
toward the pitcher. Both hips rotating evenly are what allow the axis to remain
stationary. Using the large muscles of both legs will maximize the power of
rotation. --- Developing energies capable of hitting a ball 500 ft. means the
batter need not tense-up for a 400 ft. fence.
When the batter
understands that bat speed is derived from rotation not weight transfer, even
how he prepares the launch position will also undergo changes. Terms like,
back to center or you must first transfer your weight back
before going forward will be meaningless. He will have no thoughts of
forward movement. All concentration will be on developing rotation around a
stationary axis. Many of today's better hitters do not have forward body
movement even during the timing step. They simply lift the front foot, plate it
back in the same spot, and rotate.
As the batter takes his
position in the batter's box, a line through his shoulders would point back
toward the pitcher. As he prepares for the swing he will have about 60% of his
weight over the back leg and the body may be tilted away from the pitcher at
about 10 degrees. The lead knee and leg will rotate the lead hip and shoulder
(around the spine) away from the pitcher. Some refer to it as an inward
turn of the shoulder. A line through the hips and shoulders would now
point in the direction of the second baseman. This should bring the hands,
center of axis (spine), and pitchers mound in line. Contrary to what many golf
and baseball instructors would have you believe, this should not be
thought of as a coiled position. With this model, we do not want to
create tension by stretching muscles around locked joints. The feet and knees
should be allowed to pivot the body to an extended ready but tensionless
position. Does
Bat Speed = Pop The bat speed that
really counts is that attained at (or by) contact. Swing mechanics of a great
hitter allows him to generate higher bat speed much earlier in the swing than
average hitters. Players with a lot of pop in their bat expend all
of the body's rotational and torque energies before and at contact. After
contact their limbs and torso are how in a relaxed and coast mode. The follow
through portion of the swing is from the momentum of the bat pulling the arms up
and through.
Average hitters are
still expending energy to gain bat speed for 20 to 40 degrees (poor hitters past
60 degrees) of bat travel after the bat passes the contact point. Some coaches
would contend that gaining speed after contact is beneficial because of the
driving through the ball effect. --- The facts do not support this
theory. --- The ball is in contact with a 35 oz. wood bat moving at 70 MPH for
about 1/2000 of a sec. During this time the bat moves less than 1 in. (about 3/4
in.) --- Not much space for driving through or (I might add)
wrapping around the ball. The
Illusion of Power There is a strange
paradox that occurs with the baseball swing. I refer to it as The illusion
of power. --- While warming up in the batter's box or hitting off of the
tee, we can feel a sense power in the swing as we load-up and drive the top hand
toward the ball. The harder we push on the bat through the contact zone the
greater the pressure felt in the palm of the hand, and therefore the greater
that sense of power.
The problem is, the
sense of power we feel in the hands is actually the pressure felt
from the resistance (inertia) of the bat to acceleration. The
pressure felt is in reality an indicator of the lack of bat head
acceleration. If the bat head had truly accelerated the pressure felt in the
palm would have been alleviated or at least lessened. With linear mechanics,
that sense of power means much of the bat speed is attained after the bat
passes the contact zone.
If we were practicing
our hitting and happened upon the mechanics of a swing that would really
accelerate the bat, the pressure felt in the palm as the bat passes through the
zone would be much less and it wouldn't feel natural or as powerful. --- We
would probably make changes to correct it in a hurry.
NOTE: Linear mechanics
gives a batter the illusion of power. --- A great hitter experiences the
centrifugal pull of a highly accelerated bat head. For a ball to be hit
over 400 feet, the bat head must be accelerated to a speed in excess of 70 MPH
in less than 5/30 of a second. About half that speed is developed in the last
1/30 of a second. The large amount of inertia that must be overcome to
accelerate the bat head 35 MPH or more in 1/30 of a second requires far more
energy than the muscles in the hands, wrists and arms can produce. That kind of
energy (about 3 torque HP) must come from the large muscle groups in the legs,
back and shoulders.
The question then
becomes; how is the energy transferred from the large muscle groups of the body
up and on out to the bat head? I'm not going to cover the entire sequence at
this time (omitting the initiation mechanics of the swing), but confine my
remarks to the mechanics that appear to be wrist action or snapping of the wrist
just prior to contact.
To explain the
mechanics of how the large muscles are involved in this transfer, I am going to
describe the swing mechanics of a Ken Griffey Jr., or hitters of his caliber,
just prior to making contact. --- The large muscles in his legs and back have
rotated his hips and shoulders to a point where the belly button and chest are
now facing the pitcher. His lead shoulder is now starting to rotate back in the
direction of the catcher. This means that the lead arm, and thus the bottom
hand, are now being pulling back toward the catcher as the bat approaches
contact. --- At the same time the rear shoulder (and top hand) are rotating
around toward the pitcher.
This pulling back of
the bottom hand as the top hand is being driven forward, generates a
tremendous amount of TORQUE on the bat. Torque is the result of forces being
applied to the bat from opposing directions that causes an object (the bat) to
rotate about a point between the two hands. So, in the swing of a
great hitter, what appears to be wrist action is actually the push -
pull action of the hands generating a large amount of torque. This torque
was developed from the large muscle groups and causes the bat head to be greatly
accelerated. --- If the batter does not initiate the swing with torque and
rotational forces, he will not be able to obtain the position of power required
to apply maximum torque to the bat before contact. This is especially true for
pitches on the outside part of the plate.
NOTE: Mechanics that
would have both hands being thrust forward (both applying forces in relatively
the same direction) produces much less torque. --- This type of mechanics just
can not generate enough bat speed and power to produce a great hitter. I have often wondered
where the idea for the mechanics used in the fence drill came from. Why would we
think that accelerating the heel of the bat (or the hands) while keeping the bat
head back during a good portion of the swing would result in greater bat speed
and a shorter stroke than actively trying to accelerate the bat head from the
start? I am sure faulty information from the scientific community regarding the
transfer of kinetic energy (crack the whip) is partly to blame. But
I think the major part of the idea was derived from a few coaches viewing
hitters on film or videotape.
While watching a hitter
swing in slow motion, one would note that the hands are accelerated a good
distance before the bat head arcs outward with much authority. I would agree
that most of the angular displacement (or arcing out) of the bat head occurs as
the hands nears it's full forward travel component. An overhead view of the
swing will clearly show this. My problem is with the conclusion that therefore
the batter should delay applying forces that generate angular bat head
acceleration until later in the swing. Rather, I would contend that the large
resistance offered by the inertia (resistance to acceleration) of the bat head
retards the batters effort to gain more angular displacement earlier. Although
the arcing out of the bat head in the early part of the swing may appear slow on
film, it is important to keep in mind that it takes a great amount of force over
time to overcome inertia an attain a higher rate of angular acceleration. Delay in applying forces to overcome inertia until later in the swing will not lessen its impedance to bat speed development. Great hitters initiate the swing with torque and rotational forces to develop as much bat speed as early in the swing as possible. I think we can all
agree that a great deal of the energy for the swing comes from the hips.
However, I would ask that you consider the following: what would happen if I
picked up a bat and popped my hips while holding my shoulders still?
Would I develop any bat-speed? -- Now be careful if your thinking that energy
can just mysteriously jump from the hips to the bat. It would seem logical that
for energy from the rotating hips to be transmitted up and out to the bat head -
the torso and shoulders would also have to rotate. But, implying that shoulder
rotation may be just as important as hip rotation may cause some (above
mentioned) coaches to challenge your credibility. Now suppose that I pop
my hips and rotate the shoulders, but had enough slack in my arms that the hands
did not move. Did I generate any bat speed? -- The point I'm trying to make is
this: No matter what batting mechanic you choose, it can only have an impact
on bat speed when it causes the hands to exert a force on the bat. This is
why I have trouble with mechanics that would have the batter opening his hips
while keeping the hands back. Hip rotation without a corresponding acceleration
of the hands would be nothing more than a positioning move, not to generate bat
speed. The same could be said for clearing out the lead shoulder.
When we consider the
mechanics that a great hitter uses to generate bat speed, it is important to
keep in mind that the bat does not know if a superstar or a machine is swinging
it. The bat can only react to the forces being applied to it. The objective
should be to define the forces acting on the bat that generate bat speed. Then,
and only then, can we understand and develop mechanics that deliver those
forces.
The keep your
shoulder in there rule does have merit during the stride and balance
procedure a batter takes in preparation for the swing. However, any premature
opening of the shoulders before the initiation of the swing will result in a
loss of power. It is a valid argument for coaches to be concerned with a hitter
bailing out, which leads to many problems. But the solution is not
to have the batter keep his shoulders in place and become an arm swinger.
Generating higher bat speeds requires the energies developed by the large
muscles in the legs, hips and back to be transferred up and out to the bat. That
transfer can only take place by the rotation of the entire torso - shoulders
included.
I will conclude by
pointing out that the shoulders (and body) should rotate around a stationary
axis (the spine). Therefore, the head and center of balance will also remain
stationary during the swing. When batters rotates around the proper axis, they
will not have a problem with bailing out. The problems begin when
the center of rotation is not the center of the body.
I think most
coaches would agree that the lead arm will be fairly extended as the bat makes
contact with the ball. The question then becomes, what is the timing of the
extension of the top hand and arm? --- Extension of the back arm at contact is
mainly determined by the amount of torque applied at initiation and rotation of
the hips and shoulders. If the shoulders and hips have fully rotated,
bellybutton and chest are facing the pitcher, the back arm will have extended
very little at contact.
But, if on the other
hand, there is much less rotation, say the chest and bellybutton are more facing
the second baseman, then the back arm will need to be extended further.
Therefore, the only time the back arm of a great hitter will near full extension
at contact is when he is fooled by the pitch and just waves at the ball or is
swinging at a ball on outside part of the plate.
To reach outside
pitches, the rotation of the shoulders must slow to allow the lead arm to cast
out farther to get the meat of the bat on the ball. This will also cause the
back arm to be more extended at contact. On pitches from the middle-in portion
of the plate the back arm will NOT be even close to full extensions. It will be
in the form of the classic L position as shown in the drawing. As
illustrated, the back arm is far from being fully extended at contact. After the
ball is well on it's way, momentum and centrifugal force of the bat will
pull the back arm to full extension.
At contact, both the
lead arm and leg are straight. While both the back leg and arm form the
classic L. The hips and shoulders will have fully rotated. The lead
shoulder is now pulling back toward the catcher. This is the power position of
the great hitter at contact. Rolling
the wrists before or near contact is a serious mechanical flaw that results in
loss of power and consistency. During my research, which related to how energy
is transferred in the swing, I concluded that premature rolling of the wrists is
a killer flaw. In the study, I identified 26 major league baseball players
players whose wrists consistently started to roll prior to contact. The batting
average for this group was .224 and their average homerun production was 2.1 per
year. Three year later, only 4 of those players were still in the major leagues.
The early rolling of
the wrist causes the lead elbow to start breaking down-and-in too soon. This
alters the natural trajectory or plane of the swing. Most players who finish
their swing low will also have a problem with the wrist roll. Limited shoulder
rotation and having the body too vertical or tilted toward the pitcher at
contact are also characteristics of the wrist roll.
The rolling over of the
wrist is a natural part of the baseball swing when it occurs at the proper time.
It will naturally take place when both arms come almost to full extension and
they form the V position. Good hitters will have rotated their hips and shoulders about 90 degrees at contact, and now the V position and the rolling of the wrist occurs when the bat is close to pointing at the pitcher. Even on outside pitches where rotation is much less, the bat should have rotated 15 or 20 degrees past the contact point before the back arm nears full extension and the arms and the wrist start to roll. --- Hitters who have little shoulder rotation and mainly use the arms to accelerate the bat can reach full extensions while the bat head is farther back in the swing. This allows the wrists to roll at or before contact. I would agree that the
hand-path of a great hitter does accelerate rapidly. But, I also believe that
the prevailing perception of how to attain quick hands has been a
big deterrent in developing good hitters. The concept is this: if you just
quickly extend or throw your hands at the ball, the bat head will
snap through like the crack of a whip. Unfortunately, this concept
has not only wasted many hours at the batting cages, but it has also destroyed
many players dreams.
When referring
Quick Hands, I am mainly concerned with the perceived role of the
top hand in the development of bat speed. Hitters are taught to accelerate the
bat by driving and extending the top hand back in the direction of the pitcher.
But, far from driving the top hand forward, great hitters like Williams and Sosa
initiate the swing by pulling with the top hand back toward the catcher. This
would be very simular to an archer pulling on a bowstring. The force of the
rotating body against the lead arm will quickly accelerate both hands in an arc
toward the pitcher. Thus, to maximize the torque that is applied to the bat, the
direction of the force of the top hand should not be initiated in the same
direction as the bottom hand.
Average hitters rotate
(or clear out) the shoulders primarily to give the arms a platform to swing from
(extend from would be more accurate). This is why average hitters believe that
to have power - they must have those powerful arms. This is not the case with
great hitters. I can't stress the following point strong enough: DO NOT RELY ON
THE MUSCELS OF THE ARMS TO ACCELERATE THE HANDS. --- With Mark McGwire, Sammy
Sosa and hitters of their caliber, the role of the hands are to impart the bat
with torque (get the bat to rotate about a point between the two hands). Any
attempt to force the hands forward ahead of rotation impedes the natural arc and
timing of bat head acceleration.
Transfer
Your Weight to a Stiff Front Leg The power source of the
great hitters is derived from rotational forces around a stationary
axis. Rotational energy is very efficient in accelerating objects in a
circular path. The lower body mechanics for developing rotational energy used by
Barry Bonds to hit a baseball 400 feet is almost identical to those mechanics
used by John Daly to hit a golfball 1000 feet. That's right, the power source
for the baseball swing is basically the same as the power source for
the golf swing. In both swings the energy is developed from
rotation around a stationary axis. It is important to remember that
rotation around a stationary axis is generated from the ground up. The rotation
of the hips and torso comes mainly from the action of both legs. Using both legs
(pushing in opposite directions) to rotate the hips is what keeps the center of
rotation stationary. Rotation of the hips is not generated from the actions of
the arms or swinging of the shoulders. In fact, just the opposite is true. Rotation is the power source of a great hitter. But, generating power is not worth a dime if the batter's mechanics cannot efficiently transfer the energy into bat speed. Of what use would a 1000 horsepower engine be if the transmission slips? --- You can not efficiently transfer rotational energy into angular bat head acceleration with linear mechanics. NOTE: Yes, we do hit off of a fairly straight front leg. But we should not think of it as throwing our weight onto (or against) a stiff front leg. The batter's lead knee will be well flexed and pointing at the plate as the swing starts. Then, the lead knee and leg rotate and straighten to drive the front hip in an arc around toward the catcher at the same rate the back leg rotates the back hip around toward the pitcher. So yes, at contact, full rotation of the hips will have occurred and thus the front leg will have fully extended. --- When the arms reach full extension and the bat is sweeping past the pitcher, the pulling action of the bat's momentum can pull the body forward enough that the weight on the back foot becomes light or may even clear the ground. But this comes from the bat's reaction - not casting weight forward. I have no real problem
with the intent of the rule. But, I do have a problem with the batting mechanics
that made the rule necessary. Many of the great hitters, Ted Williams for
example, developed their swing without the aid of an instructor and yet have no
problem with their hips opening too soon. What is it about the mechanics of
great hitters that allows them to perform that loose powerful swing without
worrying about their front toe? One might then wonder; what is it about the
batting mechanics we teach that makes the hips want to open to soon?
The top hand is the
dominant hand for most average batters. This would be the right hand for a
right-handed hitter. If, while observing the swing of an average hitter, the bat
were taken away and we observed only the hand-path of the top hand, it would
closely resemble that of a boxer delivering a blow straight out to the
midsection of an opponent. If you were to stand up and simulate delivering such
a blow, you would quickly note that the front toe and hips would
want to open to facilitate this type of action. Open-hips is a more powerful
position whenever pushing (or driving) straight out with the hand is required.
--- Sawing a board for example.
In the swing of a great
hitter, there is no tendency for the top hand to drive straight back at the
pitcher at the start of the swing. The direction of force of the top hand is
AWAY from the pitcher. During the initiation of the swing, the great hitter
PULLS on the bat handle with the fingers similar to the way an
archer pulls on the bowstring. Now, the body is not setting up to extend the top
hand and there will be no tendency for the hips to open to a driving position
until later in the swing. Therefore, striding with the front toe
closed would be a natural position. The lead knee will also want to
be in a flexed closed position to maximize body rotation. One of my main concerns
with having the bat angling downward in the contact zone is the problem it would
cause in making consistent contact. Most players have enough trouble making
contact when the path of their bat is inline with the path of the ball. This
way, if their swing is a little early, they will pull the ball. If they are a
little late, they will hit it to the opposite field. The timing would need to be
near perfect to make contact if the bat is just passing down through the path of
the ball.
Swing level During the swing a
hitter's body will be slightly leaning away from the pitcher (front leg
straight, back leg bent). This places the rotational plane of his hips and
shoulders angling upward at about 10 to 15 degrees. Once again, should the swing
be level with the rotational plane of the body - or the plate? --- Or, would you
still think the bat should be angling downward in relation to the plate?
Which of the following
most closely describes Mark McGwire's swing at contact? Let
Go Of The Bat With Top Hand Those that teach
throwing weight onto a stiff front leg will also probably find it
necessary to teach letting go of the top hand. For the batter to keep both hands
on the bat and have a full follow-through, the hips and shoulders must be
allowed to freely rotate. At the completion of the traditional
follow-through the shoulders will have rotated too (or past) the facing
the pitcher position. This allows the lead elbow to release down-and-in
and the hand-path to arc back toward the catcher. But, if the batter's hip and
shoulder rotation is limited, he will find it necessary to release the top hand.
Keeping weight on the
back leg and having the body slightly tilted away from the pitcher will allow
for full rotation. Throwing weight onto a stiff front leg and bringing the body
to a more vertical position will have the effect of limiting hip rotation. You
can check this out for yourself. --- Stride with the front toe closed. Now, cast
your weight onto a stiff front leg and note how restricted your hips are.
Many batters let go of
the top hand in varying degrees. It is one thing to let go by choice but if your
mechanics are forcing you to let go - you may want to make some changes. ---
Swinging at an outside pitch can also result in less shoulder and hip rotation
and therefor the need to let go of the top hand. Keep
Your Back Elbow Down Starting the swing with
The back elbow up is on almost all coach's Bad Advise
list. Initiating the swing with the rear elbow down may constitute the right
mechanics for the weight-shift and extension model. In that model, as the swing
is initiated, the direction of force of the top hand is directed toward the
pitcher. As the batter turns and drives with the top hand, having the elbow
already down places the arm in a good driving position for these mechanics at
the start of the swing.
With the
stationary axis model, as the batter initiates the swing, he does
not push the top hand toward the pitcher, he instead pulls with the fingers of
the top hand back toward the catcher to maximize torque (ala Sammy Sosa).
Therefore, his mechanics would want the elbow in a more elevated position
(in-line with the direction of pull) to accelerate the bat head back onto the
intended plane of the swing. With the elbow flat down at the side, he would not
be in as good a position to apply force on the bat opposite to that of the
bottom hand (back toward the catcher).
NOTE: Cause of the
uppercut swing With many players, the
top hand is by far the most dominant hand and he feels more powerful when the
hand is lowered so that the forearm is in a more horizontal position for
driving. Weaker hitters lower the forearm to horizontal much earlier in the
swing than do better hitters. In the process of lowering the arm to horizontal,
the whole backside drops as he positions his body to turn and extend the arms.
The opening of the front side is also more of a body-positioning move rather
than to generate body rotation.
When I was coaching, I,
like most coaches, considered pulling the head off the ball to be a problem that
effected many of the young hitters. In 1991 and 1992 I taped the swings of
hundreds of high school and college players. What I found while reviewing those
swings in frame-by-frame action was very surprising. I discovered that very,
very few hitters were pulling their heads out before the bat passed through the
contact zone. Yes, their heads were being pulled out but it happened later
during the swing's follow-through.
I can fully understand
why many coaches might disagree. It certainly does appear that hitters are
pulling their heads out before contact. But we must remember that the entire
swing takes less than a half of a second. The time from contact to
follow-through is about 1/30 of a second. Our eye reflexes are just not fast
enough to clearly see the difference in head movement between contact and
follow-through. I have seen (and heard) on video tape many coaches yelling at their hitters that they are pulling their heads out. When I reviewed the swings frame-by-frame, the players head and eyes were just fine through contact --- it was the back shoulder being pulled through by the reaction of the bat during follow-through that forced the hitters head out. --- In most cases, if the batter is told he is pulling his head out, he will try to correct his non-problem by slowing his bodies rotation and relying more on his arms to swing with. --- I wonder how many young players have had their progress slowed by well-intentioned coaches trying to solve problems that didn't exist. When setting goals for
hitting the baseball, a strange inconsistency arises. By far, the number one
prize of batting is that gratifying sensation a player experiences in hitting a
long home run. The soothing vibes of power the bat resonates through the
hitter's body is something a player will never forget. However, many batting
coaches have discovered that the mechanics they are teaching will breakdown if
the hitter attempts to swing with home run power. The player must be made
to understand that home runs should not be sought after. They are something that
just happens when the hitter least expects it.
The coach must convince
the players that to be successful they must hit the ball on the ground
back up the middle. His most worrisome time is right after a player hits a
home run. How can he make sure that he and other players do not strive for
another one? He has spent weeks convincing the players to forget about the fence
and just hit it up the middle. If the hitter should endeavor for
something more than mediocrity it could ruin his mechanics forever.
I can think of no other
sport where striving to attain it's most prized goal is declared mechanically
taboo. The paradox is so sad but true. With the mechanics coaches have been
given to teach, the more power the hitter attempts to achieve the weaker the
results. But the real sad part is, we have found it easier to lower the goals
than to perfect the mechanics. When the seven-foot high-jump couldn't be
attained with the mechanics being used, they didn't advise the athletes to
settle for a lower mark or they might ruin their form. Records from the four
minute mile to a twenty foot pole-vault would never have been achieved by
teaching that adversity should lead to the lowering of expectations.
I feel there is a touch
of arrogance in claiming that since a coach can't teach an average player to hit
with power, those that have power must have been born with
pop in their bat. Is it possible the top hitters may not using the
mechanics they teach? It may be time to acknowledge that teaching linear
mechanics will not allow a hitter to attain the bat speed required to
consistently hit the ball hard.
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