Bat Speed -- Baseball Hitting Forum

Posted by: Coach C () on Tue Feb 25 12:05:48 2003

When the swing is initiated the quads,adductors,abductors,glutes,abs,obliques are all rotating the trunk and shoulders. The triceps drop the hands into the hitting zone and the forearms apply the torque. Should the lattissimus back muscles assist in pulling the lead arm thru the strike zone? Should the pectorals of the chest assist the top arm in driving the horizontal forearm thru the strike zone? Or should the lats and pecs be relaxed for a smooth swing? I always hear relax the shoulders and was wondering if this included the lats and pecs? Thanks for your imput...

I think you are going to receive many interpretations on this issue, because so many swing the bat differently.

My feel is that the shoulders, arms, hands, fingers, finger nails are all loosey goosey. It is this loosey feel that allows my arms to stay connected to my body and the lead arm goes straight at contact. I do not subscribe to thearey that the lower body (knees down) do anything to provide power, only stability. On the other hand the core (hip flexors up to the arm pit) provide the power. Suprisingly this power comes from not only the strength of the core, but also the elasticity it provides when coiling back, and then coiling back around. So to answer your question.....some hit with loose elasticity in the pecs and lats and others contract these muscles hard. I've used both methods and find staying loose in these muscles gives me much greater balance with slightly less power. High average hitters.......need to be loose always (elasticity). Power hitters......need more core strength, but sacrifice balance and head movement when doing so. Lastly, when talking about power, I feel as coaches we are treading on thin ice when we say tension free to a youngster, but then in the next breath say let's drive the ball with power. Tension is a recipe for disaster and of all the elements in hitting I consider this element to be the number one killer in hitting mechanics. Tension in my estimation is the illusion of power.. Loose muscles are fast muscles. Good Luck Friend.

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> When the swing is initiated the quads,adductors,abductors,glutes,abs,obliques are all rotating the trunk and shoulders. The triceps drop the hands into the hitting zone and the forearms apply the torque. Should the lattissimus back muscles assist in pulling the lead arm thru the strike zone? Should the pectorals of the chest assist the top arm in driving the horizontal forearm thru the strike zone? Or should the lats and pecs be relaxed for a smooth swing? I always hear relax the shoulders and was wondering if this included the lats and pecs? Thanks for your imput...
> 
> I think you are going to receive many interpretations on this issue, because so many swing the bat differently.  
> 
> My feel is that the shoulders, arms, hands, fingers, finger nails are all loosey goosey.  It is this loosey feel that allows my arms to stay connected to my body and the lead arm goes straight at contact.  I do not subscribe to thearey that the lower body (knees down) do anything to provide power, only stability.  On the other hand the core (hip flexors up to the arm pit) provide the power.  Suprisingly this power comes from not only the strength of the core, but also the elasticity it provides when coiling back, and then coiling back around.  So to answer your question.....some hit with loose elasticity in the pecs and lats and others contract these muscles hard.  I've used both methods and find staying loose in these muscles gives me much greater balance with slightly less power.  High average hitters.......need to be loose always (elasticity).   Power hitters......need more core strength, but sacrifice balance and head movement when doing so.  Lastly, when talking about power,  I feel as coaches we are treading on thin ice when we say tension free to a youngster, but then in the next breath say let's drive the ball with power.  Tension is a recipe for disaster and of all the elements in hitting I consider this element to be the number one killer in hitting mechanics.  Tension in my estimation is the illusion of power..  Loose muscles are fast muscles.   Good Luck Friend.

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