Posted by: Jimmy () on Wed Nov 14 14:12:32 2007

> Can you post a few videos of hitters hitting a inside and outside pitch well. Do dome hitters on the inside pitch lean back to get to that pitch? Or is it the front shoulder rotating back to the catcher which makes it look like these hitters lean back at contact?

Hi Mike,

I think that much of the times that you see the exaggerated "lean-back" by a hitter on an inside pitch, it is a result of poor timing and a late/poor approach to the ball with the bat. This late approach causes a natural defensive reaction to the incoming pitch which is bearing down on the hitter. "Leaning back" clears a bit of space between the hitters body and the bat, bringing the barrel of the bat closer to the incoming pitch. (usually not quite getting there)

The downfall to "leaning back" is that the bat position in relation to the body is improved by the movement of the body and not by the movement of the bat. This means the bat is actually not moving through space with the same velocity as if the body were stationary. Bat-speed is slowed down.

With a proper approach, the hitter is ready with a properly timed load which allows the hitter to deliver the barrel of the bat to the ball with strength and bat-speed.

Jimmy