Posted by: Major Dan (markj89@charter.net) on Fri Apr 25 13:13:40 2003

Mr. X
>
> Just a few comments on what you said here:
>
> "You couldn't be more wrong. Mac, Sosa, Bonds, ect. are GREAT examples to look at. They use their WHOLE body to swing and therefore get as much as possible into the ball. Little kids especially need to use their whole bodies, because they aren't as strong. If they just use their arms, they are using very little of their potential strength.
> >
> > In regards to pitch location, you use body tilt. When you rotate, the bat should always come perpendicular to you spine. Therefore, to hit a lower or higher pitch, you bend at your waist.
>
> > Questions like that are very good. They challange the mind, because they directly affect your ability to hit. But you must realize that we really do have all the answers, otherwise we wouldn't be pushing to use rotational mechanics. If rotational did not solve all of my problems, I would not endorse it."
>
> Ok, first of all questions like this are very good, and I do not think that you have answered them in a manner that makes any sense whatsoever. To start, I agree that McGwire/Sosa are good hitters to look at. However, when trying to teach a young kid how to hit, it is not always best to apply these same mechanics. This does not mean that you teach them the wrong way, but GOOD mechanics have to be established first before you try to develop into a power hitter. You'll notice that McGwire himself developed more of a homerun/power swing as his career progressed (i.e. he got stronger). Secondly, if you were to bend the body towards the plate in order to hit a high pitch, there is no way that you could get on top of it. Let me give you an example. If you were playing slow pitch softball, with a pitch that had a 12 foot arc, what kind of a swing would you take in order to hit a line drive? An upward path (to match the trajectory of the pitch) would result in either a fly ball, or a homerun (if you miss time it, you may hit a weak ground ball or line drive). In order to hit a solid line drive you would still take a level swing (to the ground). This is precisely my point. In order for a baseball player to consistently hit line drives, they must adjust their bat path according to the location of the pitch. On a low pitch it will be necessary to have somewhat of an uppercut. Every image that you "rotational guys" show to us is of someone hitting a pitch below the letters. What about the pitch at the letters? But, who am I to question someone who already has all the answers?

"In order to hit a solid line drive you would still take a level swing (to the ground)."
not really. it is the part of the ball struck by the part of the bat, that determines direction - line drive, popup, grounder, fly.
Center of bat on center of ball is a line drive regardless of downward, upward or 'level' swing. Direction of swing may impart some spin.
Mismatch of swing plane and ball make perfect contact more difficult due to one intersection point. When swing plane matches pitch plane, timing is easier because there are many intersection points in the contact area.
Nobody always matches swing plane to pitch plane or else all overhand curves would end up with heavy uppercut swings and pure popups.