Posted by: Graylon (g_dunc@hotmail.com) on Wed Dec 12 19:38:20 2007

> > When hitting, how stright do you keep your lead arm (your left arm if you're a right handed batter)when you pull your hands back before the pitch? I have always had my arm pretty straight throught the whole swing, but at this hitting clinic I'm going to the insturctor said to bend more at the elbows because I had to long of a swing. When I watched Major League players in slow motion, many of them had a very straight arm, while others had a bigger bend at the elbow. So, in short, should worry about having too long a swing if I can swing fast enough, or would it be immossible to keep up with some pitches (mainly inside)with my lead elbow not being bent.
> >
> > BTW my right arm's elbow is bent, just not my left arm.
>
> hi ray!
> try this: sit on a barstool, then have someone spin you around fairly quickly... now extend your arms out like you're on the cross... what do you think will happen?.. YOU WILL SLOW DOWN!! now put your hands on your belt buckle..EVEN THOUGH YOUR WERE SLOWING DOWN, YOU WILL NOW SPEED UP!!!
> what does this mean & hopw does this apply to hitting?!? LOGIC says your batspeed will be slower with your arms extended than if you keep your hands in tight... which is in direct contravention to those people who say when you get your arms extended you will generate more power... NOT!!
>
> keep BOTH ELBOWS in tight to your body...make your hands the rotational axis around which the bat revolves.. you will generate more batspeed.. go play or watch some racquetball.. those guys understand how to generate racquet head speed.. when they get a lollipop to hammer, you NEVER SEE THEM STRIKE THE BALL WITH THEIR ARM EXTENDED.. THEIR POWER ELBOW IS RIGHT ON THEIR HIP... go see for yourself.
> keep your hands as high as comfortably possible... at least eye-high.. from that position, you will be coming DOWN on any pitch, thus increasing your batspeed..especially one up in the zone.. if you are coming down even the slightest bit on a letter high pitch, hopefully you will generate just enough additional batspeed to catch up to that pitch & drive it instead of fouling it off or popping it up..if you hold your hands only shoulder or letter high or lower, your chances of catching up to that pitch are geatly diminished..
>
> also. keep your arms & hamds as far back as comfortably possible...they should be hidden from the pitcher's view by your front shoulder... SAFETY FIRST!! this will shield your hands from an inside pitch that might whack you on the hands... this happens far too often to hitters that hold their hands at the letters or extended away from their body in plain sight of the pitcher.. ALSO, this creates a hole in your stance for the pitcher to throw at- just inside & just below your hands is THE spot you will not able to get your hands inside of...WHY?!?! BECAUSE YOU WILL HAVE TO DROP YOUR HANDS & DRAW THEM BACK TO BE ABLE TO HANDLE THAT PITCH.. CAUSING YOU TO BE LATE & GET SAWED OFF.. thus making for an automatic 1st pitch foul strike.. & you must stay out of the 0-1 & 0-2 hole, where hitters are batting .170 & .194, respectively.
> with your hands up & back as far as comfortably possible, from there you:
> 1. protect your hands
> 2. are able to come down on even a letter high pitch
> 3. reduce the tendency to drop your hands, do a little circle hitch with your hands, or draw back your arms & hands after the pitch is released... you're already there where you should be, so you can go directly forward. LESS WINDUP MEANS GETTING THERE SOONER!
> #2 & #3 will greatly reduce the number of pitches you are late on...
> you will begin to get there on time more often, thus driving those pitches you have in the past been fouling off or popping up
>
> lotsa guys say i'm nuts, ray... those are the ones who endorse EVERYTHING all MLB hitters do.. their mentality is "if-vlad-is-doing-it-it-must-be-right-so-i'm-gonna-do-it-too, & who-the-hell-are-you-to-have-an-idea-that's-different-from-the-guy-making-$10mill/yr?? you must be nuts!"
> i say if einstein had never thought outside the box, there would be no atomic theory.. i also say the hitter's primary goal on a day to day basis is not consistency like everyone else sez, rather to try to understand what their weaknesses are, & try to improve on a daily basis.. basically, if you cannot conceive of success, you will not achieve success..
> be like everyone else, or use LOGIC & PHYSICS, WHICH ARE IRREFUTABLE POINTS OF FACTS TO GUIDE YOU IN YOUR QUEST TO BE BETTER THAN EVERYONE ELSE..
> good luck to you

George,

I know I said I would not commit on your posts anymore but I just couldn't help myself on this one.

You've got to be kidding me!! "KEEP BOTH ELBOWS IN TIGHT TO YOUR BODY" please you would never even get close to hitting a MLB pitcher by doing that, in fact you would struggle with most good highschool pitchers.

"keep your hands as high as comfortably possible... at least eye-high.. from that position, you will be coming DOWN on any pitch, thus increasing your batspeed.." George if you are coming down on the ball you don't stand a chance. Your timing would have to be perfect, in order to cross the pitches path as it is on a down angle. If you do get lucky enough to make contact while coming DOWN on the pitch, you will most likely pop up or beat it into the ground.

You are describing a low level Little League swing.

You need to get on plane with the pitch which would be an upperward angle, not down. The lower the pitch the steeper the angle, the higher the pitch the flater the angle.

The front elbow HAS TO LEAD UP. You talk about Physics what about equal and opposites. If the back elbow comes down and stays in your hip like you describe then the front elbow must come up. If both elbows stay down then you are jamming yourself and binding up your hands and arms.

You don't really teach this do you? Please tell me you write this stuff just to get some kind of rise out of someone.