Posted by: george stanley (saint_george13@yahoo.com) on Wed Dec 19 16:59:31 2007

> > Hi All
> >
> > Over next the few weeks, I will post video clips that address many of the topics of our latest discussions. The first clip will address the assumption that pitching and batting mechanics are so similar that the principles that apply to one are also true for the other. Below are exerpts from our discussion and a video clip that illustrates our differences.
> >
> > ##
> > (George)
> > hitting is just like throwing.. the mechanics are pretty much the same. when you throw a pitch, you use the rubber to push off your power or back leg...imagine pitchers who just stood there with no forward stride & just slung the ball up there... shouldn't you do the same thing when you hit?.. yes! bend your knee & push off your back toe... DO NOT STAND FLATFOOTED! REMEMBER MASS X SPEED = ENERGY. so just like throwing a pitch, push off your back leg & get your body mass going forward.. the faster, the greater the energy you are generating toward the ball..to stand stock still with no forward motion means you are generating NO energy whatsoever!!! HELLO?!?!?!
> > ##
> >
> > (Jack Mankin)
> > This illustrates just one of the problems of equating the mechanics of pitching a ball to that of swinging a bat. To say that since the development of forward momentum is required in pitching, it must also be true for hitting is misleading. Keep in mind that in hitting, forward movement of the body ceases at foot-plant and the batter rotates about a stationary axis. Whereas, in pitching, the upper-body continues to move forward after foot-plant and the pitcher rotates about a forward tilting axis.
> >
> > Many of the posts I have read appear to claim that the mechanics of pitching and hitting are basically the same and therefore what is true for one is also true for the other. I have always had trouble with comparing principles found in pitching a ball to the mechanics of the baseball swing. It seems to me that the dynamics of throwing a 5-ounce baseball with one hand would demand very different body and limb trajectories than those required to swing a 33-ounce bat with two hands.
> >
> > Look at the clip and draw your own conclusions.
> >
> > <a href="http://www.batspeed.com/media/Momentum_Pitching-v-Hitting.wmv">Pitching vs hitting mechanics</a --
> >
> >
> > Jack Mankin
>
>
> Jack,
>
> I haven't used the pitcher, hitter comparison before but with some of my students, lately, I have used it. Not so much that it is the same but more in reference to the seperation. I try to get them to have that feel when the pitcher seperates his hands to reach back and throw and then start forward. I found that by using this comparison they can get the feel of loading against the back leg and getting the hands to the lauch position at the same time a pitcher would and also they can feel when the barrel should be getting torqued rearward. I have found it easier for them to have more of a fluent motion versus a load, toe plant and then "go"
>
> Graylon

hey grey,

well said about making it a reflex motion, rather than breaking it down.. that invariably leads to too much thinking, & concentrating on one specific of the throw or swing.. never works. much the same as teaching a golf swing, or teaching correct timing on a longjump..
try to make it a continuous motion, much like ballet, where you must initiate certain movements in a certain rhythm at a certain speed or rate..
when coaching a jump shot or free throw, or a pitching or swinging motion, or golf swing, or longjump... have the student count off the time & perform the entire movement in the same motion in the same time span every time.. that way he gets into a good rhythm, &
performs the same movement the same way at the same speed, which will enable him to think less & go at it as a muscle memory exercise..
so much can be done in a cage with a tee,.. that is how you construct a sound stance & swing... once he gets it down correctly & can hammer 20 pitches in a row off the tee on the button to the same spot, then he might be judged to be ready to turn him loos on batting practice pitches..
best of luck to you and yours a happy holiday