Posted by: Walt () on Tue May 13 17:55:25 2003

We talk about bat speed, rotational and non rotational hitting mechanics, but what do you do before you get to the point where the heel comes down and the swing starts? What approach do you use? Do you hitch to get started? Do you cock your knee to get started? Do you just stand there and then rotate? How important do you think a timing device is to your swing, and if so what is it? Much has been argued on this site about bat speed and rotational mechanics, but what about your feelings on how to load and time a pitch? Why is John Olerud successful and why is Julio Franco successful and why was Strawberry successful when all three had a different approach to hitting?
> > >
> > > Your thoughts please, Doug
> >
> > Doug, they were all sucessful because to a certain extent hitting is an individual thing. Nevertheless I will briefly summarize my hitting theory. Keep in mind, of course that on any single concept of my hitting theory there will always be SOMEONE who will disagree, just as there always will be someone who disagrees with ANYONE'S theory of hitting. But here goes:
> >
> > 1) As you stride (and there are some who argue you need not stride), as front foot goes forward, hands go back. Perhaps along with the hands going back you will also want to turn your hips and shoulder in a bit. One critical element (Bart's Law) is this: as the hands go back the bat should cock towards the pitcher! Using the sky & the pitcher as a reference point, sky = 0 degrees, pitcher = 90 degrees, the bat should be cocked at aprox 30 degrees.
> >
> > 2) By the time your front toe lands, the back elbow should have risen but now starting to lower, and the bat should be cocked in the previously-mentioned 30 degree position. NOTE: all the stuff about starting the knob toward the catcher, Epstein's "torque position", starting the hips before the hands, etc....DISREGARD!!!.....if you have proper bat cock, all this stuff will automatically happen without you having to think about it or worry about it!!! I'm not saying this stuff is not necessary or important, because it is EXTREMELY important....I'm just saying that if you do things the right way, things will fall into place without you needing to think about it.
> >
> > 3)By the time your front toe lands you will have decided to swing/not swing, pitch location, etc.....assuming you swing, if the pitch is inside, hit the outside part of the ball, if it's a middle pitch, hit the middle part of the ball, if it's outside, hit the inside part of the ball.
> >
> > Things like the "L", elbow-in-the-slot, "linear", "rotation", full XT, etc are important things to explore but are beyond the scope of Bart's Brief Hitting Musts.....
>
>
> I'd recommend you repeat the 3rd grade.
>
> I feel for anyone who gets the advice of.......cock your bat and when your toe touches decide to hit the outside, middle, or inside of the ball.
>
> If these cues work for you it's because the things you say to disregard are already present in your swing. They won't automatically be there for everyone.
>
> If these things aren't present in someone you're instructing you'll get poor results from them.
>
> How do you hit the outside of an inside pitch and keep it fair?

Teacherman have you ever played?Anyone who has played knows that decision is right around the time the front toe touches and for your information hitting the inside or outside part of the ball to some extent dictates what field you hit the ball to. I have coached HS ball and College ball, and I have seen too many kids who didn't have a future in baseball because they didn't understand this concept. And your question of how to hit the outside of an inside pitch and keep it fair is extremely puzzling. What would you suggest, hit the INSIDE part of the inside pitch?And you dismiss bat cock as if it were cosmetics and not a bonefide technique as important as the inward turn or stride? Again, I have to question if you ever played the game, at least at a competitive level.
>
>