Posted by: Jack Mankin (mrbatspeed@aol.com) on Thu Nov 20 12:19:29 2003

>>> Jack out of curiousity, to what degree do you believe the pre-launch bat sweep into the plane contributes to batspeed and could it ever diminish returns in accuracy, due to higher level pitching. I agree that it exists, but many are way more excessive and yet they are not always better hitters. Some that I view as not being excessive, but great hitters are Nomar and MCGwire. Some that seem excessive are Tejada and Aaron. Is the degree that one sweeps the bat into the plane a personal thing in your view? One could argue that this is the line between batspeed and bat quickness? Do you agree? <<<

Hi Coach C

I would agree with Teacherman, I fail to see a distinction between “bat speed” and “bat quickness.” When we consider that the distance of bat-head travel from the launch position to contact, the quicker the bat-head gets to contact the greater the bat speed. – Bonds spends far more time during the pre-launch phase than during the actual swing. But bat quickness should be measured from launch (decision to “go”) to contact. Therefore, the time spent during the pre-launch phase should not be included when determining bat quickness.

Of course, there are hitters that use the mechanic incorrectly, but I do not know how a batter could have a more “excessive” pre-launch torque phase than Gary Sheffield. What limitation do you think it places on his hitting performance? – Is the pre-launch torque phase essential to becoming a great hitter? Maybe not, but there must be a reason why an overwhelming percentage of the hitters that can hit for both power and average exhibit it in their swings.

Jack Mankin