Posted by: Jerry R, () on Tue Nov 7 17:41:30 2000

Dear Sir,
> I like the articles very much on the physics & mechanics of increasing bat speed. However, I am a golfer and I wanted to know if the same principles apply. Here are my questions: (1) I am not clear on the information on "opposing forces" on the bat. Is the lead hand pulling the club and the trailing hand pushing the club to create opposing forces on the downswing? Is this the circular path/orbit that the hands travel? (2) On the downswing, is the swing initiated by the front hip moving towards the catcher & the back hip moving toward the pitcher. Does this occur before or during the lateral hip slide to initiate the downswing? (3) Which comes first, the lateral hip slide or rotaion of hips on the downswing? Lastly, will a circular arc of the hands in relation to the body create a short window for a square clubface to meet the golf ball? Meaning, by increasing clubhead speed with a rotational shape vs. a linear path to the golf ball sacriface accuracy for distance? I visualize the golfs swing path as a circle rotating around a fixed axis sustained by the hips while the target line is tangent to the circle. However, the idea is to hit accurate ling shots, not just long shots. I would very much like your input and solutions to my problems. I really enjoyed your articles. Thank you for your time and consideration. John Basden

John,

There is a big difference between generating power in a golf swing and hitting a baseball. First of all, much of the power in a golf swing comes from the whip of the club that comes from the flex in the shaft. There is no such "whip" in a baseball bat.

Second, in the base ball swing the batter is waiting to decide where he is going to swing the bat until very late in the swing. In fact there is evidence, and I beleive, that most batters do not decided on the excact bat path until after the bat is started foward, making last millisecond adjustments while that bat is moving forward.

This waiting prevents a swing that contains maximum power. Those who do swing with maximum power, we call them sluggers, make this choice sooner. Thats why they strike out more.

Jerry R.