Posted by: ssarge (ssarginson@earthlink.net) on Wed Nov 10 18:23:29 2004

I am giving hitting lessons during the off-season and I was thinking about giving hitting lessons to girls for softball. I would think that they would be using the same mechanics with a more level to downward swing because the ball is coming in on an upward angle. I'd like some ideas so I can teach the correct way.


Kevin:

I hope that you do expand hitting lessons to include FP softball. The sport - I'm heavily incolved as a coach - can use the help.

The FP swing should be an exact emulation of the MLB swing.

Naturally, "getting on plane" is a huge aspect of MLB hitting. And the plane IS SLIGHTLY different in FP than in BB, but not nearly as different as to necessitate a downward swing. That is the legacy of FP, and it is the kiss of death. The sport is changing dramatically, and rotational mechanics and appropriate swing plane are a big part of that.

In FP, a pitch at the knees is moving downward through the hitting zone at about 5-8 degrees. Slightly less than a pitch at the knees in baseball. Ths one is obvious - the pitch HAS to be moving down. The pitcher releases it above her knees, at an upward angle (it won't reach the plate if it isn't released on an upward angle, as gravity will affect the pitch about 2.6' during the 0.4 seconds between pitch release and contact. Released with an upward trajectory from above the knees, then ending up AT the knees - has to be going down (it's urvature of the earth - LOL).

BTW, at 18A, 18G, and college, about 75% of the FP pitches are at the knees.

You just about NEVER see a waist high pitch in FP, because it is meat, but when pitches ARE waist high, the downward trajectory is about 3-5 degrees (it's about 5-7 degrees in BB).

About 20% of the pitches at the higher levels of JO play are riseballs. Interesting pitch, very difficult to hit. Almost none of them are strikes, and shouldn't be swung at. Easier said than done. I am well aware that everyone swear4s the riseball rises as if climbing up a ski jump in reverse. In actuality, that NEVER happens. Despite many challenges, no one has been able to post a video anywhere on the internet, demonstrating in profile, a pitch rising above the trajectory line established at release. In fact, the pitch ALWAYS flattens out in the hitting zone, and is typically moving very slightly downward - maybe like 1-2 degrees. Some VERY good pitchers can actually slant the pitch up through the top of the strike zone. Those (few) pitchers may actually have an upward angle on the ball through the contact zone. A very slight one.

Now, of course, the batter and even the catcher think the ball is rising. People think a mirage is water, too. The last time the batter's brain records an image of a pitched ball is about 5' out from contact (no one sees the ball hit the bat, whether or not they think they do). The brain plots trajectory, interpolates a "normal" impact zone, and plots a course to get there. When the ball doesn't fall AS MUCH as the brain expects, it appears to rise.

If it really rose, the profile shots would show it. But they don't, and I've plotted some very careful angles using RVP software. Basically tracing the pitch trajectory at the pixel level. Quite simply, it doesn't do what people think it does.

That's not to say it isn't a bear to hit. IT is. In fact, I think the fact that the pitch is basically an illusion makes it even HARDER to hit. Personally, I'd rather be swinging at a ball that is doing what it appears to be doing, rather than swinging at an illusion.


I'm getting a little far afield, here. But the point is, a flat swing at a riseball is fine. Or slightly up, as is advocated by Sue Enquist (UCLA Head Coach) and Mike Candrea (U of Arizona and Olympic Team Head Coach). In their most recent hitting instructional videos (again, the RVP product), both these coaching stalwarts demonstrate and instruct a slightly upwards trajectory swing to hit the riseball.


Bottom line is this:

Instruct the MLB swing to your female hitters. Obviously, getting on plane is a huge objective of that swing. I think you will find that swing plane is not very different at all from BB. It will be SLIGHTLY less up, but still up. And with fences at only 200' with today's generation of bats, any female rotational hitter who is NOT trying to put some air under her hit is misguided.

Finally, the FP swing should feature identical mechanics in every other way as well.

Regards,

Scott