Posted by: Marcus Boyd (marcus@hourofdeliverance.net) on Sat Mar 19 06:19:29 2005

I see quite a bit of discussion lately regarding pull-field oriented hitting. These are some of my thoughts about pulling the ball.

Let me start by saying that I play slow pitch softball. I have been an advocate of rotational hitting for a few years now, in fact really before I knew exactly what "rotational mechanics" were. It turned out my mechanics were fairly sound to begin with, however I appreciate guys like Jack Mankin for taking the time to analyze a good swing frame-by-frame. It has helped me minimize slumps in myhitting by educating me about my mechanics...thus allowing me to quickly identify which element of my swing has "broken down." For that, I thank you guys for the good (mostly haha) discussion on here, and I thank you, Jack, for this site.

I am a lefty in the batter's box, and I hit to right center quite often. I have found, though, that a hitter who has what I call a "balanced power swing" will have similar power to all fields, regardless of his size. By balanced power swing, I mean a hitter who can apply the correct balance of rotation and THT in his swing no matter where he's hitting the ball. Obviously, good rotation encourages one to pull the ball with more power; and THT allows one to hit the ball to the opposite field with more power.

The best balanced power hitters will hit the ball hard all over the field. I have seen several good hitters, even smaller guys like you, BHL, who effectively use THT and crush the ball when hitting to the opposite field. I hit very well to center and left center, but like I stated, I prefer to hit to right center. My problem is pitchers in my league don't like to pitch guys like me outside. Too many of us hit those outside pitches toward center field. Being only 40 feet away, the pitchers don't it when we "miss" and end up hitting a line drive back up the middle! It's nearly impossible for most of us to hit an inside pitch opposite field with any sort of power, for obvious reasons. So, with the pitches I'm often given, if I'm going to hit a home run, it's likely going to have to be pulled to right or right center field.

Another thing to consider is being overly predictable in one's hitting tendancies. This is especially important for the slow pitch softball hitter who is trying to stay one step ahead of the defense. I don't care how good my mechanics are, I will not hit a home run every time. Most good softball power hitters will hit one homer per every 4 to 7 at bats (educated guess based upon years of experience). What happens in the other at bats really separates the men from the boys, so to speak. Do the fielders know where the ball's going if you "miss"??? This is the main reason I wouldn't advocate hitting the ball to one field only. You may hit a few home runs, however, you will let your team down quite often, especially when the defenses learn that you always hit the ball in one particular direction. They will adjust, and your average will drop. Keeping the defense guessing is vital important to a good hitter. This is especially true in slow pitch softball where placement of the hit is more tangible than in baseball where pitch speed varies, making placement more difficult. I like to hit toward left or left center at least once a game to keep the defense honest and open the field up a little more.

Now, truthfully, a home run isn't the only successful result of good hitting mechanics. If your only objective is to hit home runs, whatever it will cost your team, then I suppose my ramblings won't mean much to you. But, I'll play ball with a guy who can consistently hit hard line drives all over the field any day! One thing to consider also is most leagues now limit the number of home runs allowed in a game. When that limit has been reached, a good hitter will have a game plan...one which will consist of hitting to more than one field. After all, a home run doesn't help at this point.

These are some of my thoughts, for what they're worth to you. Once again, I appreciate the frank discussion here. It has truly allowed me to open my mind to a greater realm of understanding!

Marcus Boyd