Posted by: Shawn (mariner0324@yahoo.com) on Mon Jun 13 09:41:36 2005

> how do you actually hit a curve ball in reality

You have to have swing flexion. Swing flexion being the ability to flex/wait as you complete the stride. A good device to help teach this is hands back hitter, www.swingbuster.com. This will lay the ground work on how to create that swing flexion as the stride is completed. Once you learn how to create that swing flexion then it's just having the right mindset at the plate. You gear up for the fastball, but your ready to initiate the swing flexion if you see the curve or change.

If the pitcher is showing lots of curves you might guess curveball or just be ready to initiate some swing flexion to make an adjustment. It becomes as much of a mental thing as a mechanical thing, having the right approach or thought process.

If your really having problems I would buy the hands back hitter to help learn what it feels like to hit a curveball or change up. This device is to learn how to keep the hands back, but I think it's greatest use is learning how to hit the off speed stuff.