Posted by: Andy (andy_paulus@yahoo.com) on Sat Jul 30 19:12:28 2005

I would say the quickest hitter I've ever seen is Barry Bonds, who is purely rotational, doesn't swing "down to the ball", or "straight to the ball"

The linear cues such as those above are entirely myths. No quality hitter has ever swung his bat in a diagonal(straight) line from launch 'til contact. No one has ever moved their hands in a straight line towards the pitcher. These are just cues which attempt to prevent the opposite (uppercutting and casting) from happening. Basically, like trying to fix a slice in your golf swing by attempting to hook the ball.

So just because the rotational theory states that the correct swing is slightly up to the ball, and the hands "hook" around the body, doesn't mean these hitters have "long" swings. It means they're more in touch with the reality of swinging a bat. It means most linear theory is based around myths, or the "fool's gold" of "straight" to the ball.

All you need as ammo is a VCR. Tape as many swings as you can. You'll see universals. The bat is swung in an arc, not on a line. Those who attempt to perfect this arc are on the right path.

I use Don Slaught's RightViewPro (I swear by it). It has MLB swings on tape, and one of the many features is the clock which measures time to the hundredth of a second. The Sammy Sosa swing on the program is a quicker swing (.13 seconds) than Ichiro's, who's Mr. Linear.