Posted by: Jack Mankin (MrBatspeed@aol.com) on Fri Aug 19 17:24:20 2005

>>> I agree with your analysis. I have played both sports, and can say there are significant differences in the swing mechanics of baseball vs very slow pitch (i.e. lob) softball. These include:

1. Softball has a much larger difference in bat-to-ball cross-sectional diameter than baseball.

As a result, it is less likely to hit a softball squarely. One can easily generate loft by hitting the bottom half of the softball, and a grounder by hitting the top half. Since there is error in every swing, and an even slight top-of-center hit could produce a grounder, the optimal strategy is not to try for a square hit, but to try to hit the bottom half of the ball with slight downswing. This will also generate backspin, which creates loft as per Bernoulli principle.

2. Lobball has a much steeper downward pitch.

Since the lobball arrives at the plate with more downward energy, you must produce a correspondingly greater upward energy to produce loft. This does not mean you should try to have a greater upward swing plane (as you could easily hit the top half of the ball, or pop up hitting the lower half), but rather, this is more reason to concentrate on hitting the bottom half of the ball with slight downswing.

3. Softball has more time to generate a powerful swing than baseball.

A lobbed pitch is very slow, and location is highly predictable. One can spend time marshalling every muscle more readily than in baseball to produce the most strong and accurate swing. Remember: it is not important that the swing have an energy-efficient transfer mechanic compared to baseball. It is only important that you actually generate a harder swing. Thus, the lobball swing may not look as rotational as in baseball – suggesting an undesirable inefficiency, but if a harder swing is the net result, what does it matter? That you may have spent more unused energy in the swing process is irrelevant. This is similar to a car with fuel economy plummeting at high speed RPM. <<<

Hi Mike.

It is a given that if Barry Bonds were at bat in a slow-pitch game, he would have the time to move in the box for the most optimum contact point. What changes to his swing mechanics should he make to generate a more powerful swing than he exhibits in his baseball swing?

Jack Mankin