Posted by: Jack Mankin (MrBatspeed@aol.com) on Tue Sep 30 12:02:09 2008

>>> How important is it to have the hands in front of the bathead at contact? <<<

Hi Falcon

When the hands and bat-head are straight across at contact, the ball is hit up the middle. When the bat-head leads the hands, the ball is pulled. When the bat-head arrives behind the hands, the ball goes to the opposite field. For some reason many coaches find pulling the ball less preferable than hitting opposite field. They teach batters to “hit the in-side part of the ball” and refer to pulling the ball as “hitting around the ball.”

I have never quite understood the negative connotations associated with “pulling” or “hitting around the ball.” It probably has something to do with the limitations of linear mechanics to accelerate the bat-head in relationship to the advancement of the hands. -- Most MLB hitter’s best-hit balls are pulled (or ‘hit around’).

Jack Mankin