Posted by: The Hitting Guru (hitman3527@aol.com) on Thu Jan 5 20:31:00 2006

> I think what Teacherman and others are trying to say is that with maximum quickness, there is a loss of speed and at top speed, there is a loss of quickness. What most major league players do is find their optimum "happy medium" between the two. To better illustrate the speed vs. quickness issue, take a look at high-level slow-pitch softball players such as Carl Rose, Ray Demarini, Bruce Meade, etc. All have swing speeds well in excess of 100 MPH and exhibit rotational mechanics, but their lack of quickness with their swing would prohibit them from hitting effectively at the MLB level(ie: they couldn't get around on a Randy Johnson fastball). Most top MLB hitters(Bonds, Sosa, etc.) have swing speeds in the 90's, but are much quicker from initiation to contact. However, they cannot hit a slow-pitch softball as far as the others mentioned without some modification of their swing mechanics to optimize pure speed over quickness.


I really do not think we can compare the slow pitch softball player to a major league hitter for the most part. Anybody can generate bat speed on something coming very slow. What prohibits them hitting a Randy Johnson could be fear, they cannot see the ball and or read the spin, or they may not have the reaction time from years of repetition to enable them to succeed. The fact that major league players could not hit a softball as far has more to do with them not having learned to do it. Every sport has to be respected in its on light. To think that one can perform at a competitive level without having learned the craft is a fallacy. A lot of major league players do not have great hitting technique. As a matter of fact, some players would not have made it at all if it was not for their defense. There has definitely been a failure with regard to good hitting instruction abroad. Otherwise this board would been unecessary. Players tend to have different hitting styles that in most cases are by chance alone. Ted Williams (non steroid user) was quick with the bat and had great batspeed. So the two can coexist. I believe his approach is a good starting point.