Posted by: oleballcoach (jeffa@usxpress.com) on Fri Jan 6 08:19:34 2006

> 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.

You can take fear out of the equation by putting them in a 90 MPH cage, or putting them on a reaction time measurement device. They won't be able to produce 100 MPH + swings with a short enough reaction time to get around on a 90+ mph fastball. IMO, you can compare the speed vs. quickness of the 2 swings, because the mechanics/goals(hit ball as hard and consistently as possible) are so similar. I am not talking about players with poor technique in baseball either(Bonds, Sosa, Sheffield, etc). Let's look at the best in both sports. All I am saying is that maximum speed and maximum quickness can't be arrived at simultaneously. You sacrifice one for the other. I think the major reason for this is the length of the arc on the swing. If you look at softball players, they have a huge amount of counter rotation which allows for a longer arc and ability to create a greater top speed, but takes longer to go from initiation to contact. What top-level MLB hitters can do is create a bat speed that produces enough force for them to hit the ball far enough to produce home runs, but also shortening the time from initiation to contact. This allows them more time for pitch recognition, location recognition, etc. I realize Ted Williams had excellent batspeed and quickness...so do Bonds, Sheffield, etc. However their speed isn't what is maximum possible for swinging a bat, nor can it be and them be successful at the MLB level.