Posted by: JohnD (JohnD@Dresslar.com) on Tue Mar 7 00:54:32 2006

Hey, Tyler, congrats on the big pop. It's been a long time since I've been a 12 y/o, but I remember that the one homer I hit that year was exactly as you described. It's a fun feeling. And, it is NO illusion.

Hitting a low inside pitch that way gives you two advantages -- because the ball is closer to your body, you can get a bit more of your butt into it (i.e., hip rotation), and the longer swing gives the bathead more time to accelerate.

But, you've also learned one of the secrets of hitting. Most good hits do not occur with your arms extended -- indeed, much of your power may have bled off at that point. Check out this swing by Albert Pujols, and you'll see how bent his arms are when he whacked this pitch:

http://s95294420.onlinehome.us/userfiles/APujolsDrag.gif

Also, you've learned that the secret to hitting low pitches isn't in bending your knees more, but in tilting your spine and rotating that way. (Ideally, the plane of your swing will be perpendicular to your spine, so you need to bend over more on low pitches.)

So, don't apologize for your smash. Do it again!