Posted by: The Hitting Guru (hitman3527@aol.com) on Sat Apr 8 19:14:06 2006

> > I find that hard to believe. Wouldn't a hitter with linear swing mechanics need more physical strength to get the same results as someone with rotational mechanics?
> >
> > The Ted Williams comment is especially comical. Alfonso Soriano, for one, is 180 lbs. Not to mention that half of the Latin American players in minor league farm systems arent 150 lbs dripping wet, and yet they consistently hit bigger bombs than Americans who weigh well over 200 lbs.
> >
> > One thing all of these guys have in common is an excellent CHP. If they "took the knob to the ball", most of these guys wouldnt hit a ball out of the infield.
> >
> > ...and it probably helps that they havent had to deal with years of coaches who teach them inefficient swing mechanics.
>
> Hi All
>
> You are correct the pure linear swing requires more muscle to hit the ball further. I have some very small individuals who hit the ball further then anyone on their team and they use more rotational mechanics combined with hip drive (back knee to the pitcher, heel to the sky).
>
> Understand that 54% of the power generated come from the hips and core area. The reason that players turned to steroids is for core strength and shorter recovery times from workouts and injuries.
>
> Dave P


Dave. You bring up some interesting comments. But the primary reason the latin players fare so well is that they play year round and have played on substandard conditions. Overcoming that in itself contributes to production when encountering easier surroundings.

True enough, some hitters have been trained incorrectly. But one point is that what they do well, they do not do well enough. Many players today do not work on their defense, can't work counts, can't bunt, advance runners, can't run the bases and make poor overall decisions. There used to be a time when defense at some positions could keep a player in the big leagues.

In addition a linear swing with a proper angle of connection does not require massive strength if the hitter can pull the ball.

#
Dave. Not that I disagree with your last statement but steroids helped Barry Bonds hit 30 more homeruns than he was hitting without them. And it is likely that if he had not hit benefited from their use he would have only hit 30 or slightly more homeruns the last couple of years because he is walked so often. We should also note that in his home park, many of his homeruns to center and left are not clearing the fences by great distances. Also note that Sammy Sosa is out of baseball completely because he can't compete without steroids as shown last year and without the use of his confidence gained from cork bat issues.