Posted by: Dave () on Fri Apr 14 16:58:29 2006

> "If a pitcher is taught to throw the ball down and produce ground ball outs why are the hitters taught to swing down and hit ground balls? Isnt the idea to beat the pitcher? Why would we do what the pitcher wants? Where did this idea of hitting come from? "
>
> MLB averages on all balls put in play...
> all fly balls = .176
> all ground ball = .375
> all line drives = .776
>
> hitting backspin line drives and ground balls is the key to good hitting. Like golf, the only way to get the ball in the air is to strike with a descending blow. The only way to square up the bat head is to attempt to keep the bat head above the hands as long as possible, it will undeniable plane out and get on the plane of the pitched ball...attempting to manually lift the baseball or swing with an uppercut will equate to the chuncked golf shot, their will be a deceleration and an overall lack of pop, that combined with most likely toped, hooked ground ball to the pull side of the field.

"Like golf, the only way to get the ball in the air is to strike with a descending blow"

I have also heard this described like poping a cue ball up in pool. You know when you hit it at a downward angle toward the bottom of the ball and it pops up but when it hits the table it spins back?

How do you teach a player to square up on the ball when the hand path is down and barrel above the hands? Do you advocate swing level to the ground or level to the ball? If level to the ground, then how do you hit the low strike? Also your timing has to be perfect.

Level to the ball is the way to go and since all balls are traveling down due to physics it make sense to contact the ball on a slight upswing. If you are early to hit a top spinning ground ball that maintains its speed and eats up fielders, if you are on time you hit a square line drive, and if you are a little late you hit a back spinning ball in the air that travels out of the park.

Where did you get your mlb numbers? What happens to your numbers when you group line dives and fly balls together vs ground balls?

Check out these numbers from littleleague.org

Batting Statistics
Little League Baseball World Series
1986 to 2005 (20 years)
Games 322
At-bats 14,617
Hits 3,798 (11.8 per game; one in every 3.85 at-bats; .260 batting average)
Singles 2,689 (8.35 per game; one in every 5.09 at-bats)
Doubles 502 (1.56 per game; one in every 29 at-bats)
Triples 36 (.11 per game; one in every 406 at-bats)
Home runs 571 (1.77 per game; one in every 26 at-bats)

Somebody it teaching them the correct way. Little league is moving the fences back in the world series this year because there are more home runs than doubles.