Posted by: mike28nc (mikelamb68@hotmail.com) on Sat Apr 15 00:16:55 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.
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I dont know about the avg you have posted. But to hit line drives and not floaters. You need to have the bat in the plane of the pitch. Not swing dwn on the ball. You swing dwn and hit a line drive and it will float out there. If there is any kind of wind in your face it will stay up there for a long time. I feel that the bat should be in plane with the ball. If the ball is moving in a down ward motion, and it always will be. Then the bat needs to be moving in a upward plane.

Mike