Bat Speed -- Baseball Hitting Forum

Posted by: sbranda () on Sat Apr 22 14:37:44 2006

Next time you take live BP, just try starting your swing earlier and earlier until you get the results you want. You'll know when you get it right. Sometimes trial and error is the only way to work through things like this. Try everything and don't let your head get in the way and you may discover something amazing for yourself.

Here's my take on when to start a swing for what it's worth. Using 66ft as the distance a pitch has to travel, a 60mph pitch will reach home plate in 0.75 seconds and a 90mph pitch will reach home plate in 0.5 seconds. A balanced stride should be able to absorb a difference of 0.25 seconds, and you should be able to hold an athletic position, ready to swing, for less than 1 second. So when I played I always wanted to have my stride done and my bat in the launch position by the time the pitcher released the ball. Then the only question left was whether or not to swing.

-Steve

> Jack,
> I know that seeing the ball all the way is one of, if not THE most important aspect in hitting a baseball. I know that I'm probably going to answer my own question as I see more and more live pitching, but when do you start your swing? Is it when the pitcher's ARM comes into the release window like Ted Williams says in his book TSoH or a little bit before that? I KNOW you can't start your swing as soon as you pick up the ball (unless you pick the foot up and immediately put it back down) because by then the ball is almost by you. I was starting my swing as soon as I picked it up and either all of my balls that I hit went to right field or I missed it completely. I'm trying to do like Ted Williams says and "wait as long as possible." Of the tee and in soft toss, my swing is incredible. The ball just jumps off of my bat. But in live throwing I've having a little bit of trouble with my timing and I know it's not because of my swing. Everyone that has seen me swing the bat lately has told me to start my swing earlier and I didn't want to do that- I think I got that confused with cheating on the pitch. But then again Ted Williams says that you stride BEFORE you know where or what the ball will be as it's coming towards the plate. What's your take on this situation?

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> Next time you take live BP, just try starting your swing earlier and earlier until you get the results you want.  You'll know when you get it right.  Sometimes trial and error is the only way to work through things like this.  Try everything and don't let your head get in the way and you may discover something amazing for yourself.
> 
> Here's my take on when to start a swing for what it's worth. Using 66ft as the distance a pitch has to travel, a 60mph pitch will reach home plate in 0.75 seconds and a 90mph pitch will reach home plate in 0.5 seconds.  A balanced stride should be able to absorb a difference of 0.25 seconds, and you should be able to hold an athletic position, ready to swing, for less than 1 second.  So when I played I always wanted to have my stride done and my bat in the launch position by the time the pitcher released the ball.  Then the only question left was whether or not to swing.
> 
> -Steve
> 
> > Jack,
> > I know that seeing the ball all the way is one of, if not THE most important aspect in hitting a baseball. I know that I'm probably going to answer my own question as I see more and more live pitching, but when do you start your swing? Is it when the pitcher's ARM comes into the release window like Ted Williams says in his book TSoH or a little bit before that?  I KNOW you can't start your swing as soon as you pick up the ball (unless you pick the foot up and immediately put it back down) because by then the ball is almost by you.  I was starting my swing as soon as I picked it up and either all of my balls that I hit went to right field or I missed it completely.  I'm trying to do like Ted Williams says and "wait as long as possible."  Of the tee and in soft toss, my swing is incredible.  The ball just jumps off of my bat.  But in live throwing I've having a little bit of trouble with my timing and I know it's not because of my swing. Everyone that has seen me swing the bat lately has told me to start my swing earlier and I didn't want to do that- I think I got that confused with cheating on the pitch. But then again Ted Williams says that you stride BEFORE you know where or what the ball will be as it's coming towards the plate.  What's your take on this situation?

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