Posted by: Steve (sp_keller@hotmail.com) on Wed Jul 19 10:28:53 2006

> OK Hitting Guru, Jack,Anyone? Please tell me "what is level" in a level swing??? The bat? the shoulders? the hands? the hips? the head?
>
> I see this as just another overstated batting cue nobody can really explain? I don't have a single clip or photo of any of those things I stated above as "being level" throughout or even at Point of contact. So what am I missing?
>
> While I'm at it. How many times did Harold Reynolds say on HR Derby night "see how so & so is staying behind the ball?" What as opposed to staying in front of it??? He should have stated "what was staying behind the ball" so a kid watching it could know what the heck he meant. I happened to have a room full of Babe Ruth age players watching the derby and none of them could tell me what he meant either?
>
> How about- "kept his hands inside the ball" Really?
> So how many players have ever kept their hands outside a ball and hit it??? Point is (again to kids and many coaches) every hitter at Point of contact absolutely has their hands inside the ball!!!!
>
> Sorry, had enough with these stupid unexplained comments we keep hearing that nobody does a decent job of interpreting. So I can't wait for some good explanations from this site.
>
>
> > > Just curious how important it was to have a level swing. I have a uppercut because I am obsessed with HR's since I was a kid and now I still do the same thing and I am trying to kick the habit. Is it really true that if you have a level swing (even in slowpitch softball) that you will get backspin on the ball resulting in farther hit balls??
> >
> > ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > Dave. Regarding the swing plane for power, you can do the following.
> >
> > 1. Have an uppercut rotational swing (Jim Thome)
> >
> > 2. Have a level swing, but hit the bottom half of the ball (Mike Schmidt)
> >
> > 3. Have a level swing but take the nob to the ball (or get jammed slightly on purpose while taking a full swing) This causes a slight uppercut but is relatively a level swing) (Paul Molitor)


According to Ted Williams and others - a level swing is one that is on the same plane as the incoming pitch. The general consensus is that a hitter will actually be leaning BACK a bit at contact (approx 5 to 15 degrees). This, along with a swing that is perpendicular to the spine (or center of rotation) would look like a slight upper-cut, but would indeed be level to the pitch.