Posted by: Sam R. () on Thu Jul 20 19:55:49 2006

Steve,

You said-

"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."

Steve- do you start to get how confusing the term "level swing" has to be to a kid being told this over and over again??? In your own explanation, borrowing from Ted W. no less, you say a level swing is one on the same plane as the pitch (which would mean the ball upon release from pitchers hand would never deviate from its level path)when we all know it does? So there is no such thing as a level strike plane from the point of release.
Next you state "hitter is actually leaning back a bit" (I.E. NOT LEVEL) then you define a slight uppercut (also NOT LEVEL) and then somehow in all the UNLEVEL examples you give you come up with how this same hitter would "indeed be level to the pitch."

Do any of you guys actually read what you write??? Not a single person has provided ANY verifiable level anything in a swing which REALLY is my point...there is NO such thing as a LEVEL swing just like there is no such thing as a level pitch!!!!! So why do coaches who can't even define or describe it as level- keep trying to teach kids to swing level????


> > 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.