Posted by: Joe A. () on Sun Aug 5 06:32:24 2001

A reprint of the article I wrote is posted at
> > > www.webball.com/skill/battorq.html Like "most students of the game", I would welcome any constructive feedback and would be happy to clarify any of the information I present. I believe that there is not one perfect hitting technique, but I do think that there are some fundamentals that all good hitters employ. I have refined what I teach based what I have read on this site and learned from other sources, so a dialogue with others who care about baseball (especially youth baseball) is usually always constructive.
>
> Paul. I too congratulate you on an interesting concept which merits further discussion.
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> >
> > paul petricca,
> >
> > i believe that your "technique", as you call it, has true value.
> > i (or at least my son) can attest to this. he/we experimented with the technique some years back and he successfully came out of a rather severe slump that he couldn't get out of (and i couldn't solve).
> > while in the slump, we had analyzed his videos and thought we had discovered various problems. but, when we tried various solutions, we only created a bigger monster. matters got worse. we both learned a very valuable lesson. make certain of the problem - FIRST.
> > we didn't do that for this slump, but we got lucky and i saw your article (in fact, that's why i agree with most of jack's ideas - because they [though not in all aspects] co-incide with your's).
> >
> > his turn around was almost miraculous. he truly did start driving the ball. i then set about to try and reason why. comparing before and after videos i discovered three things. one, that his hands (and bat) had gotten so far back on his coil move that they were not always loading to the same position for launch. two, that he was holding the bat too far back in the palms (holding the bat as you suggest actually forces you to grasp the bat more in the fingers). three, that he was firing the bat before firing his hips.
> >
> > i have to admit that he no longer uses your technique (cannot apply top hand torque) in games, but as a training technique, we still do.
> > actually we use a technique of jack's first - hands in launch, duct tape him up, and fire into the punching bag. then we use, your technique, with soft toss (this let's him fire the hands). then, he hits the bag from his normal stance. then, hit the bag using top hand torque. the progression (and regression) works well.
> >
> > i have re-read your article, and while i don't agree with all you say, i sincerely thank you for publicizing it.
> >
> > yours in baseball,
> > ray porco

Article Writer,

I usually don't give much hitting information to people who sell "hitting" infromation. But, I am making an exception because while there are a few things wrong with your article there are some good points and its better then most. I will only comment on one.

Your test for balance is ok as far as it goes, but it makes a false assumption. Being balanced in the stance is important and easy to do. But, hitting occurs after the stance so balance after the stide is more important and easy to lose. Even more important is balance at contact.

A hitter being balanced in the stance does not mean they will be balanced after the stride. (You also make the assumption that there must be a stride but I won't address that) Not true. There are 4 reasons a batter can lose balance after the stance. One of them is dependant on how the batter creates balance in the stance.

For example if a batter takes a stance in which legs are flexed alot they will have to move their had forward to counter balance the rear weight. They are very low and bending at the knees and hips. This person has a very low center of gravity. Using your test for balance you couldnt knock this person off balance with a truck. But as they launch their swing they will have to straighten out by unbending their legs and hips. As they are rising they have to find a "new" center of gravity and balance in the middle of the swing. Too much and they tilt backward. Not enough and the force arms and shoulders turning will pull them forward.

By the way, did you know that your eyes invert what you see? What you see goes through the lens that inverts it and its upside down on the back of your eye. The brain corrects it. There was this experiment in which they put a pair of glasses on a guy that inverted what he saw. As a result it went onto the back of eye right side up. Out of habit the bran inverted it. This meant he saw things upside down. After a while his brain figured out what was happening and stoped inverting what he saw. He then saw things right side up. Something huh?

Bet your wondering what the point is. If you do something long and often enough it will be comfortable. That does not make it the correct mechanic. Kids saying "thats not comfortable" is one of the most common reasons they reject better mechanics. You know, now that I think about it, someone who did a lot of coaching would know that.

Joe A.

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