Posted by: Shawn () on Sun Oct 7 08:54:15 2001

ifferent trajectory out of hand .I assume this is why Tom says a more upright stance is called for is this right.Also since I never played fp softball I can't argue the reaction time and getting around on it first hand.I can only think that if Jack has counted less frames in a rotation hitter than a linear hitter to contact, that seems like cold facts rotation is quicker.The argument they have with rotation is the barrel must make the shortest path to the ball.Could it be these girls start moving their hands forward with the stride a little getting a head start on the ball.Last ques.how far is college fences could there be a correlation between short fences and pitch speed that allows for enough power for doubles and h.r. with a linear swing.I'm just grabbing at straws how their ideas could be conceivable but believe that the better ones are doing rotation to some degree for results that are overlooked.Where can I find some footage on internet like we had at setpro in slo mo but of great softball hitters.
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> > RQL,
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> > Shortest bathead path doesn't necessarily mean quickest bathead path. As far as the small size of the field affecting the need for power, that is an interesting area for discussion, but hard hit ground balls still find more holes than routine ground balls and hard hit line drives get to the gap quicker. As far as number of frames to contact, there is an interesting thread working over on eteamz fastpitch board concerning this and other aspects of the linear vs hybrid vs rotational.
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> > Mark H.
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> RQL-
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> You are expeienced enough and have enough theoretical knowledge that you will know the right thing to do when you see the situation.A few more responses/theoretical fine points:
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> Upright posture tends to match pitch trajectory better in general with flatter trajectories more common and a higher strike zone than baseball.However,I would not go overboard since its easier to start low and react up when it comes to posture adjustment.If you are looking for something up,you would certainly want to stay upright to stay on top of the ball more easily.
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> Jack has demonstrated that the rotational swing is much shorter than the linear swing as well as much faster which means you are quicker to the ball with more power.Extension of the arms in the linear swing makes it long and cuts off transfer of energy from the lower body.The potential for increased contact with the linear swing makes it necessary to have a slower bat to keep it in the contact zone longer.It is important to try be conscious of these as two different styles.The rotational swing is a power/all out(still stay balanced/smoothly accelerating/body at 85%,hands at100%)swing,the linear swing is a placement swing.The more you try to swing all out the more you lose any advantage of the linear swing.The linear swing also does not match the trajectory of the pitch well.This means that the bat is cutting more across the path of many pitches than the rotational style where you match the plane of the pitch.Not only can this limit the contact zone,it also diminishes power since power is transferred less efficiently to the ball in the bat/ball collision.Remember,bat velocity is a vector(speed with a direction)so the more the bat matches the trajectory of the ball,the more of its energy gets transferred to the ball in the collision.This can make quite a bit of difference given the big ball/light bat.
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> Fences tend to be somewhere between 190 and 220.This is hard to get over consistently with the linear swing at the compression limit now taking effect(limiting hardness of ball)since a lot of things need to go right,most of which the player and coach don't understand well.These players do know that they have certain locations and velocities of pitches they can go yard with,but they do not have good plate coverage or understand the shape and timing of their swing well enough to get consistency.
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> Lau Jr. has a brief chapter on fastpitch in his recent book.He points out that most kids stride while they are swinging(no separation) and are top hand dominant(premature extension caused by pushing with top hand instead of tht).In other words,they use linear mechanics.He thinks this is bad.
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> You need to make a conscious choice of style,work hard and stick with it.That's the hard part.You will run into a lot of resistance because peoples' ideas are based on belief and not facts.That's the way the mind works.Unless they will work closely with you and you look at video together,you won't change anyone's mind.Ideas based on belief and not factual experience are held fanatically(look at the current world crisis).
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> Shawn and Terry Shaw have quite a few clips.Ask them if they are posted on the web now.You should also be able to find people who have the college world series or WPSL games on video.Just look through these frame by frame when you see an interesting swing.

Tom, RQL,

This he/she said stuff is really old news.

RQL, Ask your friends how many state titles they own? A .350 team batting average seems a little low for fastpitch. What pitching speeds do they see day in and day out during league play, what do they see during districts and state.

HS coaches are going to sing the song, they have little choices. Swings with major faults when contact will do the job, and very little time before the season starts.

Fastpitch is plagued by rushed swings, because of the believe there is no time. I've never found 'contact' to be a problem, even the worst hitters can make contact.

Cue's and hitting instructions are in the realm of religious belief systems. Someone says stay closed, and it works really well for a hitter that starts to open way to early. I've used it and will continue to use the cue. At the same time I've taught how to open, hitters who stay closed. What is meant by hands To the ball?, most importantly what does it mean for you?

Tom is correct the swing is a force vector that if a hitter 'cuts across' suffers from swing 'flaws' (whatever they are, :) ). It's a muscle sequencing, barrel and swing plane alignment problem (timing).

There are many ways to 'make contact'. Few hitters process the quality of body control and sequencing the swing (muscles).

We seldom see great hitters and are blinded by average and below average swings everyday.

I might get a chance to ask the second baseman of Team USA (mens) what he thinks about this question today.

Shawn