Posted by: Major Dan (markj89@charter.net) on Fri Oct 12 18:15:34 2001

how much can overload/underload training increase batspeed. If it can, what order should you swing the different bats, how many swings each, and how many times per week for how many weeks?? I'm sure overload can do a lot. Now that I won't be playing until spring I'm gonna be swinging a heavier bat all winter and hopefully be able to swing my heavier bat like it was a stick before baseball starts for me. Lifting weights works too.
> >>As I pointed out in my thread below on pro talk.Boggs use to swing a fungo in the batters box and Ichiro is doing something similar.They realize it makes them quicker with their regular bat though I don't know if they know why.Remember you have to bring fast twitch muscles to the table and the weight does not ,the lighter bat does.Mass times speed equals power.

Overload/overspeed training can increase your batspeed. How much depends on a couple of things. The main two are: how good your mechanics are now - if you inefficient, you can gain more than if you are already swinging at or near maximum/ great mechanics; how much feedback you get during this process.
While overload/overspeed training can push you to new limits, you need to measure your batspeed. Without feedback like that, you won't know how much improvement you've made and you won't know what works better, what works worse.
Setpro sells equipment to do this. It is very good.
My experience is that early sessions show a wide variation in batspeed from swing to swing because you don't know/feel the subtleties of what creates more speed. The more you swing and measure, the more consistent and faster you swing.