Posted by: patrick (pmgeoeiiee@yahoo.com) on Mon Sep 13 07:06:45 2010

> Please pardon my ignorance, as this is all (relatively) new to me. After reading Ted Williams' the Science of Hitting, I have 3 questions. Firstly, does any major league batter bend down at the knees as is shown in his book to hit a low pitch? Secondly, how does The Science of Hitting compare to Charley Lau's art of hitting .300? I know several coaches who believe very strongly in the ideas that are in that book. Thirdly, what does Ted Williams mean when he says the "push swing"? I feel that he means a linear swing.

Yes, some past and present examples include tony qwynn, wade boggs, and don mattingly (past) derek jeter, alex rodriguez, and ichiro (present). I think charley lau's art of hitting .300 only compares to Ted's science of Hitting in that that both mention the function of the linear swing. The difference is that ted talks about rotating the hips while charlie talks about the weight transfer method. Yes i believe ted is talking about a linear swing. The push swing is the opposite of the upswing. The upswing he believed is when the swing goes slightly up, from level to up about ten degress. I believe that the push swing is slightly down, from level to down about ten degrees. This makes sense: If you want to get on top of the ball a hitter would want to swing slightly down. If a hitter would want to get under the ball he/she, for maximum effienctly and power would want to swing slightly up. The advantages of getting on top of the ball would be a greater chance of consistently getting good wood on the ball because the swing is shorter. Good questions...