Posted by: () on Wed Feb 6 03:08:41 2002

greetings,
> > > although this article has been out for a while,
http://www.baseballtips.com/lost_secrets_of_hitting.htmnd and
there has been some discussion on it, I would like to resurrect
it. The older players did have flatter swings and if these stats are
correct how can one refute the benefits of a low finish. Can we
rule out today's pitching as be a factor for the high finish? Do you
have to be so far back on the axis and lift to have home run
power? Looking at clips of today's sluggers I find there are still
some who consistently finish low, even on pitches down in the
zone. Juan Gonzales and Gary Sheffield are two.
> > > as a baseball coach this is one issue that still plagues me.
> > > your thoughts ?
> > > regards, bob
> >
> > The Hitman
> >
> > Well I guess the hitting instructors have a totally new way of
teaching the swing, i guess ever since Charley Lau and Walt
Hriniak players have been taught to finish high with a one
handed follow through. Home Runs werent as popular as they
are now, but their is no one set swing. So i think of it as more of
a style thing than technique . Most people with a two handed
swing will naturally finishe lower.
> >
>
> I agree that Ellis is confusing style with technique. Some
players finish lower because they hold on to the bat with both
hands and to do that, the lead arm has to fold into the body. If you
let go of the bat with the top hand then the lead arm doesn't have
to fold and the finish can be higher. In addition, high or low finish
is partially dependent upon pitch location. I have clips of Cobb,
Ruth, Hornsby Gehrig, Dimaggio, Williams, Schmidt, etc., and
they do the same fundamental things that the great hitters of
today do. There are no lost secrets of hitting except in Ellis' mind.
>
> I have attended a presentation by Rob Ellis. He advocated
swinging so that the bat was always level as if on a tabletop.
Absurd of course. He totally dismisses the fact that the ball is on
a downward angle when it arrives at the plate by saying that the
ball has flattened out by then so it's no longer going down. That's
wrong too as anyone who watches clips frame by frame can
verify for himself. I thought his presentation was a recipe for
hitting disaster for anyone who followed it.


mabe ellis' termanology is wrong but i have seen "old-timers"
swings and they are consistanly more "level" than many of
todays hitters, and ELLIS has alot of valid point as to how that
came about IE "metal bats" and the change of mind-set in
hitters, even MANAGERS!!! i am an A's fan and ART HOWE boldly
says "we arent a hit-and-run team....we walk and wait for the 3
run homer" the homerun as become SEXY and STYLISH, it the
kind of thing that makes SPORTSCENTER, you can knock on
ELLIS but he has valid points that need to be addressed...