Posted by: tom.guerry (tom.guerry@kp.org) on Wed Mar 27 07:55:16 2002

Hi grc
> >
> > You indicate you do not believe it torque. You say you do believe in chp. Yet, you indicate it is a linear hand-path that would account for hitting 500ft bombs on outside pitches. --- If the energy to hit outside pitches 500ft does not come from either “torque” or a “chp” --- Where does your studies of mechanics tell you the power that generates bat speed DOES come from?
> >
> > Jack Mankin
>
> hi, jack....
>
> (1) clearly energy starts from the ground uo (kinetic chain)....and clearly, the more the hips/shoulders rotate, the more the amount of energy.....and since, on an inside pitch thehips/shoulders rotate to a greater degree then for an os pitch, there is greater power on an inside pitch.....
>
> (2) having said that, though, there is a question that has not been answered by you, adair or anyone else and that is, HOW MUCH difference in power?...........although you & others have never said what percentage of power is lies in the lower body vs. upper, i would guess that you & others feel that the proportion is probably about 90-10 or 80-20....i can't speculate what the "true" proportion is, but i can say that there is probably a significant amount more of power in the upper body than some people think.......i have observed hitters hitting to the opposite field with "linear" mechanics with the ball going about 85 percent as far as as a pulled inside pitch.....and i have seen studies suggesting the same 85 percent for opposite field power hits (but these studies didn't go into "linear" vs. "rotational".....
>
> (3) 500 foot bombs on outside pitches?........maybe, here & there, but by and large, most such bombs are middle-in pitches & hit to the pull field.....
>
> (4) in any event,so what?.....( i don't mean that in a sarcastic or mean-spirited way)....there is a trade -off.....yes, for the outside pitch you give up, let's say 15 percent distance, so a 500 foot bomb is a 425 foot home run......but even more importantly, you will make more CONSISTENT hard contact if you let the ball get in closer, lead with the hands & hit the inside of the ball on outside pitches......
> >

Energy on inside pitch comes from an energized torso which turns quite a bit while the bathead swings out creating momentum transfer as long as the handpath doesn't go linear.Ideally torso(flywheel)keeps turning right through contact."L" still in back arm.

Energy on outside pitch comes from an energized torso which turns less to contact,but a handpath(still circular from launch to contact)which may be wider and a bathead which extends more/more quickly(extension by "L" coming out of elbow,NOT by handpath going "linear").This creates a more efficient(but higher margin of error)transfer of torso energy to angular momentum of bat/batspeed with torso turn/energy more nearly depleted by contact.