Posted by: mb () on Thu May 2 10:50:59 2002

Brings us to an interesting question:
Which is more productive: contact on the sweet spot of the bat(bat control with less swing speed)or higher swing speed with less bat control??

I do not know if it can be definitvely answered. Although the goal would be to have both!

I teach little leaguers (who have problems making consistant contact) to place the bat on their bicep and turn. The technigue does work. It teaches them to use their bodies, keeps their hands inside the ball and rotational skills. I have tested this technigue on a radar device and batspeed can be pretty good.
On the other hand striding, keeping the weight back while moving the hands back up and in (setpro scalp loading??) and then unloading on the pitch (was taught to me by my long deceased high school coach over 30 yrs ago.) significantly increases swing speed (again tested on a Radar device). To get the sequence correct you have to be willing to work at it and thus it is not for all little leaguers.

I agree with Major Dan that the technigue can get you on the path but to be a hall of famer you will have to swing like one.
The ball and bat are pretty dumb. They only understand swing speed, swing/ball plane, bat mass and contact spot. They don't care how the batter got there. They don't care if you are 5'6" or 250lbs.

Study slow motion video of the greats Ruth, Aaron, Griffey, Bonds, Sosa, etc. They all swing just like the old high school coach taught. Of course he learned from a pretty good one (Ted Williams).