Posted by: The Hitman (ahsnumber3@aol.com) on Thu May 23 21:12:29 2002

>>> a lot of people assume that since the lower body muscles (e.g., hips)are the larger & stronger muscles, these muscles contribute the most towards the hitter's power.....i have heard some speculate that the ratio of contribution is as much as 90-10 (lower being the 90)......
> > >
> > > but....
> > >
> > > a hitter can, with no rotation, arms only , hit a ball perhaps 320-350 feet, & with the rotation hit the ball 400-430 feet....
> > >
> > > this seems to suggest that it is the ARMS, not the lower body that is making an 80 percent plus contribution....
> > >
> > > would you agree or disagree?
> > >
> > > if you agree, than why is it there is so much emphasis on the lower body & so little on the upper body?
> > >
> > > and if you disagree, what is faulty about my logic?....
> > >
> > > respectfully, grc.... <<<
> > >
> > > Hi grc
> > >
> > > I would have to disagree with your assumption. – A batter may hit a ball a good distance without hip rotation, but even an arm hitter must rotate his shoulders. If a batter’s shoulders were glued to a wall (no rotation), I doubt if he could much more than clear the infield.
> > >
> > > Professor Adair says it takes about 3 torque horsepower to hit a ball 400 feet. He calculates the arms can deliver about .6 horsepower.
> > >
> > > Jack Mankin
> > HEy Grc
> > You would aslo have to factor in the counter-rotation of the torso. But you can also note that without the legs it would impossible to rotate the hips and stretch the pelvis.
> > The Hitman
> > >
> > >
> > > hitman.....perhaps i was being too simplistic in order to make a point....certainly there are a lot of variables....factor out all of the variables in order to focus on the main point, or cloud the issue with all the variables and lose sight of the main point.....
>
> i'll try to re-frame the issue but still try & not get too bogged down with extraneous issues......
>
> taking an outside pitch as an example(and PLEASE, let's forget about lineare vs. rotation for a moment), a major league hitter can, with perhaps 45 degrees or so of hip & shoulder rotation hit the ball to the opposite field about 370+ feet.....and this is fact, evidenced by what i have seen).....but a major leaguer, with full hip & shoulder rotation (90 degrees+)can pull an inside pitch 425+ feet....extrapolating from this one could conclude that 90 degree hip & shoulder rotation adds aprox. 15 percent to the distance of the ball that is hit with only 45 degree hip & shoulder rotation.....
>
> my point?....yes, i know the shoulders will not be glued to the wall, and i know there are other factors, BUT......the point is that there seems like a lot more potential power in the upper body (INCLUDING THE ARMS)than some people realize.....
>
> and could it be that major leaguers themselves realize this?....certainly in their conditioning programs they do lower body work but they do plenty of upper body work as well (e.g., biceps, triceps, forearms).....
>
> respectfully, grc.....

Grc
I can't tell you exactly how much power the arms produce, thats beyond my knowledge. But you also have to consider that not all major leaguers are experts on the swing. This question is really making me think i'll write back on this tomorrow
Respectfully, the hitman