Posted by: OC (orlandochapa@attbi.com) on Wed Jun 5 21:01:36 2002

Is it better to have 1. a lower weight softball bat say 26 ounce and
> > swing it faster or 2. a heavier bat that will be swung at a
lesser
> > speed. Obviously the heavier weight will impart more force
on
> > the ball; however so will having a higher swing speed. So
what
> > is better swinging faster or swinging a bigger piece of
lumber?
> > > Thank you for any replies
> > To have a great stick requires a combination of both.
> > I think 26 oz. doesn't have enough mass to do you any good,
> > 28oz. would be a better choice. You should try different
weights
> > to see which is best for you. Your choice of bats is also just
as
> > important. It won't do any good to have a great stroke with a
peice
> > of crap bat. Train as heavy as possible during the off season
to
> > build muscle memory, then go to your light bat as the season
> > approaches to get your timing down.
> >
>
> Go to the following website:
>
> http://www.npl.uiuc.edu/~a-nathan/pob/Parkland/sld001.htm
>
> this is a slide show with information from Dr. Adair's book on
the Physics of Baseball.
> The sixth slide shows the relationship between bat weight and
ball speed. One of the preceding slides shows the relationship
between pitch speed and batted ball speed. Some interesting
stuff.
> What you will see is that bat weight matters but not that much.
Batspeed is more important.
>
> "I think 26 oz. doesn't have enough mass to do you any good,
> > 28oz. would be a better choice." do you really think two
ounces is really significant? if so check the chart and rethink
your position.
>
> "Train as heavy as possible during the off season to
> > build muscle memory, then go to your light bat as the season
> > approaches to get your timing down."
>
> why does 'training heavy' build muscle memory? muscle
memory is built by repetition. training heavy would build stength,
endurance.
> The best way to build batspeed is with overspeed/overload
training.
> Check out the setpro site sometime for more details on that
type of training. it is superior to what you suggest.
> However, yes as the season approaches you should do more
'real' work - game weight bat, bp vs dry cuts, etc. to get timing
down.
> it is important to work some timing all the time so the swing
and the reaction to the ball don't disconnect too much...
>
> Major Dan
Thanks for the baseball physics lesson, its was a good
presentation. Let me explain my previous comment. When I
said to train heavy, I ment with a heavy bat. At least twice a week.
This does build strength, but also muscle memory. Once you
have trained your body to swing that much mass the rest
becomes a physics problem, F =ma. Newton's second law of
mechanics. The force (F) your body applies during the swing is
constant (muscle memory). The only thing left to adjust is (m) bat
weight. As bat weight decreases, bat speed (a) increases. Your
body is a simple machine. It will repeat what you have trained it
do over and over again. That's why F=ma works. Michael's
question was about softball, where you have to generate all the
power and transfer that inertia to the ball. Advanced training
techniques like overspeed training can causes injury if not
perfomed correctly, in my opinion. Strength training is about
control, overspeed training is about pushing to the edge of
control . That can be a bad thing in the wrong hands.
Thanks for your input Dan.