Posted by: Major Dan (markj89@charter.net) on Fri Jun 7 05:28:09 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.
> >
>
> OC-
>
> There are a number of other important things going on like working on fast twitch fibers and trying to get them to all fire together and to build them up so you have strength at a high/ballistic(accelerate to escape velocity)speed.I would recommend you review the stuff at setpro on overload/overspeed training and neural recruitment.Swinging heavy and light loads into the bag/tire works well.

OC-
Anything can be dangerous in the wrong hands. I see no difference between overspeed and overload training in terms of danger.
I do think that lots of repetitions with a heavier bat will train the 'simple machine' to swing at that slower speed caused by the weightier bat. You may very well be creating a strong slow swing with your method. Proper overload/overspeed training surrounding swings with the regular weight bat is a better training regimen. Reaction training needs to be part of the equation as well to fully integrate the benefits. But all this is an advanced level of training that might be 'bad in the wrong hands'.
Perhaps you should visit Setpro and learn more about this type of training. I suspect you'd benefit from it.