Posted by: Jack Mankin (MrBatspeed@aol.com) on Wed Jul 11 14:50:32 2007

>>> In my opinion, there is too much over thought on where the ball needs to meet the bat. IE; hitting the ball out front, hitting deeper, etc. What I think we ALL tend to lose focus on at times is the fact that the ball needs to be struck at the sweetest part of the bat...that 4 inch area a couple of inches or so from the end of the barrel. Ideal contact would be made when the bat is perpindicular to the ball. Balls hit earlier in the swing or, later, can still result in good contact. But, hands inside the ball is critical in dealing with keeping the fat part of the bat (that 4inches of sweet spot)on the ball, esp. with middle and in pitches.I am no expert but, it truly , truly, amazes me how incorrectly the basics of baseball are being taught, not just hitting. <<<

Hi Dadshitting

I think all would agree that to get the meat of the bat on the ball, the hands would be somewhere around 24 inches “inside the ball” at contact. The key question is -- To attain maximum acceleration of the meat-of-the-bat, what is the most productive path (from launch to contact) for the hands to take and remain inside the ball?

My problem with the cue “keep your hands inside the ball” is far too many coaches (and hitters) interprets the cue to mean that a circular hand-path would tend to take the hands “outside the ball.” They would say that in order to keep the hands inside the ball, the batter should extend the hands in a straighter A to B path (or remain parallel to the ball’s incoming path). – However, the straighter the hand-path, the less bat speed generated.

Dadshitting, assume you are looking at a clip of an overhead view of a great hitter. As he launches his swing, would you think the first movement of his hands would be directed parallel to, or more perpendicular to, the flight of the incoming ball?

Jack Mankin