Posted by: daw (daw@bellevue-law.com) on Wed Jul 11 16:44:53 2007

> This website is absolutely horrible. What this site does is teach kids how to pull a ball. Congrats...they will be able to hit 1-10 balls that are thrown to them until they get to the college level. Over 80% of pitches throughout a game from little league-high school are thrown on the outside corner. I think that the promoters of this website should do their research on WHY exactly coaches teach "linear" hitting mechanics and not your style. There are 100 reasons why TO teach linear for every 1 to teach rotational. Obviously these guys aren't very smart if they are questioning Tony Gywnn's ability as a hitter..saying he was content on hitting the top half of the ball. That's because his percentage of getting on base is higher if he hits it on the ground! WOW, i'm in shock after looking at this website. I forwarded it to a board member on the High School Baseball Coaches Assoc. Apparently they had a giggle as well.


Linear hitting is "a" way to hit the ball. However, there is no science to support the idea that linear hitting is the "best" way to hit, by anyone, including leadoff hitters.

Linear hitting principles developed half a century ago from what coaches thought they were seeing in still action photographs, what they thought they were seeing hitters do as they swung, and what hitters "felt" they were doing.

A scientific study would (1)"control" for talent by going to the highest level of competition; (2) record and classify all types of swings; (3) statistically quantify the results obtained by the players in each swing classification, and (4) compare. The closest thing to such a study is reported on this site.

Anyone who "giggles" at rotational hitting concepts should be prepared to point to such a study demonstrating that linear hitting predicts high-average power hitting, or be prepared to accept that he/she is simply blindly following that which he/she was "taught", as did those who once believed the world was flat.

And as one of the other posts points out, down through time the great HIGH AVERAGE POWER HITTERS used rotational hitting. Ironically, one of the best clips is of Ted Williams from behind, Jack has posted it here before. Because of the rudimentary shutter speed, Ted's bat blurs as his swing begins, unequivocably demonstrating that the bat immediately begins arcing around, with no "linear" movement of Ted's hands.

One reason rotational hitters seem to be "pull hitters" is that rotational hitters CAN pull the ball with authority. Linear hitters, who seem to believe that getting up "inside the ball" helps with inside heat, instead rob themselves of the bat speed/quickness necessary to really crush inside pitches and congratulate themselves on "battling off' the inside pitches with loopers to the opposite field. Rotational hitters crush the inside pitches. Moreover, rotational hitting generates bat speed early in the swing and such hitters are better at hitting outside pitches hard to the opposite field.