Posted by: Jack Mankin (MrBatspeed@aol.com) on Mon Mar 6 23:56:13 2000

>>> I've seen mention of swinging into a heavy bag. At what point in the swing would you want to make contact with the bag? In relation to the plate, would it be slightly ahead or further back? Should there be any energy left in the swing so the bag would offer resistance upon further bat rotation, or should the bag act as a 'stop' and aimpoint with no energy left in the swing.<<<

Hi Franco

The bag should act as a 'stop' and aimpoint with no energy left in the swing. --- The ball is in contact with the bat for about 1/2000 sec. During that time the bat only moves forward about 3/4 of an inch. Any energy expended after that is wasted. The energy for the follow-through should only come from the bat's momentum. --- This is why I have real problems with drills that have the batter hitting tossed deflated basketballs or similar soft thrown objects that remain in contact with the bat for an extended time. In these drills the batter must save energy back to be exerted until the object is stopped or even worse, propelled forward.

Most batters develop a good percentage of their bat speed after the bat becomes perpendicular to the ball's line of flight. With the aid of the bag and developing good rotational mechanics, the batter can train to have expended all his energies before and at contact. With full bat speed having been developed, the muscles are in a relaxed mode just after contact.

Jack Mankin