Posted by: coach13 (halour@netscape.net) on Sat Jun 25 07:53:37 2011

> > Iam only one person and never been a great hittter so I cannot call it a long sciencetific study. I will haven to call it personal experience . when I try as you say to fight circular hand path. I lose about 5 miles per hr of bat speed registered on the bat speed monitor.but when the bat head starts the circular path. behind the head. and continue on a circular path out towards the bat speed monitor which would be the point of contact. I gain about 5 miles of bat. so I gain about 5 miles a hr using chp on the bat speed monitor.
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> Yes, you lose bat speed. You gain bat quickness. Speed and quickness are different things. Slow pitch hitters have great bat speed (120 mph) but very poor quickness (long time to reach that speed). Albert Pujols has average bat speed (86 mph) but fantastic quickness.
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> In my opinion, today's MLB swing sacrifices a little quickness for bat speed. That's why guys strike out a lot more than they used to.

Paul what players did you time to compare quickness to contact. This concept of a straight line is the shortest distance between two points is nonsense if relating it to a baseball swing. Quickness to the ball is absolutely just as important as bat speed. If utilized correctly the rotational forces of the body get your hands to contact much quicker than the muscles of the arms straightening to contact could ever hope to achieve.