Posted by: daw () on Mon Jun 27 09:47:09 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.
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> 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.



I apologize to those who've read this story from me on here before:

I played college ball in the 70's and in the winter of "76/77 or "77/78 (I forget which) I was at a hitting clinic at which Ted Williams was the featured speaker. Ted had always been my sports idol. He was 15 years or so retired.

That day Ted said at least twice that "Hitting is a TURNING motion, not a LUNGING motion". That's pretty much a direct quote, though he may have used the word "TWISTING" instead of "TURNING".

He made the statement the first time specifically in response to a question about "weight shift". Someone asked him about the point in the swing at which he shifted his weight. Ted said "I DIDN'T shift my weight at all. I was balanced the whole swing, with my weight between my legs". I don't claim that as a direct quote but it's close. That's when I specifically remember the "turning, not lunging" statement.

Ted's emphasis that day was the "turning" of the hips. He said very little, if anything at all about the arms/shoulders. It was hips, hips, hips, "leading the swing". He was very clearly describing what we now call rotational hitting.

I was very much what we now call "linear". My stance had probably 75% of my weight on my back leg. I remember trying to figure out how you could hit without weight shift.

I have seen clips of Ted, much older than he was the day I saw him, talking about the "shortest distance between two points'¦." That is definitely not what he was saying the day I saw him speak. I have no explanation, just reporting what I heard.

Also, I remember him talking about "holding a little back" in the legs the day I saw him. I don't have a perfect memory of this, but I recall that more in the context of "waiting" for the ball. Another of his mantras was "wait and be quick". He didn't want to "rush" things (my words) by exploding into the swing with his legs.

I happen to agree that the only "swing" that incorporates the "shortest distance is a straight line" business is.......a bunt. Even linear hitters hit by moving the bat head in an arc, they just start it significantly later in the swing.