Posted by: () on Thu Nov 28 13:47:48 2002

My nonscientific fantasy hypothesis for what it's worth is that for
> the outside pitch/off the plate type mechanics,maximum batspeed will
> happen after the hands get away from the center of rotation and before
> disconnect.For the inside pitch degree of torso turn may be more
> important.How fast the bat head fires out while a given handpath is
> still circular or tightening is also important in both.More details
> somewhere below.
>
> Happy Turkey

Tom a couple of questions after reading your hypothesis.

In the first paragraph, you state that contact should be made ideally before disconnection/deceleration. You say one kind of extension/disconnection is the V which is well after deceleration.
My question is, since full arm extension is generally first reached when the batter is in the V (maybe I am wrong in this assumption),do you believe most hitters do not reach full extension but attain max batspeed?

Next I have several hundred pictures of major league hitters. These pictures seem to indicate the lead arm becomes more extended while the rear arm still stays in the L for the pitch away. I think you trying to explain this in the next couple paragraphs. I am having a hard time picturing what you are really saying. How does this really contribute to batspeed? Are hitters actually losing some batspeed in doing this? Maybe this is why hitters seem not to have as much power to the opposite field (I could be way off base here)?

Below the other statement you had.
Perhaps ,for a given handpath radius at launch,more extension before
contact means more batspeed as long as contact is prior to
deceleration.However,the tradeoff is less timing consistency.
This seems to contradict you first paragraph which says the the V occurs after deceleration. Are we talking about a different type of extension? Could you clarify.