Posted by: tom.guerry (tom.guerry@kp.org) on Thu Dec 19 12:47:53 2002

My assumption is that Bonds has found the best biomechanical solution yet to the problem of major league pitching.

Belly up to the plate as much as it is humanly possible(nice to have body armor these days).

Be able to turn as quickly as possible and not hit around ball.This requires keeping hands in as much as possible/short swing radius.I believe this requires max scap loading/pinching of the back. scap/"hiding hands " behind body(as seen fron pitcher).

This in effect makes everything an inside middle pitch,especially if you can be disciplined about not chasing the outside pitch.It helps if you can intimidate the umpire into calling your zone.

At some point there is a limit which starts to make the up and in pitch hard to handle.Barry accepts this and counts on the pitcher missing low here(homer) or hitting him(doesn't hurt much and upsets pitcher more than Barry).

Some principles that work in Barry's favor:

Fewer motor swing programs to master/match,this improves reaction time.

High batspeed,short swing path(sweetspot path),this lowers timing error.

As far as inside out adjustment,a slight relative delay of when the hip uncocks will increase handpath radius at launch while more "pre-launch THT" is underway so that when torso launches,there is higher load,but more bat turn already underway.This means less torso turn and a longer swing radius get the sweetspot out to the outside pitch with good batspeed and making contact perpendicular to the pitch (shortest possible swing for this location with greatest chance of ball staying fair slightly early or late).You would then interpret the cue "let the outside pitch get deep" as meaning delay uncocking hips a little rather than try to make contact deep in the zone.You want to hit the ball more to center,not opposite field.

Again,reaction time improves because of similarity of motor programs provided by this type of inside/out adjustment.

Up down adjustment is by posture change-bend at waist and to some degree amount of forward backward lean setting up axis of rotation.