Posted by: Melvin () on Tue Jan 7 10:05:34 2003

does anybody think where contact is made has an effect on how hard or far a ball will travel. it seems better hitters can make contact when the ball is deeper in the box. closer to the catcher.
>
>
> Mr. Swat:
>
> The most powerful spot in a baseball or cricket swing is at the point just before the top hand begins rolling over the bottom hand. This is the point of optimum bat speed. Assuming you have generated maximum bat speed with the proper swing mechanics and you hit the area around the center of the ball you will apply maximum power to the ball.
>
> Some professional batsmen may strike the ball deeper in the contact area but will, due to personal swing quirks, strike the center point of the ball more often in that area. In fact if they had made contact with the ball at the same point but further forward in the swing, they would apply more power by a factor of 1.6.
>
> Actually the word "apply" is erroneous. Striking a baseball at the center will cause it to react more dramatically then if struck at points further from the center. This is not, in fact, power applied by the swing but power generated by the construction of the ball.
>
> Also, when exploring sources of power, other then swing mechanics, much of the "power" professional batsmen exhibit may not come from optimum swing mechanics, but from personal strength. This strength is developed from conditioning done specifically to perform this one task. For this reason, you should be careful concluding that when a professional batsman strikes a baseball and the ball reacts as if struck with great power, that the mechanics you are observing are sourace of that power. Very often this is not the case.
>
> L. MacBee

Hey there Professor

How does a "professional batsman" use "personal strength" to hit the ball hard? What are those big muscles doing that have an affect on the bat or ball?

Melvin