Posted by: SAbrams (WEGLBOY@aol.com) on Sun May 28 01:40:08 2000

Some almost pure speculation on adjusting based on looking at video and trying different things in BP.
> Location is recognized earlier than velocity,giving a 2-D first approximation of the contact point.Velocity takes longer to recognize giving an accurate 3-D prediction of the contact point near or after the go decision is made.On the successful power swing shoulder rotation is continuing,driving torque at contact.This depends on good timing of swing initiation.Adjustments for location are started late in the preswing(just prior to launch/initiation) by changing the bat angle with the hands/arms and by starting to change the degree of bend at the waist to get the front arm on the plane of the swing as it rotates perpendicular to the spine.If you are sitting on a certain up/down location,you can improve your odds by having the bat more upright for the low pitch and flatter for the high pitch and you might be anticipating an appropriate posture(bend at the waist)adjustment.If you are sitting on an inside pitch or something fast middle/in,you might anticipate no delay commencing shoulder rotation as the timing step plants(flexing the front knee can provide needed delay up to a point without breaking the swing sequence).Initiating the swing(launch/shoulder turn after go decision)is crucial and requires the right timing and ongoing preswing position/motion.(As Jack says,it's a ballistic motion that can be only minimally adjusted at the margins.)Hip turn also needs to stop/brace up just before contact(sooner on the outside pitch)to get the rotational energy up to the shoulders to then achieve maximum batspeed by contact.
> Of course,whatever sort of adjustment you use needs to be practiced and ingrained so you are in the moment,seeing and hitting at the actual at-bat,not thinking.If you are fooled,you will fall back on the arms and hands as a bail out and forget about staying connected to the trunk rotation.
>
Interesting post.Pure speculation based on video and BP? Pretty good,Tom. Sorry, but I won't apologize for the hours and hours of BP I took over the years( what can I say,I loved to hit)and the fact VCR's weren't around much in the 60's and 70's.I certainly did not mean to hurt anyone's feelings.Some of what you said is well, pretty much basic hitting fundamentals(bat positions,posture,etc). Agree with your last paragraph about practice .My point was(and is) that pitch location will dictate what you can do with a pitch and and how the minimal adjustments made tend to cause a hitter to blend different styles.Period.Such as what do you do when the inside/middle pitch turns out to be a hard slider? Hopefuly your answer was "You're screwed!"which a "pure" rotational hitter would be/is ( pure being the key word).Why else do you think pitchers came up with a slider? I will tell you that it was not thought up to get weight shift hitters out.By the way,very good comment on the 2D and 3D aspects of pitch recognition (helps explain simply why mid-low pitch is easier to track/judge vs. that letter/chin high fastball tends to "explode" on the hitter. Difference between seeing top/front of ball vs. just the front.)Also be very careful with the the preswing adjustments;if done at the wrong time,a hitter creates holes in his swing that in reality a good catcher and pitcher will jump on quickly. Overall, I like what you and Jack preach.I'm just not a member of the choir but I will stop in and listen to the sermon.Keep up the work, you bring a lot of insight to the art (not science)of hitting.Take heart in the conflict between theory and reality; ultimately reality is improved by the practice of a sound theory.