Posted by: grc (grcrackel@yahoo.com) on Tue May 30 17:53:26 2000

Jack-
> > > I am trying to better understand the swing sequence for the outside pitch and how it differs from the inside location.I understand that the circular handpath is wider on the outside pitch with relatively less shoulder turn and more torque.Is this because the torque begins at the same time in the preswing regardless of location but initiation of shoulder turn is relatively later or is this because shoulder turn starts without any delay followed by the back elbow coming further away from the side with shoulder turn being less at contact for the outside pitch?Does it matter?Is this question understandable?Thanks.
> > > imo, with all due respect, i think you have it backwards...the circular hand path on an outside is narrower, not wider....this is because, in order to create the bat angle needed to hit the os pitch (to the opposite field, of course) you need to draw the hands in , closer to the body (which allows the hands to stay ahead of the bathead)...actually the hand path for the os pitch is not really circular, anyway...very little arc, more of a straight line......one must always keep in mind that mechanics for hitting an os pitch differ greatly from hitting the is pitch...this site has a tendancy toward rotation regardless of the pitch and hitting.com seems to favor weightshift, "inside the ball" "fence drill" mechanics regardless of pitch location.....is pitch = r....os pitch = ws...middle pitch = "hybrid" (as mike schmidt calls it)...one final thought...schmidt's book is a "must" book to read...
> :man so wrong.....couldnt be more wrong......you say "outside pitch = weight shift" No way. Maybe you jsut dont know what you are really doing. because if you really use the weight shfit method on an outside pitch you will get the knob of the bat to the ball and the bat will be well behind your hands. Then youll realize that you havnt really produced any torque at all(no angular dispalcement) so youll try to muscle it and the pitch will blow right by you. Ive done it for 10 years. Couldnt hit an outside pitch. Until i finally started using the top hand torque and rotational method. if hitting an outside pitch does not = ws mechanics, then i guess that means rotational mechanics...which means BIG problems for hitters, amateur and pro alike....all i ask you tp is OBSERVE the photographs and the videotape...most pros don't fully roate on an os pitch, at lag position their hands are closer to the front foot, they hit the is part of the ball, they swing later (maybe .0075 of a second later...not much later, but nevertheless later) and their bat angle is about minus 15 degrees ...if this isn't ws mechanics, i don't know what is...maybe mcgwire and a few other exceptionally strong players "pull" an os pitch and maybe some theoryoticians (is that in the dictionary?) promote rotational mechanics on ALL pitches, but most pros hit the ball "where it's pitched", I.E., ws =os, r=is, and middle = characteristics of both r and ws.....the evidence is out there...all you have to to is observe it.....and....maybe you shuld check out mike schmidt's book, " the mike schmidt study", written by none other than hall-of-famer, mike schmidt!!!!and...at setpro.com there has been an on-going analysis of his book.....seems like everyone at hitting.com favors ws on all pitches and at this site everyone favors rotation on all pitches...yet, different pitches DO require different techniques......