Introduction to Five Tools Analysis: Hitting

[bugstud]

looks like right elbow > hands > left elbow? I dunno I'm blind.

pretty fantastic stuff kyle

[kyleb]

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looks like right elbow > hands > left elbow? I dunno I'm blind.

pretty fantastic stuff kyle

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Yep. All you need to focus on is that the right elbow hinges first. That helps delay the bat and not release it too soon.

Thanks!

[kyleb]

Here's a vomit-worthy swing:

[Myrtle]

Kyle,

Good start!

What you're trying to do here is VERY admirable and I fully support it.

What I'm concerned with is that once you get down to analyzing each of the tools at the detail level that they must be discussed at, is that instead of intelligent discussion you will encounter disagreement that is based upon either uninformed or incomplete opinion and information.

Be prepared to be patient and do your best to explain (not defend) the principles that you will have to put forth in order to give those who truly want to ratchet up their knowledge about the mechanical fundamentals necessary to excel at the game.

Good Luck!

[Assani Fisher]

Gotta give it to you, this is pretty cool stuff. Questions for you....

In basketball there are some guys who have terrible form yet still for whatever reason can succeed(Shawn Marion's jumpshot is the best and most well known example that I can think of from today's game). Which baseball players(if any) have very basic fundamental errors in their swings yet can still succeed and what is it about them that lets them succeed despite this?


If you had to pick one baseball player that had a textbook swing who would it be? I don't know baseball that well but I've always thought Griffey's swing looked very effortless and picture perfect.


You mentioned two types of hitting "tools" in average and power. You then mentioned a bunch of good qualities scouts look for and a bunch of common mistakes. Of the good qualities which ones are more likely to produce power and which ones are more likely to produce average. Conversely with the common mistakes which ones will hinder average and which will hinder power? Or is this being too simplistic of a viewpoint?


I swear I really don't mean to imply anything about steroid by this last question.....how much does overall strength in your opinion help a hitter hit for power(or average I guess since "average" by your definition means hitting the ball hard consistently)?

[kyleb]

Assani,

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Which baseball players(if any) have very basic fundamental errors in their swings yet can still succeed and what is it about them that lets them succeed despite this?

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There is a perfect answer for you, actually: Barry Bonds. He has a severe hitch in his swing (just like Hunter Pence's poor swing above, where he drops his hands before loading his back leg and bat) but is quite obviously one of the best hitters of all time.

See if you can spot it:



EDIT: He succeeds in spite of this flaw because he has ungodly plate discipline, amongst other traits.

[ QUOTE ]
If you had to pick one baseball player that had a textbook swing who would it be?

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Joe Mauer or Albert Pujols. Ken Griffey Jr. is a good choice as well and embodies the classic power stroke.

Mauer just has a sweet smooth line-drive-heavy swing that generates good backspin. It is simple, repeatable, and effective. It is for these reasons I use him as the template for my students.



[ QUOTE ]
Of the good qualities which ones are more likely to produce power and which ones are more likely to produce average. Conversely with the common mistakes which ones will hinder average and which will hinder power? Or is this being too simplistic of a viewpoint?

[/ QUOTE ]

While it is simplistic, there are strong correlations between certain traits that scouts look for. The ability to consistently center the ball will lead to higher batting averages, the ability to put backspin/loft on the ball will increase fly ball rates and hopefully power if the swing is good, and plate discipline will increase on-base percentage through walks and should also increase BOTH average or power (since you are hitting only pitcher mistakes or tough pitches with 2 strikes only).

EDIT: Pretty much all swing flaws will hinder both power and average equally, though poor weight transfer will hurt power more than average.

[ QUOTE ]
I swear I really don't mean to imply anything about steroid by this last question.....how much does overall strength in your opinion help a hitter hit for power(or average I guess since "average" by your definition means hitting the ball hard consistently)?

[/ QUOTE ]

It all comes down to the simple force formula: Force = Mass * Acceleration. Swing mechanics are responsible for the vast majority of the ability to deliver the barrel of the bat at high speeds, and it has been shown that heavier bats only produce greater distance if the velocity is kept at a high rate; obviously mass of the bat and bat speed are inversely correlated and as such heavier equipment isn't necessarily better.

I get that out of the way because the answer to your question is "it depends." Core strength is the majority of what is important in swinging a baseball bat (or a golf club, or punching someone) and it can be developed by traditional strength training. The key factor is increasing bat speed - the faster we swing the bat, the more kinetic energy we put into the ball at the point of contact. We need only look to the 1988-1991 Oakland Athletics and their revolutionary training techniques, giving way to sluggers like McGwire and Canseco, to show that strength training does work.

Strength training works in a few ways:

1) Greater lean body mass allows for faster bat speed and thusly more power in our swing.
2) Greater lean body mass as developed by compound lifts (squats, deadlifts, cleans, etc) will increase stabilizer muscles and help the hitter to "stay connected" (no bat drag, ability to maintain a perfect swing for longer periods of time) in the swing, leading to less mishits.
3) Faster bat speed not only accounts for more power, but it allows the hitter to wait on a pitch a fraction of a second longer, giving him a big advantage.

[wh1t3bread]

I like this thread. Please continue.

[Chris Daddy Cool]

re bonds swing: i always assumed it was more of a timing trick he used and i always heard that it doesn't *really* matter what you do with your hands before your swing as long as they were in the correct position just before and during the swing