Let's Talk Hitting

So have I throw 90. I hope to re-do the infield portion of Optimist Park this summer. It's a great place to play, but the Optimist Club has had a little trouble keeping it up over the last couple of years. We made some good money with our concession stand this high school season, hopefully it will fund the infield overhaul. Thanks for your reply.

 

SC Upstate started with good approach

Coach, reading your post last night I caught the beginning of the SC Upstate vs. S.Carolina game. Saw a player I haven't seen since the S.Charlotte Sports Report's "Battle of the Border" showcase event. (there's a nice plug).

Gaither Bumgardner (S.Charlotte Panthers '09) from Ft. Lawn SC put on a pitching show that day striking out Ritchie Shaefer (Clemson) and 2 other D1 commits (1-2-3) each time throwing gas. Won MVP. Perfect game says "88mph" but he looked faster that day.

Bumgardner (6'6") had a record hitting streak this year- 11 hits in a row, going 5 for 5 twice in a row. Batting over .380 leading the team with SAC's also. Laid down a bunt (on first attempt) and I swear he ran it out. Nice to see well rounded athlete who does his job well. Now that's a kid with a good approach. Don't ruin the ending for me....I DVR'd it.

When i stopped it SC Update was up 3-0 with 2 in scoring position, no outs, in the 2nd? Many of their hitters squared the ball up the middle on 2 strikes. Or backside, behind the runner. Or hit a SAC fly when they should with man on 3B. Might want to chat up that SC Upstate coach a little. Looked to be doing something right, leading their conference before battling that big S.Carolina powerhouse. Announcer kept saying "they don't have much pop... but there they hit another line drive".

 

Thanks Post15fan. Will do. I do plan to talk to some college coaches after their seasons are over.

 

I agree with the pole through the bady image, and that front leg should be barred to rotate - can't break down front knee or no hip rotation/explosion.
However, the upper cut is where I have problems. For me, the uppercut allows for less room for error on contact. With uppercuts, you see too many fly balls or topped groundballs. Flat swings keep the bat through the zone longer, better squaring the ball.

It may be crazy, but I see it as "rotational" with the trunk/lower half, but the hand path "linear"/flat.

My ONE cent...

 

Level vs uppercut

This is how it was explained to me. A pitcher throws on a dowmward plane say from 2 to 7 or 2 to 6 for the shorter guys and the swing is level then how does the bat stay on the plane of the ball if the swing is level. I used to think the swing was level but after watching lots of mlb swings I found out that it does have a upward path to the baseball.

 

Swing Plane

The term "upper-cut" has been and still is considered a bad thing. So think of it this way by matching the swing plane to the pitch plane your timing doesn't have to be as precise since the intersection between the two paths is more of a line than one point. The path of the swing should be very slightly up through the ball, not what I would refer to as a true "upper-cut".

Where alot of folks get off track with this is they are trying to teach swinging up through the ball, and they get to handsy (too much emphasis on the wrist). With the proper rotational mechanics in place, the negative to positive shoulder tilt & rotation will take care of the swing plane.

You get in trouble when you try to teach the end result...Focus on how you get there and the result, such as the proper swing plane, will happen.

 

Linear or rotational??

i do not know what you boys are talking about. What I do know is some of the best swings I have seen lately belong to Josh Hamilton and Dustin Ackley. Are they classic linear, rotationsl or a mix?

 

Ackley / Hamilton

The first thing you need to remember is that hitting is about timing, and sometimes a hitter gets fooled, and therefore some of a hitter's swings do not look like most of their swings.

All that being said, I would strongly classify Hamilton as a pure rotational hitter. Ackley on the other hand appears to be rotational on middle to inside pitches, but more of a linear hitter on the away stuff. Both of these guys are great hitters.

 

Rotation

If the back elbow drops in the power slot you should not get handsie.Your hands will stay palm up and palm down which will make you hit line drives or long fly balls as long as you stay behind the barrel or bat how ever you want to look at it. When the elbow gets away from your body is when your hands roll or casting however you want to look at it. But you are right it's not a true upper cut but it not a level swing either. It is on the plane of the ball which is comming down so the swing path is up.

 

Connected

I've seen hitters get into the slot position with the back elbow, but not stay connected and that is where they get handsy...trying to do too much with the wrists and hands. This will normally result in hitting the bottom of the ball, generating pop-ups and routine fly balls.

That's where all the negative feedback seems to come from...

The problem is not the rotational style, it's a lack of execution. While the hands and wrists are still vital to the swing we need to de-emphasize them and focus the mechanics that let the big muscles (aka legs, hips, abs, etc.) work.