Is hitting an art or science?
Brady Ball will have a sequence of articles that will cover everything you need to know about hitting and then some
Article 1
From time to time I get asked, is hitting an art or a science? It is actually both.
The Art portion of hitting falls under Style or techniques. All hitter develop their own style or their own technique. Whether it would be a richual or something that helps them get relaxed or help them get focused. They all have what you would call a swagger to their approach.
The Science of hitting is the mechanics of the swing. The study of how a swing takes place. And we are going to talk about that in a minute. But before we start lets talk a little about the bat and reaction time.
The bat at its widest point is 3 1/2 inches in diameter and what they call the sweet spot is only about 3 inches in length. If you hit any other part of the barrel other than the sweet spot the bat will vibrate and this is what causes sting in your hands.
Some pitchers throw the ball upwards of 90 mph and the distance from the pitching rubber to the plate is 60 feet 6 inches. This mean the hitter has about two thirds of a second to get the barrel of the bat into the plain of the pitch with full power. Now keep in mind not all pitches come straight in many have movement; they dip, float, zip and curve.
A 90 mph fast ball should reach the plate in about .4 seconds after the pitcher releases the ball. That means the batter has a split second to pick up the pitch visually and “recognize ” it - decide whether it is a fast ball, a curve or a change up and where it is likely to be headed in relation to the strike zone.
There are actually two types of hitters; Linear and Rotational. You can tell the difference by how they use their body during the swing. Linear hitters will have a little body movement forward as they push their hips on rotation to get to their back toe. Rotational hitters will stay back and rotate on an axis. Both are very similiar and effective.
Hitters typically fall under three categories; Contact hitters otherwise known as base hitters, Line drive hitters or hitters that like to use the gaps for extra bases. And the last catergory would be Power Hitters. These are the guys that produce a lot of runs. Hitters that take the ball deep. The long ball.
Now its time to talk Core mechanics. This sequence of movements need to take place in order to hit the ball well. Three things need to happen.
- Hips lead the hands
- Match the plain of the swing to the path of the pitch
- Stay inside the ball
The hips start first. This is what begins the swing. The hands load which causes a rubber band effect that creates torque which produces explosion. In return this generate your bat speed. The key here is to keep your balance which will give you a strong foundation to hit from.
Once your swing begins the knob leads. The bat needs to move in a downward plain. This will get you into the path of the ball as quickly as possible. This will help maximize your contact area and creat leverage. The longer you stay in this plain the more punch it will create which will give you more pop.
One of the most important things to remember is to stay inside the ball. This means to start your hands in. The closer they are to your body the more support and strength you’ll have. This keeps the hitter short to the ball and maximizes bat speed. Which create quickness.
Our next article on hitting we will cover Grip, Stance and the Key Elements to a major league swing……
