The Hitting Mechanic
December 2007
The Hitting Mechanic -
January 2008
12/21/2007
The Box, The Triangle, and Connection
I just completed an (important) essay entitled
The Box, The Triangle, and Connection that discusses The Triangle, which I think is a better way of thinking about an explaining the
principle of connection.
Pete Rose Demonstrating The Triangle
12/13/2007
Alex Rodriguez's Swing - Number 500
This morning I stumbled across the photo below of Alex
Rodriguez hitting his 500th home run. I like it because it
points out a number of the principles of
Rotational Hitting.
Alex Rodriguez - Number 500
Working from the ground up, notice how Alex Rodriguez's front
leg is stiff, with his front knee locked. Notice how he is on
the tip of his back toe rather than
squishing the bug, which means that he has shifted his
weight fully. Notice the
separation; how his hips are rotating ahead of his
shoulders. Notice how his back elbow is pretty much vertical, at
his side, and bent roughly 90 degrees. Finally, notice how Alex
Rodriguez is tilting over the plate to get the head of the bat
down to where the pitch was thrown.
12/11/2007
A Good Young Hitter
Some people will tell you that there is no point in teaching
the Major League Swing to young hitters because they aren't
strong enough, or coordinated enough, to pull it off.
I think that's nonsense.
By way of demonstration, I give you the photo below,
which is pretty much perfect.
Good Young Hitter
Notice the hands rotating with the shoulders and ahead of the
back elbow. Notice the back elbow near his side and still bent
about 90 degrees. Notice the braced front leg. Notice how he's
on the the tip of his back toe. Notice how he's tilting over the
plate to get the head of the bat down to the ball (which puts
the head of the bat well below his hands).
Good Young Hitter
There are very few significant differences between the first
photo and the photo above of Carlos Beltran.
12/10/2007
Book Review: Hit Like A Big Leaguer
This has to be one of the most ironically titled books in the
entirety of baseball
instruction, if not all time.
Before I start to sound all smarmy, let me explain why
I say that.
I don't like my son to talk hitting with anyone except
me. The reason is that -- regardless of a person's background or
credentials --
you never know what they are going to say, teach, or advocate. It's impossible to
tell if they are going to teach the major league swing or a
swing that bears no resemblance to what the best hitters in the
world do.
"Hit Like A Big Leaguer" by Jack Maloof is a perfect
example of why I hold that opinion. While Mr. Maloof's
credentials are excellent...
Jack Maloof is the hitting coordinator for the Atlanta Braves
and has been a major-league hitting coach with the San Diego
Padres and Florida Marlins.
...the advice he gives in his book is anything but.
The problem is that Mr. Maloof has apparently spent
ZERO time looking at slow motion video of the swings of great
hitters. Instead, he teaches a swing that is basically the same
as the one illustrated in the diagram below and that
I recently derided.
Terrible Hitting AdviceMr. Maloof's book is riddled with photos of him demonstrating
concepts while
squishing the bug,
swinging level to the ground, and
extending the
arms through the point of contact.
If you don't believe me, go to a
bookstore and check out the photos on page 23, 37, 40, 48, 50,
56, 58, 63, 64, 101, or 107.
It's obvious that Mr. Maloof doesn't understand
concepts like Tilt, Connection, Rotation, or the other
principles of
Rotational Hitting, much less how major league hitters
actually swing the bat. As a result, there's no point in my
going any further with this review.
Or buying this book.
12/3/2007
Terrible Hitting Advice
There is a lot of terrible hitting advice out there -- and by
that I mean advice that tells people to do things that the best
hitters in the world do not do -- but on a
pound for pound basis, the diagram below may be the worst I have
ever seen.
Terrible Hitting Advice
Let me explain why this advice is so consistently bad.
Contrary to what many people say, a
level swing is not the best swing.
If you look at the bats of the best hitters in the
world, you will see that they are not
level with the ground at the point of contact. Instead, except in the case of
pitches that are up at the letters, the head of the bat is well below
the hands.
Albert Pujols NOT Swinging Level
Vladimir Guerrero NOT Swinging Level
Alfonso Soriano NOT Swinging Level
Instead of trying to keep the bat level at the point
of contact, and assuming the "taking a dump in the woods"
position to hit a low pitch, what the best hitters in the world do is tilt over
the plate.
Jim Edmonds Tilting Over The Plate
This allows them to stay connected at all times but still cover the entire
plate.
There is no question that you do see
extension in a
high-level swing, which is why it is so often
misunderstood by both ordinary people and television
commentators. However, what you need to understand is that, rather being the CAUSE of a powerful
swing, extension is merely the EFFECT of a powerful swing.
If you look at slow motion video, you will see that at
the point of contact great hitters are connected, with their
hands turning with their back shoulders and their back elbow
relatively close to their bodies.
Their arms are not extended
(which some people call the Power V) at the point of contact.
Albert Pujols Demonstrating Connection
Xavier Nady Demonstrating Connection
Sean Casey Demonstrating Connection
You can clearly see this in the photos above of Albert Pujols, Xavier Nady, and Sean Casey.
Due to the tremendous force created by their swings, their arms
will extend, but only AFTER the point of contact.
Crushing or
squishing the bug is another thing that people
commonly misunderstand. If you look at video of the best hitters
in the world with your naked eye, you will see something that
sure looks like crushing (or squishing) the bug. However, if you
go frame by frame through that same video, you will see that at
the point of contact the best hitters in the world do not
squish the bug.
Albert Pujols NOT Crushing (aka Squishing) The Bug
Alex Rodriguez NOT Crushing (aka Squishing) The Bug
Yorvit Torrealba NOT Crushing (aka Squishing) The Bug
Instead, as the photos above of Albert Pujols, Alex
Rodriguez, and Yorvit Torrealba demonstrate, at the point of
contact their back foot is bearing little to no weight, and in
many cases their back toe is completely up in the air.
The Hitting Mechanic - November 2007
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