The Hitting Mechanic
February 2008

The Hitting Mechanic - March 2008

2/26/2008

Photo Analysis Keys

Studying photos of major league hitters can be a great way to learn how to hit. However, you have to be careful or you'll come away with some incorrect ideas about the major league swing. Let me make this case using the two promotional photos below.

Andy Green

Andy Green

In each case the player is demonstrating what many people consider to be a perfect swing. Notice the extension at the point of contact, the level swing, and the squishing the bug.
     The problem is that no major league hitter actually swings the bat like this.
     Instead of being extended at the point of contact, they are connected. Instead of swinging level, they tilt over the plate. Instead of squishing the bug, they have little to no weight on their back foot at the point of contact.
      When trying to learn how major league hitters actually swing the bat, you have to be very careful to avoid looking at photos that are posed because too often they reflect perception and not reality (on the part of the photographer, the hitter, or both). Instead, you have to look at photos that capture a moment in time of a real swing. You also have to pay attention to the context of the swing; whether the hitter was fooled by the pitch and the result of the swing was (e.g. a home run or a weak pop fly).
     If you look hard enough, you can find photos that will back up any theory of hitting. However, the best theories of hitting are built by studying the best swings of the best hitters.

2/14/2008

An Analysis of Albert Pujols' Swing

I just completed a new analysis of Albert Pujols' swing. I believe the clip is of Albert Pujols hitting a home run during the 2005 NLCS.

Albert Pujols - Home Run Swing

2/11/2008

Rotational Hitting vs. Linear Hitting:
What's The Key Difference?

I just completed an essay entitled Rotational Hitting vs. Linear Hitting: What's The Key Difference? that explains the key difference between Rotational Hitting and Linear Hitting.
     What's interesting is that during the course of writing this essay I came to understand that a more relevant, and important, distinction is between Connection Mechanics and Extension Mechanics rather than Rotational Hitting and Linear Hitting. That is because while many people -- including many people at the major league level -- advocate Extension Mechanics, very few people in general, and nobody at the major league level, actually advocate Linear Hitting.

The Hitting Mechanic - January 2008