mak1277 wrote:I think the most amazing comment I've read/heard/seen about hitting in the majors is that a batter must start his swing before the pitcher releases the ball in order to hit. That even sounds impossible...but it's true.
It's not true.
As for the main point of discussion here, you don't have to guess. You look fastball, and react to the off-speed.
mak1277 wrote:I think the most amazing comment I've read/heard/seen about hitting in the majors is that a batter must start his swing before the pitcher releases the ball in order to hit. That even sounds impossible...but it's true.
It's not true.
Actually it's completely true if you keep in mind that part of the swing is getting your hands into a hitting position. Theres no possible way you could begin your swing after the pitcher releases the ball and get the bat through the zone in 1 tenth of a second.
A good agnalogy would be a golfer. A golfer's backswing is still a part of his swing, is it not?
mak1277 wrote:I think the most amazing comment I've read/heard/seen about hitting in the majors is that a batter must start his swing before the pitcher releases the ball in order to hit. That even sounds impossible...but it's true.
It's not true.
Actually it's completely true if you keep in mind that part of the swing is getting your hands into a hitting position. Theres no possible way you could begin your swing after the pitcher releases the ball and get the bat through the zone in 1 tenth of a second.
A good agnalogy would be a golfer. A golfer's backswing is still a part of his swing, is it not?
If you define his swing as beginning with the "loading-phase", then yes.
However it takes around 400 milliseconds for a pitch to travel to home plate, and on average 150 seconds to execute the swing from the set position. That's around 250 milliseconds to react. 75 milliseconds to see the ball, 75 milliseconds to process and decide whether to swing or not. The first 100 milliseconds is effectively dead time where the hitter is trying to pick up the ball from the pitcher's hand.
mak1277 wrote:I think the most amazing comment I've read/heard/seen about hitting in the majors is that a batter must start his swing before the pitcher releases the ball in order to hit. That even sounds impossible...but it's true.
It's not true.
Actually it's completely true if you keep in mind that part of the swing is getting your hands into a hitting position. Theres no possible way you could begin your swing after the pitcher releases the ball and get the bat through the zone in 1 tenth of a second.
A good agnalogy would be a golfer. A golfer's backswing is still a part of his swing, is it not?
If you define his swing as beginning with the "loading-phase", then yes.
However it takes around 400 milliseconds for a pitch to travel to home plate, and on average 150 seconds to execute the swing from the set position. That's around 250 milliseconds to react. 75 milliseconds to see the ball, 75 milliseconds to process and decide whether to swing or not. The first 100 milliseconds is effectively dead time where the hitter is trying to pick up the ball from the pitcher's hand.
The "loading phase" or "phase 1" is still part of the swing. Besides, I'm pretty sure that any reference to "swing" when referring to baseball intrinsically includes all stages or phases. Same thing goes with golf. When you talk about a golf swing, you're not just talking about the down swing.
WittyC wrote:I remember reading about how Beltran uses that machine that fires tennis balls with different numbers and colors at 120 MPH. Then Beltran would call out the number/color as it came towards him to help improve his pitch recognition. I'm sure he's not the only one doing it.
My old baseball team used to do this. Except, instead of at 120mph, we were soft tossing them.
josebach wrote:The "loading phase" or "phase 1" is still part of the swing. Besides, I'm pretty sure that any reference to "swing" when referring to baseball intrinsically includes all stages or phases. Same thing goes with golf. When you talk about a golf swing, you're not just talking about the down swing.
If that's what you mean, then that makes it much less "amazing" and "impossible but true" than you indicated in your original comment, IMO. So a hitter cocks his hands back before the pitch is thrown. What's so amazing about that?
josebach wrote:The "loading phase" or "phase 1" is still part of the swing. Besides, I'm pretty sure that any reference to "swing" when referring to baseball intrinsically includes all stages or phases. Same thing goes with golf. When you talk about a golf swing, you're not just talking about the down swing.
If that's what you mean, then that makes it much less "amazing" and "impossible but true" than you indicated in your original comment, IMO. So a hitter cocks his hands back before the pitch is thrown. What's so amazing about that?
josebach wrote:The "loading phase" or "phase 1" is still part of the swing. Besides, I'm pretty sure that any reference to "swing" when referring to baseball intrinsically includes all stages or phases. Same thing goes with golf. When you talk about a golf swing, you're not just talking about the down swing.
On this note, I actually define the swing (as do most biomechanics studies) as the rotational acceleration of the bat from the set position up until contact with the ball. Prior to that is what they call the "loading phase", and immediately after contact is the "follow through phase".
In any case jose, I think we both agree on the same point, just have different definitions of the word "swing". If mak1277 meant swing as you define it, then he is correct.
josebach wrote:The "loading phase" or "phase 1" is still part of the swing. Besides, I'm pretty sure that any reference to "swing" when referring to baseball intrinsically includes all stages or phases. Same thing goes with golf. When you talk about a golf swing, you're not just talking about the down swing.
If that's what you mean, then that makes it much less "amazing" and "impossible but true" than you indicated in your original comment, IMO. So a hitter cocks his hands back before the pitch is thrown. What's so amazing about that?
I agree....
Hey, I never said I agreed with the "amazing" and "impossible" part.
I began loading before the ball was released in my Joe DiMaggio league and the pitchers there threw a max of 80. It's just a lot easier, so I'm not surprised that major leaguers do it when they face 90+.
Cafe Home
Fantasy Football
Fantasy Basketball
Fantasy Hockey
by RynMan » Wed Jun 07, 2006 12:28 am 
