Posted by: Graylon (g_dunc@hotmail.com) on Thu Dec 20 21:06:06 2007

> > Hi All
> >
> > Over next the few weeks, I will post video clips that address many of the topics of our latest discussions. The first clip will address the assumption that pitching and batting mechanics are so similar that the principles that apply to one are also true for the other. Below are exerpts from our discussion and a video clip that illustrates our differences.
> >
> > ##
> > (George)
> > hitting is just like throwing.. the mechanics are pretty much the same. when you throw a pitch, you use the rubber to push off your power or back leg...imagine pitchers who just stood there with no forward stride & just slung the ball up there... shouldn't you do the same thing when you hit?.. yes! bend your knee & push off your back toe... DO NOT STAND FLATFOOTED! REMEMBER MASS X SPEED = ENERGY. so just like throwing a pitch, push off your back leg & get your body mass going forward.. the faster, the greater the energy you are generating toward the ball..to stand stock still with no forward motion means you are generating NO energy whatsoever!!! HELLO?!?!?!
> > ##
> >
> > (Jack Mankin)
> > This illustrates just one of the problems of equating the mechanics of pitching a ball to that of swinging a bat. To say that since the development of forward momentum is required in pitching, it must also be true for hitting is misleading. Keep in mind that in hitting, forward movement of the body ceases at foot-plant and the batter rotates about a stationary axis. Whereas, in pitching, the upper-body continues to move forward after foot-plant and the pitcher rotates about a forward tilting axis.
> >
> > Many of the posts I have read appear to claim that the mechanics of pitching and hitting are basically the same and therefore what is true for one is also true for the other. I have always had trouble with comparing principles found in pitching a ball to the mechanics of the baseball swing. It seems to me that the dynamics of throwing a 5-ounce baseball with one hand would demand very different body and limb trajectories than those required to swing a 33-ounce bat with two hands.
> >
> > Look at the clip and draw your own conclusions.
> >
> > <a href="http://www.batspeed.com/media/Momentum_Pitching-v-Hitting.wmv">Pitching vs hitting mechanics</a --
> >
> >
> > Jack Mankin
>
>
> hello jack,
>
> i was FINALLY able to open & view the clip...it pretty much solidifies my contention that your legs are the driving force in both hitting & pitching.. take a piece of black paper & cover the top half of both players from just above the belt, & watch the action of the lower body...
> THEY BOTH PUSH OFF THE BACK FOOT, & ROTATE THEIR LOWER BODY TO GENERATE ENERGY!!! BOTH HITTER & PITCHER RAISE THEIR FRONT FOOT & PUSH OFF THE BACK FOOT.. forgive me for criticising LORD BARRY, but his back leg is not bent enough for my taste.. to bend it more prior to pushoff will give you more pushoff leg travel distance, therefore generate more force.. as wonderful as he is he is not generating as much back foot pushoff as he might.. also he is bent forward at the waist, thus diminishing the torque force he might otherwise generate if he kept his torso perpendicular to the ground... his hands are in tight to generate maximum batspeed.. very good.. however he has a little too much of an uppercut arc on his swing.. i don't know where that ball landed, but it looks like he was a little late to the ball, as it got in to the plate pretty close before he made contact..may have gotten jammed a little.. at contact he is on his toes, which is where you want to be.. very good..
> what is going on with the upper half is not the important point you are trying to make it .. rather the basic point is you must generate poewr from the ground up, starting with your power leg.. to not have any step forward or pushoff of your back leg is to diminish your ability to generate power to your hips, shoulders,arms,hands..& FINALLY to the bat...
> a strong foundation is ALWAYS important.. regardless of the endeavor or circumstance.. to ignore this basic premise is a fatal error..

George,

I know you are big on the push off of the back leg and I agree that it is important, but, you know there had to be a but, to bend the back leg creates a slow power move which will not work. You can still get a push off of the back leg if you load "against" a slightly, athletic, bent knee. Watch a right handed pitcher perform a slide step from the stretch.

Graylon