"Your website fundamentally transformed my swing. I went from hitting one home run a year in college to having five in the first 3 weeks of my junior season with 7 doubles and a triple. The amount of power I have now compared to what I had before is incredible." - Fred W
Traditional coaching will never produce world class baseball swing mechanics. To maximize our own abilities, we have to recognize and execute the movements of the greatest hitters ever.
The Greatest Hitters Did Some Things Right
(Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, Ted Williams, Babe Ruth)
Watch the bat path. These hitters are the blue print.
The greatest hitters of all time did some things right. The baseball community would have you believe that these players are super human, simply "getting away" with bad mechanics.
We can do better than that.
Fact is these ARE perfect swing mechanics. This is bat speed, adjustability, everything a hitter needs. Not just to hit home runs, line drives too!
I say mechanics but what I really mean to say is "movements." The word "mechanics" implies stiff, un-athletic nonsense. That is not what I recommend for anyone.
Perfecting the Mechanical Advantage
This is an example of centripetal force. Ted uses the weight of the barrel to his advantage. The momentum created at the beginning of the swing carries around into contact.
Look throughout the last 100 years of baseball.
The overwhelming majority of hall of fame caliber players tip the bat and use the barrel turn to increase bat speed.
Some will tip the bat forward more than others, but as a general rule, the bat is held vertical or tipped. I shouldn't need more proof, but here you go...
The swing starts from the tipped position. The hands and arms should work to reverse the tip of the bat, swinging the barrel around the hands.
Instead of pushing the barrel forward, turn the barrel around the hands while keeping the hands at the shoulder for as long as possible.
Traditional Coaching
This website focuses on the movements of the greatest hitters of all time. None of the traditional coaching cues in the baseball community can effectively describe these movements. In fact, many coaches purposely teach the opposite.
We are taught to hold the bat at a 45 degree angle and be "short" to contact. By over compensating to make our swing as short as possible, we lose the ability to produce bat speed.
By pushing the bat forward, you are sacrificing the power of the kinetic chain. Furthermore, once the hands travel forward, you are fully committed to the swing. This commitment means that you can no longer adjust to off speed pitches.
There are many reasons why this is not optimal. I try not to focus on what other coaches may teach, but I think it is important that I address the popular buzz words to demonstrate that I have heard them before.
Every article you read on this website cuts through the crap and sets a new foundation for how we should think about baseball swing mechanics.
Baseball Swing Mechanics
The barrel turn is just one of the 3 core concepts that I recognize in world class hitters.
Taking the right approach...
If we want extraordinary results, we have to approach the topic of hitting differently.
For years, I would see these clips but fail to recognize what was actually happening.
Learn how the body works to produce force in the baseball swing. Copy the bat path exactly. Pick up the bat and try to feel what they feel.
There are plenty more articles on this site where I explain what I see when I look at the best hitters of all time.
Hitting for Power
This clip of Dick Allen shows how efficient movements allow a 205 lb man to swing a 40 oz bat and hit baseballs 500+ ft.
Notice how the bat is swung independent of the shoulders.
Hitting for power means consistently producing extra base hits. The optimal launch angle for hitting home runs is 28 degrees.
The baseball community would have you believe that "swinging up" will result in more pop ups.
I have found the opposite to be true.
Here is a clip of Bryce Harper's Swing showing how swinging down actually results in more pop ups. This is how 99.9% of infield pop ups are hit.
Here is a swing where his bat path gets behind the pitch allowing him to drive the ball over the fence
To hit for power, we have to consistently make square contact with the baseball. Matching plane is the only way to do that. Every hall of fame hitter matched plane consistently.
Optimal Baseball Swing Mechanics
The optimal launch angle for base hits is 8 degrees.
I, like most players was taught to "shorten up" and be "short to the ball."
If you want to shoot soft singles the opposite way, go ahead.
You wont recognize your mistake until the day you hit in front of scouts. Soft hitting impresses no one.
Ultimately, you will find out that your swing does not produce enough bat speed to play at the next level.
Here is Ted Williams' Swing. The last player to hit over .400.
The "Short" Swing
The clips above could not be any different. The coach in the bottom clip is demonstrating the typical "hands/knob to the ball" motion.
This teaching is ruining baseball careers.
The two professional players are letting the lower body lead the movement. Look how long the hands are hidden from view.
When the bat finally comes forward, it has the force of the entire body and kinetic chain.
I have written a ton of information on this site.
Dive in and make yourself a better hitter.
Share this article with everyone you know.
-SP
