Portal to 'Storm' swings

 

Two of the fundamental hitting styles are "swing on a plane" and "swing high to low".

 

Swing on a Plane:  this style emphasizes rotational speed (like a spinning figure skater) and teaches one to get the bat to the same elevation and plane as the pitched ball, proceeding to draw the bat through the plane. The theory is that one can contact the ball early, mid, or late, and still strike it. Common teaching tenets are "twist your trunk" and "pull the bat from behind you."

 

High to Low: this style is sometimes called "swing down to the ball."  I call it "Pounding down on the ball" because it incorporates a "bash" or a "crash" as if chopping at a tree trunk. The theory is that since the bat begins at or actually above shoulder level, and contact is (supposed to be made) at the belly button, then there 'must' have been a downward motion somewhere in order to complete the swing.  A common teaching tenet is to "chop" into the hitting zone more-so from over your shoulder, and less from around it.  This "minimizes swinging up" which results in pop-ups. 

(A specialized swing trainer hitting tee exists to teach this approach.  here)

 

Of course, neither is exactly right or exactly wrong. But let's agree on one thing -- the bat needs to be roughly perpendicular to the flight of the ball at contact in order to be effective. And if one is swinging "down" at the same time she is uncoiling or spiraling out, the result will be to lengthen that swing and end up with an only slightly downward, rotational "throwing" of the bat into the ball.

 

The two styles can roughly be differentiated thusly:  Think of pulling or dragging a heavy object behind you.  In one case (Plane) you place your hands to the side and behind you, slightly turning back to the object and use  a low-slung "drag" to pull the object off of your hip.  In the other method (Pound) you hang the rope over your shoulder, face away from the object, and yank it "over the top".  Either method gives results.  So too for the two swing styles.  In the first case, if the rope were to snap, it would "bungee" next to, and around you.  In the other case, the snapped rope would "bungee" over top of your shoulder.

 

However, there are two absolute constants that I find in my research. They involve rotation and torque.

 

Rotation: the "spinning" of the body, on a vertical axis, that transfers to "spiraling hand path."  Think of looking at a spiral from the top down. Torque:  the application of push/pull mechanics that create "snap" or "bat throw" at point of impact.  The bottom hand, at or near full extension, "stops" the knob while the top hand "pushes" the bat barrel forward.

 

Teaching "hands to the ball" or "knob to the ball" method is meant to draw the bat down from shoulder height to hitting height.  It teaches a linear motion, meaning to transfer weight "back up the line" from whence the ball was pitched. Opponents of this style point out that as the hands "slide" forward, there is no circumferential bat momentum being created during this time. But If one adds rotational spin, then the bat begins a more-circular motion as the hands move towards the ball.

 

Today's teachers acknowledge that Rotational force (spinning on your vertical axis and turning your hips to square up to the pitcher;  back knee in, back foot has heel up) creates circumferential bat speed and a more CIRCULAR HAND PATH.  That, plus applying torque (push the top hand while pulling in the bottom hand) combine to create the mechanical success of the swing.

 

So What?

 

 

So . . . can you find these elements in your swings?