Troy Tulowitzki Part-2 VIDEO: Stride Length Killing Your Bat Speed?

Troy Tulowitzki Stride Length Experiment

Question: Does Stride Length Kill Bat Speed?

Using the Zepp (Labs) Baseball app, I wanted to use the Scientific Method to analyze whether Troy Tulowitzki’s longer stride increases or decreases bat speed.  Not just a longer stride, but I want to see the torso moving forward as well.

Background Research

Troy Tulowitzki had a wider stance in 2013.  In 2014, he’s adopted more of a narrow stance and a longer stride length.

Forward Momentum may be a new concept to hitting, but not to other explosive rotational athletes.  It’s also known as the Conservation of Linear Momentum and the Un-Weighting Principal.  The idea is that the hitter is getting a “head start”.  Other high level athletes using Forward Momentum:

• Olympic Throwers (Discus, Javelin, and Hammer)
• Olympic Shot Put
• 4 X 100 meter relay sprinters
• Circus Trapeze Artists
• Lacrosse Players
• Hockey Players

Hypothesis

I think the addition of forward momentum, or a longer stride length, will contribute to more bat speed because this gives the hitter a “head start”, making the body feel lighter while moving.  This allows the body to turn harder, and ultimately increase bat speed.

Troy Tulowitzki Experiment

Equipment:

• Zepp Baseball app,
• ATEC Tuffy Batting Tee,
• Rawlings Official NCAA Baseballs,
• Two yellow dimple baseballs,
• Galaxy S3 phone camera, and
• 33 inch, 30 ounce Pinnacle Bamboo bat.

Setup:

• Feedback markers = my bat length, plus two baseballs
• Distance from plate = end of the bat touching inside corner of plate, and knob of bat touching my mid-thigh
• NO-stride stance was width of feedback markers
• Forward movement stance was open, and feet set a little wider than shoulder width
• Tee was set a baseball or two behind the front feedback marker, and tee height was about mid-thigh
• 101 baseballs were hit using both the NO-stride and longer stride sessions

Data Collected:

Data Analysis & Conclusion

• 0.624 mph average bat speed increase with a longer stride.
• Apex of bell curve for NO-stride swings ranged from 77 mph to 83 mph*.
• With a longer stride, you’ll see the bell curve shifted, 81 mph to 85 mph*.
• Three more 90 mph+ swings using a longer stride, in addition to increasing my Personal Record 2 mph.

*Based on six or more batted balls repeated in specific mph (bold typeface in the chart above)

Notes

• Before the experiment I did a 7 minute Dynamic Warm-up.
• I didn’t just increase my stride length, I moved my whole torso forward.
• I began the experiment with the NO-stride swings.
• I took a 20-30 minute break between the two sessions.
• During the last twenty swings of the longer stride session, I hit five-of-eight 90 mph+ balls.

From the Zepp Baseball screenshots to the right, it’s interesting to note, my bat speed kept up, even increased with forward momentum and a longer stride.  In other words, I wasn’t as tired at the end of hitting over 200 baseballs.

Now that Troy Tulowitzki is using a more narrow stance and generating forward momentum with a longer stride, he’s able to increase his bat speed.  This may explain the surge in opposite field home-runs in 2014.

Stay tuned for the Part-3VIDEO: Revealing the Science of Turning Faster in a couple days where we’ll be analyzing Andrew McCutchen.