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Hitter demonstrating locked out lead arm position at contact on a batting tee

The Lead Arm Debate Has 5,000 Data Points: And The Bent Arm Is Losing By 21-mph

Build More Power, Sticky Coaching, Swing Experiments, Top Blog Topics

By Joey Myers · Hitting Performance Lab · 8-min read

In This Article

What the locked out lead arm actually does
Perry Husband’s 5,000-swing experiment
Why Trout hits 80 mph on one pitch and 101 mph on another
Does the locked arm cause casting?
The deep barrel dump problem
What DeGrom’s fastball data tells coaches
How to teach it at batting practice
FAQ

The debate over the locked out lead arm in the baseball swing has been running for years in coaching circles — and most of it has been happening without data. Perry Husband decided to change that. Over the course of 5,000 swing experiments at EffectiveVelocity.com, he systematically tested locked versus bent lead arm positions and measured the result in exit velocity. The conclusion was clear: the locked out lead arm produces more power — and the gap is largest on the pitches where hitters can least afford to give it up.

In this post I’m going to walk through what Husband found, what Mike Trout’s Statcast data confirms, and why the most common coaching objection to the locked arm — “it causes casting” — is based on a confusion between two completely separate things.

What does the locked out lead arm actually do in a baseball swing?

The locked out lead arm creates a longer lever between the front shoulder and the barrel tip. A longer lever at contact point means more speed at the end of the lever — the same principle that explains why a longer bat (within swing-speed limits) can produce more exit velocity than a shorter one.

More importantly, locking the lead arm before rotation begins removes slack from the rotational chain. Think of it like a bungee cord: a tight bungee snaps back with full force, but a bungee with slack absorbs some of that energy before it can release. First, the hips fire. Then, through that connected chain, the energy transfers to the shoulders and finally the barrel. When the lead arm is locked, the chain is tight the whole way. Additionally, when the arm bends at the elbow, it creates a break in that chain — and some of the elastic energy gets absorbed at the joint before reaching the barrel.

The lock can happen at load or at the very start of the hip turn. The objective is to have no slack in the system before hip rotation begins. However, the timing of the lock matters less than the quality of it — the arm needs to be locked before the barrel releases, not at any specific moment in the pre-swing sequence. For more on the load phase and side bend mechanics, that post goes deeper on what happens in the 300 milliseconds before the hips fire.

What did Perry Husband find in 5,000 swing experiments on the locked out lead arm?

Perry Husband ran 5,000 controlled swing experiments comparing locked versus bent lead arm positions across different pitch locations. The results were consistent: the locked out lead arm produced higher exit velocity in every location, with the gap increasing significantly on pitches at the inner third and up in the zone.

Husband’s research isn’t limited to exit velocity — it forms the foundation of his Effective Velocity pitch sequencing framework, which covers how pitchers use perceived velocity to sequence batters. The locked arm findings emerged from his broader work on what actually drives exit speed at contact — and they challenged a lot of conventional hitting instruction. Furthermore, Husband identified the most dangerous pitch in the zone for a bent-arm hitter: up and in, where the elbow bend causes the barrel to arrive late and at a steep angle.

His most frequently cited example of the locked arm in action is Jay Bell. In Bell’s peak frames, the lead arm is clearly extended through the contact zone. At their highest recorded exit velocity frames, Giancarlo Stanton and Josh Donaldson — both documented at 114 mph ball exit speed — also show a locked lead arm position.

Why does Mike Trout hit 80 mph on one pitch and 101 mph on another?

The 21 mph gap in Mike Trout’s 2018 Statcast data traces to one variable: lead arm position at contact. On up-and-in fastballs, Trout averaged 80.8 mph exit velocity. On down-and-away pitches in the same season, he averaged 101.8 mph. Same hitter, same bat.

Mike Trout — 2018 Statcast Exit Velocity Split

80.8 mphUp-and-in fastballs (bent arm at contact)

→

101.8 mphDown-and-away pitches (arm extends through contact)

21 mph gap — same hitter, same season, same bat. Via Perry Husband / EffectiveVelocity.com

The variable that tracks that gap is lead arm position. On down-and-away pitches, Trout’s arm extends naturally through contact — the pitch location and barrel path produce a locked position without any conscious effort. On up-and-in pitches, the barrel path requires a more inside-out movement, and the elbow tends to collapse at contact. The result is a 21 mph exit velocity penalty on pitches that — if missed — typically produce pop-ups or weak contact to the pull side.

For context on why that 21 mph gap matters at the pitch level, this Perry Husband breakdown on pitch location and damage explains how exit velocity interacts with launch angle by zone. Additionally, the ground ball vs. fly ball series connects the pitch depth problem to the barrel path issue that underlies the arm bend.

Want the 21 mph data on one printable page?

The Lead Arm Power Blueprint has the Trout split, the 5 key findings, and the A/B test protocol — free.

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Does the locked out lead arm cause casting in the baseball swing?

No — and this is the most important clarification in the entire debate. Casting in the swing is not caused by the lead arm being locked or extended. Casting is caused by when the barrel releases from the rear shoulder. Therefore, a hitter with a perfectly locked lead arm can still cast if they dump the barrel away from the body early in the rotation — and a hitter with a bent lead arm can have a compact swing if the barrel stays connected to the following shoulder through the start of the turn.

The fix for casting is to hold the bat angle tight against the following shoulder through the start of the hip turn. This keeps the barrel on a short, efficient path regardless of lead arm position. Once the hips initiate, the barrel releases naturally — and if the lead arm is locked, it releases as a longer, more powerful lever.

Moreover, this confusion has led coaches to teach bent-arm approaches in order to prevent casting — which is essentially solving the wrong problem at the wrong point in the swing. For a full breakdown of what actually causes casting and how to fix it, that post addresses the timing issue directly. Similarly, the rotation sequencing post covers how hip initiation affects barrel path — which is the part of the sequence where casting either happens or doesn’t.

How does the deep barrel dump fit into the locked out lead arm debate?

The deep barrel dump conflicts with the locked out lead arm on inner-third pitches — that path forces the elbow to collapse at contact, producing the exact energy leak the lock is designed to prevent. As a result, many coaches teach the barrel dump as a universal cue without realizing it only works for one pitch zone.

For outer third pitches low in the zone, the deep barrel dump does produce solid contact. The pitch location naturally encourages a longer lever path. However, for inner third pitches — especially up in the zone — the deep barrel dump creates a barrel path that arrives late, steep, and with the elbow bent. That combination is exactly what produces the 80.8 mph average Trout showed on up-and-in pitches.

Pitchers have figured this out. Jacob deGrom shifted from throwing 44% of his fastballs up to 61% up in the zone, and his ERA got cut in half. Pitchers who know that a hitter using the deep barrel dump as a universal cue will lose 20+ mph of exit velocity on up-and-in fastballs will throw there constantly. Additionally, this explains why coaching the deep barrel dump as a universal approach is setting up hitters to fail against pitchers who have studied Effective Velocity principles.

What does deGrom’s fastball data tell coaches about the locked arm and pitch location?

deGrom’s ERA improvement when he moved his fastball up in the zone is a natural experiment in pitcher strategy — and it tells coaches exactly where hitters are most vulnerable. Up-and-in is the problem zone for bent-arm hitters because the locked arm is hardest to maintain on that pitch path. Therefore, pitchers who can command the inner half up are attacking the weakest point in a bent-arm hitter’s zone coverage.

Conversely, a hitter who has trained the locked out lead arm at all pitch depths removes that vulnerability. The up-and-in fastball becomes a hittable pitch rather than a jam pitch — and pitchers who rely on it for easy outs have to rethink their sequencing. This is why the tee drill protocol in the blueprint includes an up-and-in tee location specifically — that’s where the locked arm shows its biggest advantage over the bent arm, and it’s the location hitters need to prove the change works before taking it into live at-bats.

Want this as a one-page printable reference?

The Lead Arm Power Blueprint covers the Trout data, the 5 key findings from Husband’s experiment, and the A/B test protocol — one page, print-ready and free.

Get the Blueprint Free →

What’s the best way to teach the locked out lead arm at batting practice?

The fence drill is the fastest way to give hitters immediate feedback on barrel path and lead arm position in the same rep.

Set a tee 6 inches in front of a fence or net. Ask the hitter to take their normal load. Give them two cues: hold the bat angle close to the following shoulder through the start of the turn, and maintain 90-degree wrist tension in the lead arm at load. When they swing, the fence prevents early casting automatically — any barrel that releases too early hits the obstacle. And when the swing is correct, the longer lever through the contact zone is immediately noticeable in the sound and feel of the contact.

The A/B test is the next step: 20 swings off the tee with the bent arm, 20 swings with the locked arm, compare average exit speed with any sensor — Rapsodo, Blast, or similar. For softball-specific drill adaptations of this same protocol, that post covers the pitch location and arm position work for softball mechanics. Furthermore, the data from even one session almost always makes the case better than any coaching explanation — which is why Perry Husband built his framework around the A/B test methodology from the start.

More Free Resources from HPL

Frequently Asked Questions — Locked Out Lead Arm

What is the locked out lead arm in baseball hitting?

The locked out lead arm refers to a fully extended front arm position at or through the contact zone in the baseball swing. The elbow remains straight rather than bending, creating a longer lever between the front shoulder and the barrel tip. This position removes slack from the rotational chain, allowing more elastic energy to transfer from hip rotation through the shoulders and into the barrel at contact.

How much exit velocity difference does a locked out lead arm produce?

According to Perry Husband’s 5,000-swing experiment and Mike Trout’s 2018 Statcast data, the locked out lead arm can produce up to 21 mph more exit velocity compared to a bent lead arm on up-and-in pitches. Trout averaged 80.8 mph exit velocity on up-and-in fastballs (bent arm position) versus 101.8 mph on down-and-away pitches where the arm naturally extended through contact. The gap is largest on pitches in the upper inner third of the strike zone.

Does the locked out lead arm cause casting in the baseball swing?

No — the locked out lead arm does not cause casting. Casting is determined by when the barrel releases from the rear shoulder, not by the position of the lead arm. A hitter can have a locked lead arm and still cast if the barrel dumps away from the body early in the rotation. The fix for casting is to keep the bat angle tight against the following shoulder through the start of the hip turn, which is a separate cue from lead arm extension.

When should the lead arm lock during the swing?

The locked out lead arm should be achieved at load or at the very start of the hip turn — whichever comes first for the individual hitter. The key requirement is that the arm is fully locked before the barrel releases from the following shoulder. The objective is to remove all slack from the rotational chain before the hips begin firing. Some hitters lock earlier in the pre-swing sequence, and both timing approaches produce the same energy-transfer benefit at contact.

What is the fence drill for teaching the locked out lead arm?

The fence drill involves setting a tee 6 inches in front of a fence or net and giving the hitter two cues: hold the bat angle close to the following shoulder through the start of the turn, and maintain 90-degree wrist tension in the lead arm at load. The fence prevents early barrel casting automatically — any barrel released too early contacts the obstacle. When the drill is executed correctly, the longer lever through the contact zone produces immediately noticeable differences in contact quality and exit speed.

Does the locked out lead arm technique work for youth baseball hitters?

Yes — the locked out lead arm is appropriate for youth baseball hitters because it relies on a biomechanical principle (lever length and elastic energy transfer) rather than strength. In fact, youth hitters who have less rotational power to compensate for energy leaks may see proportionally larger gains from locking the lead arm than advanced hitters do. The A/B test protocol works at any age: 20 swings bent, 20 swings locked, compare average exit speed with any sensor available.

Where can I learn more about Perry Husband’s locked out lead arm research?

Perry Husband’s full research on the locked out lead arm and Effective Velocity principles is available at EffectiveVelocity.com. His work covers both the hitter-side data (lead arm position, exit velocity by pitch location) and the pitcher-side sequencing framework (how pitchers use perceived velocity to exploit hitters who are vulnerable at specific pitch depths). The coupon code EV25 gives a discount on his site.

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Get the Lead Arm Power Blueprint — Free

The Trout data, Perry Husband’s 5 key findings, and the A/B test protocol. One page. Print-ready. No login required.

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by Joey Myers

STOP Chopping Hitting Ground Balls For Baseball Or Fastpitch Softball? Too Many Pop Flies? Want To Hit More Line Drives Instead? Try These Drills!

Hit More Line Drives, Sticky Coaching, Swing Experiments

Do you want to STOP chopping and hitting ground balls for baseball or fastpitch softball? Or you may be hitting too many pop flies? Do you want to hit more line drives instead? Try some of the drills mentioned in this interview with Perry Husband (EffectiveVelocity.com) and I…

“Put Hitters In Charge…Our Job Is To Eliminate Our Job” Perry Husband & HPL Hitting Jam Session #4

Here’s the Hitting Jam Session Interview Collection with Perry Husband:

Why You Should Not Teach Hitters To Hit Homers?
What’s The Biggest Mistake Coaches Make In Boosting Ball Exit Speeds
How To Make Teaching Proper Weight Shift In Swing More Understandable To Hitter
[YOU ARE HERE] Teach: How To STOP Hitting Excess Of Ground-balls & Fly-balls
5,000 Swing Experiments Validate Locked Lead Arm Is Superior To Bent
Overload Bat Training: Hitting Has To Work Butt Off To Resist “Casting”

Here’s what we discuss in this episode:

“How do I get my son to stop hitting an excess of ground-balls (or fly-balls)?”
How swing intention is great, but its benefits can be suppressed by physical limitations,
The key ‘tinker & test’ learning principle helping hitters learn faster,
Why a hitting coach’s job is to eliminate their job,
And much more!

Hitting Jam Session 4 above jumps right into the conversation already started…

SCIENCE-BASED TRAINING:

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Learn not only how and what to train but also the science behind the methods.

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Show Notes

At about the 1-minute mark, question: how do I get my son to stop hitting ground-balls OR how do I get my son to stop uppercutting? What drills and mechanics? What’s most essential get barrel on plane of the pitch. If hitting too many ground-balls, then tell hitter to swing up. If hitting too many popups, then tell hitter to swing down. Perry talks about ground-balls most likely indicate being too early, and fly balls swinging too late. Take BP round, up solid, down solid, then find the middle solid. Matching feel and real, set up targets at distances on the field, like at a driving range in golf, and have hitter hit different target distance…hit a one-hopper v. 3-hopper v. 5-hopper v. NO hopper. Now coach can cue that to correct extreme barrel angles. Hitter can feel it but not see it, while coach can see it but not feel it. Match real and feel.
At about the 7-minute, 30-secs mark, Carlos Pena really struggled on the up and in part of the strike zone (in 2009), what did Perry do to fix that…part was physical: he was really bent over at the waist (was at a 50-degree hip hinge – straightened him up a bit), the other part was approach: INTENTION…hunting up and in, trust ball flight to get what the reality is, using Bernstein’s Law of intent to change ball flight
At about the 12-minute mark, Joey Votto trying to cut down on strikeouts and wanting to match the pitch plane to give up some homers, Votto talked about how Mike Trout could put the ball anywhere on the field you asked him, don’t be obsessed with Launch Angles – gotta take care of the horizontals too, Ben Hogan willing changes to happen, Perry talked about demonstration of holding paper clip tied to a string, and paper clip starts spinning in a circle if you think it, control knobs in fingertips, intent is great but may be limited to physical ability, on Votto’s 2-strike approach changes – missing more balls he should’ve driven because he puts more emphasis on weighting the backside
At about 17-minute mark, if hitter swings up and is late, they’ll hit a lot of grounders, how to develop feel for things, swinging different sized and weighted bats (end loaded, balanced, and knob weighted), hitting different sized and weighted of balls, swinging at different points in the zone, hitting targets on the field at different depths, Make It Stick by Peter C. Brown on the power of variance, the Bean Bag study and the 2 bucket challenge, building multiple reference points, Perry played game with hitters in the cage, based on his 10-degree Launch Angle target in the cage 1-5 point scale, only get 10 balls (minimize 1’s and 2’s) – once they think about getting a 5, hitting the 3’s and 4’s are easier…intention: focus on ball flight
At about the 25-minute mark, Aaron Miles and our phone conversation about quality v. quantity swings, screwed up a bunt in game and next day cranked machine up to 95-mph on the field before game and bunted, Miles went on a tear after that, quantity reps are great but they better be quality reps, Aaron Miles coaches indy team in NorCal and says he’ll take a hitter who can hit 40 line drives out of 50 versus only 20, CLICK HERE for Perry’s launch angle tee test chart, I do similar test to get a ballpark of where the hitter is at – before lesson I have tee setup middle-middle and let them take 5 or so swings and make note of where they’re hitting the ball vertically and horizontally, if it’s measureable, then it’s manageable – even if you’re measuring distance (or eyeballing it)
At about the 33-minute, 30-secs mark, I asked Perry’s advice on the following comment from a 13yo hitter I received on one of my YouTube videos…

“I have been doing your catapult loading system method for hitting for about a month and a half now. I am the hitting ball harder than ever and it feels great. A coach yesterday, (while I was was hitting front toss at the beginning of practice) said that he thought I was rotating my shoulders too much and should keep a better posture in my swing. I got the hunch from your book. So I explained to him the catapult loading system method and he didn’t like it. He said it will cause me to pull off the ball and that no big leaguers do it. Then I named josh Donaldson, Aaron judge, and Andre mccutchen and said they all do it. He didn’t give me a really definitive answer after that. This coach uses the method of making a “positive move” towards the ball and “walking away from your hands” which I remember in your book you said is not what you teach. I am 13 and I was wondering how should I tell coaches about the catatpult loading system and why you don’t you like the “waking away from hands” method. I have had 3 coaches now comment on me showing the numbers and hiding the hands and they all said I won’t be able to hit faster pitching with it, but I have been smashing the faster pitchers (70-75 mph) and have done fine with it. Thx“

…Perry asks hitters whose swing do you have, put hitters in charge, our job is to eliminate our job, hitter tells coach “Thank you, I’m going to give it a shot”, takes time to make changes in swing, not going to happen overnight, this player is on the right track, listen, soak it in, let some things leak back out
At about 38-minute mark, comment on my blog from alphabet soup acronym expert bashing tee use (CLICK HERE for link to comment)…you can hit a curveball farther because it arrives with backspin (from hitter’s perspective) and bat-ball collision wouldn’t have to reverse spin like a fastball arriving with topspin, Perry talked about how much farther hitters hit a ball off the “hover-ball” tee when backspin is put on ball before hitting it, 211 players averaged over .400 hitting 100-mph+ ground-balls, type of spin hitter puts on batted ball ball IS NOT predetermined by starting spin from pitched ball.
At about 49-min mark, how batting tees (like the Backspin Tee) can be beneficial to hitters, doing “circle drill” pitch recognition using tee in ideal situation, the only bad thing about hitting off tees is turning the head to see ball hit bat, in reality the brain doesn’t every see this happen, anti-tee people would be a difficult thing to promote,
At about 53-minute, 30-secs mark, Perry shows swing analysis swing-and-miss example of Spring Training game, being late on the pitch and where the barrel is at certain point in time, line of ball is at 4-degrees – barrel path is at about 13-degrees, clearly not in line with line of ball, pitcher ended up throwing right into this guy’s barrel middle away after throwing 3-pitches by him – dinger! Target rich environment out there, most hitting approaches will work until pitchers go EV,
You can find Perry Husband at EffectiveVelocity.com, use EV25 coupon code for any of the online courses. @EVPerryHusband on Twitter, and @PerryHusband on Facebook
My offer…FREE Catapult Loading System 2nd edition print book – just pay $8.95 shipping and handling (retails on Amazon for $19.97) – in addition you’ll get our essential consistent power online video mini-course Power Hitter 2.0: Engineering The Alpha: https://www.truthaboutexplosiverotationalpower.com/pl/60039

by Joey Myers

Mental Coach Training Program For Baseball & Softball Hitting And Pitching | How To Build Mental Toughness Approach, Drills, Exercises, Self-Talk, & Skills

Sticky Coaching

Discover a mental coach training program built for baseball and softball players. Hitting and pitching. Learn how to build a mental toughness approach using drills, exercises, self-talk, and skills.

Mental Game Of Baseball: Anxiety Disorders Seen With Young Athletes Today & How to Fix?

In this mental game of baseball interview with Coach Derek Mayson, we go over:

Give us a Little Background from where you Started – you have a Great Story…
When it comes to the mental game of baseball, What Anxiety Disorders do you see with Young Athletes Today and How to Fix?
What’s your advice to a young player that is putting a lot of pressure on themselves and is almost given himself deadlines if this doesn’t happen?
Contrarily, what is your advice to parents who have kiddos that don’t have motivation or inspiration to practice?
What was the one big thing or was it a few other factors that helped you to break out of your anxiety disorder?
Explain just a little bit about what the product is and walk us through that, where we can find your website, any kind of social media, YouTube, all that kind of stuff?

Click short mental game of baseball link for transcribed interview in pdf format: http://gohpl.com/derekmtranscription

We don’t go into the mental game as much here at HPL, but when we do, we do something like this post titled: “Mental Approach to Hitting: Failing Forward”

SCIENCE-BASED TRAINING:

Improve your hitting strategy dramatically by applying human movement principles.

Learn not only how and what to train but also the science behind the methods.

Right Course For You? Take Quiz Now

by Joey Myers

700 Foot Longest Home Run Ever? Mickey Mantle, Babe Ruth, Barry Bonds, Or Aaron Judge? | MLB In 2021 And World Series? Optimal HR Launch Angle & Exit Velocity Formula Experiment

Build More Power, Swing Experiments

Longest Home Run Ever “Principles” May SURPRISE You…

Is the 700 foot home run the longest ever? And how hit it? Mickey Mantle, Babe Ruth, Barry Bonds, or Aaron Judge? The answer will shock you. What about the longest MLB home run in 2021? Or in the World Series? What is the optimal home run launch angle and exit velocity formula? And how do you get it? Interesting swing experiment…

Photo Courtesy of: SmarterEveryDay YouTube channel

Popular player longest home runs:

Mickey Mantle: 565 Feet (1953)
Longest home run ever: Joey Meyer 582 Feet (1987) no relation btw
In a World Series since 2015: Freddie Freeman 460 Feet (2021)
Barry Bonds longest homer at AT&T ballpark: 499 Feet (post-2000)
Babe Ruth: 575 Feet (1921)
Aaron Judge: 496 feet (2017)
Longest 2021: Miguel Sanó, MIN: 495 feet (Watch it)

But before analyzing the longest home run ever ‘principles’, I want to share a few important resources…

Some of you may remember first reading Physics Professor Robert Adair’s book The Physics Of Baseball. Think of the above video as the “engineering” of baseball – ahem, hitting specifically. Many of you know our motto here at Hitting Performance Lab and HOW our hitting approach is different than most out there …

We apply human movement principles that are validated by Science, to hitting a ball … (unlike the willfully ignorant ‘bro-science’ approach to hitting).

SCIENCE-BASED TRAINING:

Improve your hitting strategy dramatically by applying human movement principles.

Learn not only how and what to train but also the science behind the methods.

Right Course For You? Take Quiz Now

Another good longest home run ever engineering principles book resource is The Golfing Machine authored by Homer Kelley, who was an aeronautical engineer that worked for Boeing during the Great Depression. He fell in love with golf and applied engineering principles to the golf swing, which were meticulously described in the book.

A fantastic post on the topic of longest home run ever comes from Dr. Alan Nathan over at PopularMechanics.com titled, “What’s The Longest Possible Home Run”. Alan Nathan is a professor emeritus of physics at the University of Illinois who has spent a career tracking physics, especially as it relates to baseball. He says two primary factors guide how far a ball is going to fly: exit velocity and launch angle. Click the PopularMechanics.com link to read more.

The SmarterEveryDay YouTube channel is a MUST subscribe. They’re a bunch of engineering geeks that put together fascinating experiments and tests that challenge things like the longest home run ever (above) to the backwards brain bicycle. Their videos are very entertaining, funny, and extremely informative.

What I have for you below are time marked bullet points I found interesting in the above longest home run ever SmarterEveryDay video. Big THANK YOU to the golfing sensei, and my good friend, Lee Comeaux for the share…

At 1-min, 25-sec mark, he acknowledge the “Launch Angle” craze, their focus is to “…point at the fence and swing a bat as fast as we can.”
Safety first kids!! These guys took many many safety precautions when running this experiment defending against batted balls (200+ mph!), broken flying wood and metal bats, or even broken shards of machine.
At 2-min mark, they discuss how they setup the scenario for higher probability of moving ball hitting moving bat
At 2-min, 45-sec mark, talked about who these guys are and 3-phase power, “…dads who love to build things.”
At 4-min, 40-sec mark, discussed how wood bat broke during first phase of experiment, “tension” break
At 5-min, 45-sec mark, 2nd phase of experiment, metal bat broke off at plastic knob (slo mo at 6:40), and flew 581-feet!!
At 7-min, 45-sec mark, interesting to note the imbalance of the “Mad Batter Machine” when one of two metal bats break off…think about a hitter that isn’t counter-balancing their body when swinging (e.g. breaking one-joint rule – rear ear closing in on rear shoulder during turn, OR shifting weight during stride, then continuing to go forward during turn – lunging).
At 10-min, 15-sec mark, fantastic frame-by-frame of bat ball collisions – ground-ball, high fly-ball, hit too early … as power was turned up, they started breaking bats … crazy how much fun these guys were having doing this. I’m so envious!
At 11-min- 35-sec mark, talked about fastest ball exit speed being Giancarlo Stanton (123.9-mph), one hop double play grounder to second baseman, their pitching machine was throwing balls at 50-mph, while their high speed bat was hitting batted balls at 240-mph! This goes to show pitching velocity isn’t the best predictor of batted ball distance (1-mph of added pitching velocity only adds 1-mph to ball exit speeds) … bat speed is (1-mph of added bat speed adds 4-mph to ball exit speeds).
Thought experiment … imagine if these guys angled the Mad Batter Machine in an extreme downward or upwards plane – what would happen? I think this experiment would take them months, not days. Think about it, a couple engineering guys, didn’t care about the ‘Launch Angle’ craze, and just angled it to where it’d hit the majority of balls … hmmmm, let that sink in 😉
At 12-min, 10-sec mark, history of longest home run ever tape measure shots: Mickey Mantle – 565-feet, Babe Ruth – 575-feet, and Joey Meyer – 582-feet (no immediate relation :-P)
At 12-min, 45-sec mark, they show the longest home run ever… (full power!!!)

by Joey Myers

How To Hit To Opposite Field Drills For Baseball, Fastpitch, & Slowpitch Softball | Drive Inside (Pulling) And Outside Pitches, Right & Left Handed Hitters

Hit More Line Drives, Sticky Coaching

Discover how to hit to the opposite field using tried and true drills for baseball, fastpitch, and slow pitch softball players. Drive the inside (or pulling the ball) and outside pitches. Works for both right and left handed hitters.

How To Teach “Pull Happy” Hitters An Opposite Field Approach

I Need Your Help…

But before I get to the “BIG ask”,

How to Hit to the Opposite Field: Jim Thome, Mark DeRosa, & Lauren Shehadi

Mark DeRosa and Jim Thome helping Lauren Shehadi of MLBNetwork to hit to the opposite field. Photo courtesy: MLBNetwork YouTube Channel

I want you to watch the video above, where Mark DeRosa and Jim Thome help teach Lauren Shehadi how to hit the ball to the opposite field (she claims to be a chronic pull hitter).

It’s a fun video with some cool sticky coaching stuff in it.

In the video, please pay particular attention to the following:

What are some of the things either Thome or DeRo offered Lauren that didn’t work?
What were some of the things either Thome or DeRo offered that did work?
What did Lauren do when she didn’t understand a concept “Don’t bail out”, and then what did DeRo/Thome do or say to clarify?
Notice the use of positive reinforcement when she did something right…more on this at a later date, I’m currently reading a GAME CHANGING book for coaches called Don’t Shoot The Dog that goes more into this. Sorry, only paperback version available on Amazon.

CLICK HERE for a post revealing THE secret to hitting to the opposite field OR how learn how to pull the ball like turning on a light switch. This is what I refer to as Hitting Strategy #2 (of 7). We’ve had barrel path wrong for so long, until now.

SCIENCE-BASED TRAINING:

Improve your hitting strategy dramatically by applying human movement principles.

Learn not only how and what to train but also the science behind the methods.

Right Course For You? Take Quiz Now

Now, here are a couple “BIG asks” (you don’t have to answer all)…

What are the top two mistakes you see coaches make teaching pull happy hitters to hit to the opposite field?
What are your top two drills, sticky coaching cues, and/or hitting aids that consistently help pull happy hitters hit “oppo”?
If you had only 4 weeks – and a million dollars on the line – to train a pull happy hitter to hit with power to the opposite field, what would the training look like?

Pull happy hitting is going to be a MAJOR challenge as hitters climb the playing career ladder. Extreme shifts are becoming a reality nowadays.

Great baseball minds like Homer Bush said in his book Hitting Low In The Zone, that in order to hit .300, hitters MUST be able to lift the low pitch AND hit the ball to the opposite field.

Consider this quote from Justin Turner, who at the time of this writing is hitting .364 with 11 HR’s and 19 2B’s (a little over halfway through the season):

“Today, with the way defenses shift, you’re out. Especially if you don’t run that well. You don’t beat the shift by hitting around it or through it, you beat the shift by hitting over it.”

Someday your hitters will face a shift, and if they aren’t prepared, they’ll fail way more than they have to. Be proactive coaches.

THANK YOU in advance for YOUR comments 😀

by Joey Myers

Does Bat Size “Drop” Affect Swing Performance For Baseball & Softball? | Adult, High School, & T-Ball | Weight Length Dimensions Chart & Calculator Experiment

Hitting Aid Reviews, Swing Experiments

Discover how bat size “drop” (bat length minus bat weight) affects performance for baseball and softball hitters in this swing experiment. It’ll bring perspective to choosing an adult league, High School, or t-ball bat. CLICK HERE for a fantastic weight-length dimensions chart calculator resource by body weight and age.

Question: How is Bat & Ball Exit Speed Affected by Bat Size?

Baseball Swing Tips: Mizuno Generation Bat Size Experiment

This was the model I used in the bat size experiment…

In this baseball swing tips experiment using the BlastMotion Baseball app, I wanted to use the Scientific Method to analyze what would happen to Bat Speed at Impact and Ball Exit Speed if I used a Mizuno Generation 33-inch, 30-ounce BBCOR versus a 34-inches, 31-ounces, same model.

Background Research

CLICK HERE for an article titled “The Physics of Baseball”. Read under the subhead titled, “Swing speed vs. bat weight”.

The following information I received from a long time PocketRadar rep. It’s what he does for a living.

In this baseball swing tips Mizuno Generation bat experiment, a good rule of thumb when looking at ball exit speed is:

A 1-mph of ball exit speed (BES) increase, adds 4-feet of distance to a batted ball (a 1:4 ratio).

So for instance, if an 9 year old hits the ball with 50-mph of ball exit speed, then they have the capability of hitting the ball 200-feet (50 X 4 = 200).

On the professional side of things, I’ve heard that scouts are actively looking for 95-mph+ ball exit speed in games because that hitter has the ability to hit the ball at least 380-feet. That’s hitting the ball out down the lines, and to the gaps, at most ballparks.

It’s also interesting to note that you can add about 5-15-mph to ball exit speeds taken off a tee, to simulate what it would be in a game. That extra 5-15-mph will depend on the pitcher’s velocity.

SCIENCE-BASED TRAINING:

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Hypothesis

Based on the above baseball swing tips experiment research, I think swinging with the Mizuno Generation 34/31 will, on average, increase my ball exit speed. I think that my bat speed will come down a bit using the 34/31 over the 33/30 because of the added weight and length. Also, “trading up” a bat size will depend on how much forward momentum a hitter uses. The less FoMo, the harder it will be to trade up.

Baseball Swing Tips Mizuno Generation Bat Size Experiment

Baseball Swing Mechanics Experiment: Zepp Baseball App

CLICK Image to Purchase Zepp Baseball App

Equipment Used:

BlastMotion Baseball app,
Backspin Batting Tee,
Flip camera,
Bushnell radar gun, and
2 Mizuno Generation BBCOR Baseball Bat (-3) Model #340252, sizes: 34/31 & 33/30

Setup:

A friend of mine, Juan Ortiz, took Ball Exit Speed gun readings while inputting into this Google Doc spreadsheet.
You’ll notice on the baseball swing tips experiment spreadsheet that there are missing numbers, these were radar gun mis-reads (where the radar gun lost coverage of the batted ball’s trajectory). We eliminated ten mis-reads using the 33/30, and thirteen mis-reads using the 34/31. We then adjusted the average swings in each test. For instance, we eliminated 13 mis-reads using the 34/31, so spreadsheet added all swing ball exit speeds for that test, then divided by 87 total swings.
However, the Zepp app readings were all averaged over 100 total swings.
Dimple ball feedback markers were set at the bat’s length plus two baseballs
The two tests in the experiment were counter-balanced. Which consisted of eight blocks of 25-swings done in the following order ABBA BAAB. “33/31 Mizuno bat swings” were letter ‘A’, and
“34/31 Mizuno bat swings” were letter ‘B’. 200 total swings were completed in the experiment, 100 per test. Counter-balancing helps remove the “getting tired” and “not being warmed” up factors.
Now, we took readings with the Zepp app and with the Bushnell radar gun. Please note, these aren’t an apples to apples comparison, so we’ll be looking at them in separate detail.

Data Collected (Zepp Baseball App):

Check out the little baseball swing tips experiment changes in average Bat Speed Impact & Time To Impact…

Data Analysis & Conclusion

Zepp app findings – as you can see, there was an average increase of 1-mph in Bat Speed at Impact using the 34/31 Mizuno Generation bat.
Zepp app findings – there was also average 0.057 sec drop in Time To Impact with the 34/31 Mizuno Gen. bat.
Bushnell BES radar gun findings (Google Doc) – there was an average Ball Exit Speed increase of 2-mph when using the 34/31 Mizuno Gen. bat.

Notes

I did not expect to see a major difference in Time To Impact like we did in the baseball swing tips bat size experiment.
I thought that average Bat Speed at Impact when using the 34/31 Mizuno Gen. bat was going to be less than the 33/30, but it actually increased by 1-mph!
In looking at the BES Google Doc spreadsheet, I topped out at 95-mph (twice) using the 33/30. And topped out at 94-mph using the 34/31. Btw, a week prior, one of my 12yo hitters wanted to see what “Coach Joey” could hit in ball exit speed. And after about 5-6 swings, I hit 92-mph off the tee with wood. Not tooting my own horn here, just interesting to see a ballpark difference between wood and the Mizuno Gen. BBCOR bats. Also, I’m only 5’10” on a “good day”, and 165-pounds. Add about 10-mph in a game, and I’m hitting 102-mph BES, which translates to 408-feet of batted ball distance. My point is, you don’t have to be a big hitter to crush the ball B-)
What else is interesting in looking at the baseball swing tips experiment spreadsheet, that after about 75 total experiment swings, I started to consistently hit more 90+mph’s and find my highest BES readings. Similar to how many pitches it takes a pitcher to actually “get warm”. This is why we counter-balance the experiments now, to sidestep the “warm-up factor”.

The Bottom Line?

In this baseball swing tips experiment, using two different sized Mizuno Generation -3 BBCOR bats, we found that (for me), the 34/31 added 1-mph of Bat Speed at Impact and 2-mph to Ball Exit Speed, on average. I was amazed to learn that using the bigger bat actually cut down on Time to Impact. Some interesting findings and ones I hope others will test for themselves in the future. My parents ask me the “bat size” question all the time. So, by investing in a Bushnell radar gun or PocketRadar gun, you can gather some pretty convincing data as to which bat to use.

by Joey Myers

Best Free Biomechanical Sports Video Analysis Software For Coaching Baseball & Softball Swing 2022 | Pitching, Golf, Basketball For Mac Or PC

Hitting Aid Reviews, Sticky Coaching

See what the best free biomechanical sports video analysis software for coaching baseball and softball swings in 2022. You can use this Powerchalk video analysis software for pitching, golf, and basketball as well. For use on Mac or PC.

What Sports Video Analysis Software Do You Use With Your Hitters? Interview with Powerchalk Founder Chaz Henry…

In this sports video analysis software interview with Powerchalk founder Chaz Henry, we discuss…

What sports video analysis software do you use?
Who is Chaz Henry? What’s his background in?
The fascinating history of Powerchalk and machine learning…
Difference of amateur hitter’s up shoulders at landing versus professional hitter’s down shoulders…
What machine learning, aka “Artificial Intelligence” (AI), means to the future of video analysis…
“What I’ve done is I’ve kind of shown how the machine can grade you, can look at these frames and grade you [the swing] …”
How to objectively take a swing “red” light and turn it “green” …
“I don’t pretend at all that I’m doing away with, or that I’m automating a real hitting coach; I see it as a second opinion…”
Using machine learning to recognize dysfunctional movement like immobile joint and diagnose corrective exercise, so that a hitter moves better…
Where can they go to find Powerchalk obviously, and then is there a place they can go to check out this new AI machine learning stuff?

Parents, team coaches, and instructors ask me all the time, which sports video analysis software that I use. I use Powerchalk for all my video analysis on the PC. You don’t have to download anything to your computer, which can make it run slow. And if at any time, anything is a little buggy with the software (doesn’t happen often), then Chaz and his team is right there to fix it right away.

CLICK HERE for the transcription of the sports video analysis software interview with Chaz Henry, founder of Powerchalk.com.

ENJOY!

by Joey Myers

Youth Game Day Mental Approach Hitting Training For Baseball & Softball | How To Get Better At 2 Strike Batting & Most Important Psychology And Anxiety Tips

Sticky Coaching

Baseball Workouts: “I Think We’d Like to Tell Guys More Than Seeing How They’re Pitching Him…See How They’re Adjusting to Them…” – The Game Day Guy

Learn about youth “Game Day Guy”, Geoff Rottmayer’s mental approach hitting training for baseball and softball players. Discover how to get better at two strike batting and most important psychology and anxiety tips for transitioning grooved practice swings into games.

Here’s what we cover in this baseball workouts Geoff “The Game Day Guy” Rottmayer interview (you can 2X the video speed above, if wanting to watch video in half the time):

What are your 5 Baseball Workouts Pillars to Preparation Success?
Who is Geoff Rottmayer?
What are some of the two-strike mindset approach type things that you guys talk about?
Basing your plan at the plate on pitcher observations & PBR?
“Pregame data research, where you combine on and try to figure them out…”
“Every pitcher is different, his fastball, not his fastball, his curveball, not his curveball. It’s really individualized and everything. That’s the key to it individualizing as much as you can…” (we do that with Geoff’s seasonal baseball workouts…)
“I think we’d like to tell guys more than seeing how they’re pitching him…see how they’re adjusting to them…”
“There are three mindsets that we’ve been able to identify over the last five, six years, and then it’s really been an eye opener…”
What are some of the baseball workouts questions that you ask to take a player from compare-convince phase to compete-contribute?
So where can people find you as of today that want more information on seasonal baseball workouts?

I’m currently working with Geoff to bring an online video course to market that goes step-by-step through his process of helping hitters become fantastic game day hitters. I think he holds an important piece to the puzzle of transitioning grooved batting practice swings into games. CLICK HERE to download pdf of video transcription.

We’re going to be doing a launch soon of his course, and will be giving away A LOT of really good information you can use to help your hitter or hitters no matter what part of the season you find yourself in! I’m going to be giving away some baseball workouts hitting mechanics bonuses as well, so stay tuned…

Enjoy the interview I did with Coach Geoff!

BREAKING NEWS:

Grab two chapters of our NEW Amazon book FREE...

"Swing Smarter: Science Based Hitting Training Built To Understand How, Why, & Reasoning Behind It"

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by Joey Myers

Hit More Hard Line Drive Lasers Up The Middle For Baseball & Softball | Fix Swinging Under Ball, STOP Pop Ups, & Why Too Many Ground Balls? | Beginner Hitting Drills You Can Do At Home By Yourself

Hit More Line Drives

Hitting Baseball Drills: What Leads to Hitting More “Predictable” Line Drives and Less Strikeouts?

Hitting Baseball Drills Line Drive Mystery?

Hitting Baseball Drills Mike Trout photo courtesy: MLB.com

Discover how to hit more hard line drive lasers, up the middle, for baseball and softball players. Fix swinging under the ball too much, STOP excessive pop ups, and figure out WHY you’re hitting too many ground balls. Learn beginner hitting drills you can do at home by yourself.

In this hitting baseball drills line drive mystery post, we’re going to answer the question above by diving into the following:

What does “predictable” mean and why does probability matter? And,
Difference between ‘Launch Angle’ and ‘Attack Angle’…

What does “Predictable” mean and Why does Probability Matter?

Let’s define terms. What is probability? Dictionary.com says this:

“The extent to which something is probable; the likelihood of something happening or being the case.”

Why does probability matter? I have parents ask me, “What is the probability that if my kid does the hitting baseball drills you’re telling us, he or she will hit a line drive?” What do you think an extraordinary yet reasonable line drive rate is? We’ve talked about Major League average line drive rate being 20%. That’s the gold standard for highest level in the land. A high failure rate in hitting can be expected. We’ve all heard the maxim that you can fail three out of ten times in the Big Leagues and make it into the Hall of Fame. Probability of success in hitting DOES NOT match that of in the classroom. Or shooting free throws. Or a quarterback’s completion percentage. Success measured in hitting isn’t even close to these examples. Keeping probability in perspective matters when measuring hitting success.

SCIENCE-BASED TRAINING:

Improve your hitting strategy dramatically by applying human movement principles.

Learn not only how and what to train but also the science behind the methods.

Right Course For You? Take Quiz Now

Now, let’s look at the word predictable. Hitting more “predictable” line drives. What does predictable mean? Dictionary.com, what say you?

“Behaving or occurring in a way that is expected.”

What “predictable” is for some hitting coaches may not be for others. Consider this…Coach A uses horoscopes, astrology, and sorcery to teach his hitters how to hit line drives. And after 20 years of teaching like this, he swears his hitters hit predictable line drives. This is all he knows. All he knows.

Let’s look at Coach B, who applies human movement principles validated by REAL Science to hitting a ball. And after 20 years of teaching hitters like this, she swears HER hitters hit line drives predictably. So which coach is more effective with their hitters?

If the hitting baseball drills answer doesn’t immediately jump out at you, then you may be the first one dead during a zombie apocalypse. Of course I was exaggerating the two coaching strategies for effect (well, at least one of them). This seems to be the duality of hitting logic I see online. “Listen to ME because I said so”. No standard. Just listen to me because I slept in the same bed as Ted Williams in XYZ hotel. Or I’ve binge watched millions of hours of slow motion hitting video of only the best hitters. Or I have the MLB record of 9th inning doubles in the month of August. Blah blah blah.

“Behaving or occurring in a way that is expected.” 20% line drive rate is expected. So in 20-years of coaching, would Coach A or Coach B do better? Let’s say Coach A’s astrology hitters came in at an average 12% line drive. This is exceptional to him because it’s the pinnacle of what he’s experienced. But what Coach A doesn’t know is Coach B’s science hitters clocked in at a 20% average line drive rate. Coach A doesn’t have a clue until he talks to Coach B. Lesson here? We don’t know what we don’t know. Now you know!

I can tell you, when it comes to THIS means THAT … hitting predictable line drives and striking out less comes from applying human movement principles that are validated by real science to hitting a ball. Hitters hit more predictable line drives when they follow principles outlined in: Physics, Engineering, Biomechanics, body work, Geometry, and Psychology.

Of course there is bad Science. Just read Ben Goldacre’s book Bad Science: Quacks, Hacks, and Big Pharma Flacks. But there are irrefutable principles that have been proven for decades, if not hundreds of years. Take Gravity for one. Jump out of a plane and you’ll fall 100% of the time – as long as you call earth home. Look, there are 50 ways to skin a cat, but there is always one most efficient way…

Astrology Coach A may say something like this about Science:

“…yes u can argue with science. Science is religion not fact. It’s guessing and testing not thinking and proving. Very little is proven fact in science. Science is only science until better science comes along. For example. The science of hitting….. there’s ppl out there that say he wasn’t completely right. Then there will be someone new saying the same of your doctor…..i find it funny scientists who can’t hit anything telling ppl the proper way to hit.”

And Science Coach B may respond with something like this:

“Science is neither religion or guessing and testing. It is the discipline of seeking knowledge in pursuit of the truth and understanding. Whether being applied to medicine, the weather or the baseball swing, that understanding is only as good as the currently available information (data), and yes a process of observation, testing and retesting as tools improve necessarily updates our knowledge and improve our understanding. It does not rely on faith as religion does. It relies on evidence and data. “Hard anywhere” is a result. It doesn’t explain or teach how in fact one hits the ball hard anywhere consistently. That requires some understanding of how the biomechanics of the swing works and can be made most efficient for each player. If you want to argue with “science” as you refer to it, you are welcome and encouraged to do so…but bring your superior evidence and data to the argument!”

I want to keep Coach A’s name anonymous, so as not to expose him to ridicule, thrown tomatoes, and bunny ears. Look, there are hundreds of different ways to teach hitting baseball drills. A lot of coaches believe this, and I agree. But I’d argue there is a more effective way. What is it?

Consider this scenario…imagine you and I sitting down at the kitchen table to talk hitting. One hour before, we were both involved in a feverish game of Octopus Tag (you don’t want to know). And are famished! What’s on the menu? A big fat bowl of creamy tomato soup. But before we begin nourishing our bodies with sweet Lycopene, I give the choice of eating your soup with three primitive caveman tools. WARNING: you can only pick one…

Spoon,
Fork, or
Knife

Which tool would you choose to eat your soup? Think hard. I’ll wait… okay, time’s up!! You chose the spoon didn’t you. How did I know? Astrology? Horoscope-ology (is that a word)? No, of course not. I knew because that was the most effective tool for the job. Hitting is the same. Anything less than applying human movement principles validated by REAL Science to hitting baseball drills, is like eating delicious creamy tomato soup with a fork or even dumber, a knife. One can pull it off. But others would look at you like you were a wooden dummy.

Remember, we’re looking at “behaving or occurring in a way that is expected.”

Let’s look at another puzzle piece to helping hitters consistently hit line drives…

Difference between ‘Launch Angle’ and ‘Attack Angle’?

Here are the definitions of both attack angle and launch angle…

According to FanGraphs.com, Attack Angle is…

“The attack angle, or swing plane, is the angle that the bat is moving at when it hits the ball.”

And according to MLB.com, Launch Angle is…

“Launch Angle represents the vertical angle at which the ball leaves a player’s bat after being struck.”

There is no such thing as a ‘Launch Angle” swing, since every batted ball produces a Launch Angle, even a bunt. Attack and Launch Angles are just numbers without a brain. They’re a mode of measurement. They’re different, but similar. More like first cousins. That’s it. Period. End of story.

But I can see where the hitting baseball drills confusion is. The Launch Angle “swing” is a case of guilty by association. In the past, coaches preaching launch angles, maybe using HitTrax or Rhapsodo, tended to instruct their hitters to hit the top back third part of the cage. Did you get that? Imagine that for a second…top-back-third-part-of-the-cage. The coaching logic goes like this … if most doubles and dingers are hit within twenty to thirty degree launch angles, then let’s teach hitters to do just that.

Problem is, when the majority of hitters – especially the young ones – attempt this, they end up hitting more popups. I know because I taught it too!! And like the Big Bang, just like that, the ‘Launch Angle’ swing was spoken into existence. But I can tell you, THIS does not mean more predictable line drives. Let me explain…

What is an Optimized Attack or Launch Angle?

The angle the barrel takes to the ball is an Attack Angle. The Launch Angle is angle ball takes off the bat. Which begs the question, “What is an optimized Attack or Launch Angle?”

According to Fangraphs.com, the league average Attack Angle from 2015 through 2017 are: 11.4, 12.0, and 13.8 (in degrees), respectively. The average Launch Angles in the same time frame were: 10.5, 11.1, and 11.0 (in degrees), respectively. Launch Angle is a little more tricky than Attack Angle. A hitter can control their Attack Angle. Not so much their Launch Angle. Fangraphs.com adds…

“…we see a relatively weak correlation between attack angle and launch angle, because launch angle is also strongly dependent a hitter’s aim, timing, and bat speed. While we don’t have any direct measurements of aim or timing, we can see that players with flatter swings (lower attack angles) have more margin for error when it comes to timing, and therefore tend to have higher contact rates than players with uppercut swings (larger attack angles).”

And the optimal home run Launch Angle seems to be about 24-degrees. Ironically, the optimal Attack Angle for home runs is about 24-degrees. But think about this, in the Big Leagues a fastball being thrown at 95-mph, typically is coming DOWN at a 5-degree angle. So if the hitter’s Attack Angle is UP at 24-degrees, then yes we may see more dingers and doubles, but at the expense of hits, Batting Average, and higher strikeouts percentages. The extreme uppercut example isn’t a good demonstration of the “slight uppercut” Ted Williams was talking about in his book The Science of Hitting. Food for thought.

Furthermore, a fantastic post on the topic of the longest home run ever, comes from Dr. Alan Nathan in a post at PopularMechanics.com titled, “What’s The Longest Possible Home Run”. Alan Nathan is a professor emeritus of Physics at the University of Illinois. The professor has spent a career tracking physics, especially as it relates to baseball. He says two primary factors guide how far a ball is going to fly: exit velocity and launch angle. From the Popular Mechanics post:

“Consider Nathan’s ideal home run, hit with 120-mph exit velocity at a 26-degree launch angle. If Giancarlo Stanton hit that ball on a 70-degree day, at sea level, with no wind and 50 percent relative humidity, then Nathan’s calculations show the ball will travel 492 feet…If you start changing those atmospheric conditions, that number can go up a lot. An out-blowing wind at 5 mph, which is not a lot of wind, can add 24 feet to a fly ball, so now you are at 516 ft. If instead you go to Denver (lower air density at a higher elevation) and that goes up to 533 feet.”

Now, I know what you may be thinking…

How does the Brain get the Body to Optimize Attack (AA) and Launch Angles (LA)?

Perry Husband of HittingIsAGuess.com dragged me to the following hitting baseball drills conclusion. We talked about this already, but league average line drive rates in the Bigs is 20%, so this should be our primary focus. Physics says, the hardest ball hit requires center-center contact between barrel and ball. And remember league average fly-ball and ground-balls rates hover around 40% each. The best hitters in the game are missing center-center contact 80% of the time – LOSERS!! Kidding!

Dingers and doubles are what we call “quality misses”. Aim small, miss small. Hit the ball back through the “tube”. Shoot for the ten to fifteen degree Launch Angle (our 20% line drive rate), and rest assured hitters will accumulate more of these quality misses. Dingers and doubles without sacrificing swing quality. Practicing this may not be sexy, but the results are, believe me. Because if hitter shoots for dingers and doubles, they’ll hit more pop flies – I can tell you.

Remember, we’re looking at “behaving or occurring in a way that is expected.” Consistent. Predictable. Higher probability of line drives. Here’s the how and the hitting baseball drills lesson…

To optimize AA, we focus on optimizing the net outcome of LA. Our hitter’s default focus is back through the “tube”. Path ball takes from pitcher’s hand to catcher’s glove. Distance from the ground sets the “tube”. Hitter works on hitting it back through the tube. If it’s an inch off the ground … ball comes off bat an inch off the ground. If the tube is set at 4-feet off the ground, then ball comes off bat 4-feet off the ground. So if it comes back through the tube, it’s coming back through the tube at 10 to 15 degrees. That is our optimized default launch angle we want to see our hitters practicing every single swing they take.

If it is not back through the tube, then we want them making the Dr. Victor Frankl Man’s Search For Meaning paradoxical intention adjustments. If they hit the ball above the tube (pop fly or quality miss above), then we want them to make an adjustment down below the tube next time. Why do we want to include an adjustment for quality misses (doubles and dingers) above the tube? Because if they try for them, they’ll miss higher. Not good. We praise them for the quality miss, but remind them to get back to the tube. The same is true if they hit it below the tube (a grounder), then we want them to make an adjustment above the tube.

I know I sound like a broken record, but the body is always a step or two behind the brain. So we have to exaggerate the adjustment cue in order to get the body to do what the brain wants it to. Thoughts move quickly. We want to make sure that we get the big old bag of bones, muscle, springy fascia, and organs on par with the brain. Tell body to overshoot where we want it to go, in order to get it in the middle.

Case Study: does Teaching Hitters to Hit Top Back Third Part of Cage Work for Hitters in Games?

I argue no, it does not. And I will also say that I was there a few years ago, teaching the same thing to my hitters. If I was talking to two years in the past Joey Myers today … he would think I was crazy. And in his finite wisdom, would demand whose hitting baseball drills Kool-Aid I was drinking. But I can assure two-years in the past Joey Myers that hitting the back third part of the cage isn’t what we want our hitters practicing.

I mentioned I taught this exact thing a few years ago, and what I found, especially with a lot of my junior high and high school hitters, was that focusing on the double and dinger caused a majority of my hitters to hit more … you guessed it … pop flies. Some were flying out three and four times a game. And at that time we were telling our hitters to get the ball off the ground, and that all ground balls sucked eggs. There are still a lot of coaches out there, progressive ones, good coaches, that still subscribe to that. But the problem is probability of averages. “Behaving or occurring in a way that is expected.” Consistent. Predictable line drives.

Again, you look at the best hitters in the game, league average 20 percent line drive rate, 40 percent fly ball, and 40 percent ground ball. 80 percent of the time, the best hitters in the world miss hit the center of the ball. Center ball meeting center bat. The best hitters in the game are missing 80 percent of the time. So think about that. If we shoot for a ten to fifteen degree launch angle, hit it back through the tube, then our misses are going to be more quality. Net results?

A higher probability of lines drives. Back to at least league average. So if we’re shooting for a 10 to 15 degrees Launch Angle, and we miss slightly under that center point, what ends up happening is that 20 to 30 degree launch. We’re going to accumulate more doubles and dingers by shooting for the middle. Shooting for the tube.

And when it comes to quality ground-balls, I think in the big leagues, when the ball exit speeds get above 94 miles an hour defensive errors go up. They significantly increase. Now, why is that? Well, because the ball’s speeding up and it’s moving faster than the best can react to get to the ball. And the less bounces, the more likely the ball will get to an outfielder. More bounces slow the ball down significantly. So the speed the ball comes off the bat matters “big tyne”, as Domingo Ayala would say. According to a “Fun With Statcast (Exit Velo)” post at Medium.com, here’s what happens to batting average when ball exit speeds increase:

92-mph = .261
94-mph = .311
96-mph = .369
98-mph = .425
100-mph = .508
102-mph = .565
104-mph = .635

106-mph = .701
108-mph = .718

Then they level off on any ball exit speeds above that. So not all ground-balls are bad. Especially if we’re hitting them over 94-mph. And by the way, the stats you just read reflect Major Leaguers!! If you have a kid in Junior High or High School hitting 92-mph ground-balls, then the batting average for that hitter at that level will be much higher than what’s reflected above. Major Leaguers are MUCH better fielders.

Bottom line? Our focus should be in hitting the ball hard. Ball exit speed MUST be a big part of the equation. It’s king. Optimized launch angles don’t mean as much with slow ball exit speeds. We can get away with it for a little while, but the ability to hit more extra base hits, hit the ball to the wall or over the wall is going to be a major challenge at higher levels.

And if it’s one thing that high school coaches hate, are their hitters hitting an excess of fly balls. They would take a ground ball, even if it’s a weak one any day of the week. Why? Because they bank on that fielder either miss playing it, or over throwing it. They’ll say that there’s more that can go wrong with the ground-ball than a fly ball, which is true. Fielder has to field and throw cleanly, and the receiver has to catch it. Three things can go wrong with the ground ball than a fly ball. They just have to catch it. I’d disagree that “just catching” the ball is easy though.

As an outfielder who played at the Division 1 level in college, I can tell you it’s not that easy to track and catch a ball in the air. You’ve got to take the right route. You’ve got to read it correctly off the bat. You’ve got to listen to the sound of contact. Solid, or not quite. If the ball is hit hard, we were taught to take your first step back. You don’t want a line drive going over your head. There’s a lot that goes into catching a ball in the air. So I will disagree that it’s easy to catch a fly ball. And I think most that say it’s easy, never played outfield on a regulation big field against higher level hitters.

In addition, with a skill like hitting that is reactive, versus pitching which is proactive, control isn’t what hitters are gifted with. Only control what you can control. And to hear these coaches say hit the ball on the ground because the defense might make an error. In a sport with less control, why would you pin hopes and dreams on “might” make an error. You can’t control that. So only focus on what you can control.

“Behaving or occurring in a way that is expected.” Consistent. Predictable line drives. Our hitters CAN control improving their Ball Exit Speeds and optimize their Attack Angles. In Chapter-3, we discussed what leads to hitting more “predictable” line drives and less strikeouts. We dove into the following:

What does “predictable” mean and why does probability matter? And,
Difference between ‘Launch Angle’ and ‘Attack Angle’…

by Joey Myers

Baseball & Softball Preloading Hitting Torque OR Use Lower Half Hip Rotation For Power? | Swing Drills Over Rotating Experiment

Build More Power, Swing Experiments

How Much Ball Exit Speed Does Lower Body Contribute To A High Level Swing?

In this baseball and softball video post, we’ll be looking at whether preloading upper body hitting torque or using lower half hip rotation contributes for more power. Check out this swing drills over rotating experiment…

Do you consider yourself an open minded coach? If not, then this post MAY NOT be for you.

Do you consider yourself a coach willing to try new movements before criticizing them? If not, then this post MAY NOT be for you.

Fair WARNING…this video will make most feel uneasy because it strikes at the heart of their teaching. I believe the quality of our lives and the success we experience in it, depends solely on the questions we’re willing to ask our-self.

In this video, the Backspin Tee Gardner Brothers (Taylor & Jarrett Interview here) did a small thought provoking swing experiment that looked at how much value the lower half contributes to the swing. Most popular hitting instructors treat the lower half like a JoBu shrine in the movie Major League. Don’t get me wrong, the lower half has a role, but I disagree on the importance most put on it.

Using the Scientific Method…