Discover how to hit more line drives using swing bat path mechanics science to hitting on the plane of the pitch like Joey Votto.
Baseball Swing Slow Motion Analysis Of Joey Votto
This is Part-2 of a 3-part baseball swing slow motion analysis video series coming straight out of the Pitch-Plane Dominator online video mini-course…
Sick of struggling to reduce your hitters ground balls, swing and miss strikeouts, and non-productive weak fly balls?This simple 4-Step online video mini-course (7-modules total) will help hitters weighing less than 100-pounds, barrel the ball more consistently. Dramatically decrease ground balls, strikeouts, and weak fly balls (no matter the pitch location or speed) by applying human movement rules validated by science.
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“If you want to be successful, find someone who has achieved the results you want and copy what they do and you’ll achieve the same results.” – Tony Robbins
I received the following reader question:
“If you could only teach one swing, whose would you teach?”
And what follows in this baseball swing slow motion analysis of Joey Votto video, is my answer, as it relates to getting the barrel on, and staying on the plane of the pitch for as long as possible.
We’ll discuss Joey Votto’s:
Pitch-Plane consistency metrics,
2015 ESPN’s HitTracker spray chart, and
Mechanics as they apply to Pitch Plane Domination.
Let’s build Joey Votto’s case as the best to copy for Pitch-Plane Domination…
Joey Votto Pitch-Plane Consistency Metrics
According to Baseball-Reference.com, Joey Votto’s 162-game averages (over 9 years in the League) are as follows:
Look at the “yellow” highlighted line…
Here are the Joey Votto Metrics to pay particular attention to (definitions are according to FanGraphs.com):
On-Base% (OBP) – measures the most important thing a batter can do at the plate: not make an out…Joey Votto: .423, League Average is: .320
Isolated Slugging% (ISO) – measure of a hitter’s raw power and tells you how often a player hits for extra bases…Joey Votto: .223, League Average is: .140
OBP + SLG (OPS) – the sum of a player’s on-base percentage and their slugging percentage…Joey Votto: .957, League Average is: .710
OPS+ – This statistic normalizes a player’s OPS — it adjusts for small variables that might affect OPS scores (e.g. park effects) and puts the statistic on an easy-to-understand scale…Joey Votto: 156, League Average: 100
As you can see, Joey Votto is well above average in “not making an out”, and “raw power”. What’s also interesting is Joey Votto’s strikeout and walk percentages (averaged over his career):
Strikeout% – Joey Votto: 18.6%, League Average: 18.5%, and
Walk% – Joey Votto: 15.9%, League Average: 8.5%.
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CLICK HERE for a FanGraph.com article titled, “Joey Votto on Hitting”. It goes into how:
Cerebral a hitter he is about his mechanics,
He purposely tools his swing to limit defensive shifts, and
He’s given up some power (dingers in particular) to cover the Pitch-Plane more effectively.
The aforementioned link is a GREAT read. From the above spray chart and metrics, I’d say he “NAILED IT!!”
Joey Votto Mechanics as They Relate to Pitch-Plane Domination
In the above 17:23-minute baseball swing slow motion analysis video of Joey Votto’s swing, we go into more detail about the following FIVE human movements rules for Pitch-Plane Domination:
Front Knee bend before swing initiation, and during the Final Turn,
Back Knee bend during the Final Turn,
Back foot skip during the Final Turn,
Barrel matching the plane of the pitch early, and
Barrel ‘chasing the ball’ passed impact getting to ‘Power-V’ after impact.
As Tony Robbins said,
“If you want to be successful, find someone who has achieved the results you want and copy what they do and you’ll achieve the same results.”
Joey Votto is your hitter to dominate the Pitch-Plane when looking at baseball swing slow motion analysis.
Grab 'Finger Pressure' Video
Frustrated with fixing BAT DRAG? Beat it!
Swing Study reveals how majority of hitters are correcting 'racing back elbow' bat drag within 1-2 weeks WITHOUT overhauling swing mechanics OR buying fancy and expensive hitting aids.
Click button below to access FREE video that has been downloaded over 20K times!
https://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Hit-More-Line-Drives-Swing-Bat-Path-Mechanics-Science-To-Hitting-On-Plane-Like-Joey-Votto.png423800Joey Myershttps://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/hitting-performance-labs_c90c0362088ef1d3d528f3078f4f8ac1-300x75.pngJoey Myers2023-02-01 09:30:512023-02-01 22:39:11How To Hit More Line Drives Swing Bat Path Mechanics Science To Hitting On Plane Like Joey Votto
Discover how to increase bat speed and improve hitting power with these tee drills for baseball and softball youth players as young as 8 years old.
“Blocking” Like Jose Bautista: A Baseball Hitting Drills For Bat Speed Experiment
Question: Does Landing Bent with the Front Knee & then Straightening it, Add Bat Speed?
Using the Zepp (Labs) Baseball app, I wanted to use the Scientific Method to analyze if“Blocking”, or using Ground Reaction Forces (GRF), produces a significant gain in bat speed.
Background Research
Check out this YouTube video from ZenoLink about “Blocking”, or GRF:
CLICK HERE for a Wikipedia article defining Ground Reaction Forces. Quote from post:
“The use of the word reaction derives from Newton’s third law, which essentially states that if a force, called action, acts upon a body, then an equal and opposite force, called reaction, must act upon another body. The force exerted by the ground is conventionally referred to as the reaction, although, since the distinction between action and reaction is completely arbitrary, the expression ground action would be, in principle, equally acceptable.”
CLICK HERE for another baseball hitting drills for bat speed post I did about Edwin Encarnacion: A How-To “Blocking” Guide.
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Based on the above baseball hitting drills for bat speed research and study, I think “Bent Knee Blocking”will produce more bat speed than “Straight Knee Blocking”. For some of you, this may be obvious. But the data comparing the two is quite interesting to see.
Baseball Hitting Drills For Bat Speed Experiment: “Blocking”
Yellow dimple ball 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.
SwingAway was set slightly behind the front feedback marker, and ball height was about the hip.
First 101 baseballs were hit with a landing leg angle of about 170-degrees.
Second 101 baseballs were hit with a landing leg angle of about 146-degrees.
Data Collected (Zepp Baseball App Screenshots):
Check out the differences in average bat speed and hand speed (red arrows)…
Data Analysis & Conclusion
6-mph average bat speed difference between “Straight Knee Blocking” versus “Bent Knee Blocking”,
2-mph average hand speed difference between “Straight Knee Blocking” versus “Bent Knee Blocking”,
The Average Time to Impact was about the same,
The average Bat Vertical Angle at Impact had a 6-degree difference, and
There was only 1-degree of difference between the Attack Angles.
Notes
I broke my swing into two steps (stopping momentum), to make sure I could accurately isolate the difference in the front knee action.
The “Bent Knee Blocking” 6-mph average increase is equivalent to 24-48 feet of batted ball distance (depends on the speed of the pitch).
What was interesting was the huge shift in Bat Vertical Angle at Impact. I suspect it’s because of the higher landing position, and the barrel compensated down to accommodate hitting the sweet spot.
Looking at the nominal increase in Attack Angle and the wide degree shift in Bat Vertical Angle at Impact, it looks like “Straight Knee Blocking” would lead to more mishits.
Like in this “Blocking” Experiment, baseball hitting drills for bat speed need to be put to the test. We can’t just feel something will increase bat speed. We must look at what the data says.
In Conclusion
From the Baseball Hitting Drills for Bat Speed Experiment data, we can see that “Bent Knee Blocking” produces more average bat and hand speed than “Straight Knee Blocking”. The other thing that landing with a bent knee does (approx. 146-degrees), is shrink the strike-zone. Or at least create an illusion that it’s shrinking, to the umpire. I call this “Getting Shorter”.
Coupled with forward momentum, the hitter is making a “cut”, much like a wide receiver would on an “L” route. Except instead of the wide receiver changing from the Sagittal (forward/backward) to the Frontal (sideways) Plane of motion, the hitter changes from the Frontal to Transverse (twisting) Plane of motion. And in order to do this, the “plant leg” needs to be bent in order to transfer Ground Reaction Forces efficiently. You’ll NEVER see an NFL wide receiver “cut” with a straight plant leg…they plant bent, then push into the ground to change directions.
'Add 40-Feet' To Batted Ball Distance
Swing Study reveals how tens of thousands of hitters are adding 40-feet to batted ball distance by using one simple strategy.
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https://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/How-To-Increase-Bat-Speed-Improve-Hitting-Power-With-Tee-Drills-for-Baseball-Softball.png423800Joey Myershttps://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/hitting-performance-labs_c90c0362088ef1d3d528f3078f4f8ac1-300x75.pngJoey Myers2023-01-30 09:30:312023-01-31 05:41:12Increase Bat Speed And Improve Hitting Power With Tee Drills For Baseball & Softball Youth
Discover swing bat path to hit more line drives, square the ball up more, increase hitting power, and gain faster bat speed using principle drills for baseball or softball hitters.
How To Consistently Crush The Ball Using Geometry & Springy Forces
The objective of this presentation was to give a technical speech to a non-technical audience. Sorry, the video and audio aren’t the best, but I think you’ll get the overall message. Also, I’ve provided the power-point slides I used for this presentation (CLICK HERE to download from Google Drive).
You may find it quite helpful to follow along with the slides during the presentation. PLEASE NOTE: in each section, I do skip to the images in that section to help illustrate a point. We discussed the following:
Move better, perform better,
Use movement tests,
Match the Pitch-Plane with Geometry, and
Knock snot out of the ball with Springy Fascia.
Below is the basic outline of the speech…
ENJOY!
Move Better, Perform Better
‘Governor’ truck engine story
Repetitive movements/position shape your body
“You can’t fire a cannon from a canoe” Mobilize & Stabilize
Use Movement Tests
Following “rules” to human movement – GRF, FoMo, Ang Mom, Centrip/Centrif, springy forces
Gorilla Grip
One-Joint Rule
Un-Weighting
Match Pitch-Plane with Geometry
Define Pitch-Plane
Importance of Back Leg Angle
Attack Angle + Ball Exit Speed
Knock Snot Out of Ball with Springy Fascia
Define springy fascia – tension/compression forces
Seen the biggest jumps in average Bat Speed with spinal engine experiments
Showing numbers – 6-mph
Downhill shoulder angle – 4-mph
Finger Pressure – 3-mph
Hunched Posture – +4 Attack Angle
Grab 'Finger Pressure' Video
Frustrated with fixing BAT DRAG? Beat it!
Swing Study reveals how majority of hitters are correcting 'racing back elbow' bat drag within 1-2 weeks WITHOUT overhauling swing mechanics OR buying fancy and expensive hitting aids.
Click button below to access FREE video that has been downloaded over 20K times!
https://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Swing-Bat-Path-To-Hit-More-Line-Drives-Square-Up-The-Ball-Gain-Faster-Bat-Speed.png423800Joey Myershttps://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/hitting-performance-labs_c90c0362088ef1d3d528f3078f4f8ac1-300x75.pngJoey Myers2022-12-19 09:45:252022-12-20 19:12:00Swing Bat Path To Hit Line Drives, Square Up Ball, Increase Hitting Power, & Faster Bat Speed Drills For Baseball Or Softball
Learn whether using hip rotation and the lower half increases hitting power or bat speed. Discover at home swing drills that DO improve power (NOT what you think)…
Clayton Kershaw + Roger Federer = Repeatable Hitting Power
Yes, hitters can build consistent explosive rotational power into their swings by learning from tennis players and baseball pitching athletes. CLICK HERE to check out this “Pitching Instruction Secrets for Hitters” video post I did featuring 2014 World Series MVP Madison Bumgarner.
I received an email from a teacher in Portugal named Alexandra Franco. She plays competitive tennis and is also a tennis instructor. She recently purchased my Truth About Explosive Rotational Power online video course to help her teach and play tennis better. She asked a lot of really good questions around how the spinal engine mechanics I’m teaching my hitters related to serving a tennis ball…
In this video, we’re going to explore Dr. Serge Gracovetsky’s Spinal Engine Mechanics, as they relate to:
Moving the spine for performance,
Comparing Alexandra’s serve to Roger Federer’s, and
Apply key baseball pitching & tennis principles to hitting for repeatable power…
SCIENCE-BASED TRAINING:
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Learn not only how and what to train but also the science behind the methods.
“The spine cannot be rotated axially without flexing. The spinal engine theory requires the lumbar spine to be flexed laterally if an axial torque is to be induced.”
According to Dr. Gracovetsky, there are three possible spinal movements:
Extension (lordosis)/Flexion – standing tall, or arching the lower back. And think of Flexion as rounding the back,
Lateral Flexion or Side bending – standing tall, then flexing the upper body sideways at the waist, and
Axial Rotation – this is the shoulders rotating opposite the pelvis. Think of this as torque or how a gear box works.
He then adds that if two of the above are present, then almost always the end result is the third. All explosive rotational athletes, have to abide by these rules to human movement. Let’s see how Alexandra and Roger Federer use a combination of the above three spinal movements for performance…
Comparing Tennis Serve of Alexandra to Roger Federer
Here are some key differences Alexandra can use to up her tennis serve…Roger Federer tends to:
Bend both knees as he throws the ball in the air, which helps with
Maintaining strict alignment with his head and spine as he globally extends (head & spine as one piece) over his heels,
As he’s doing this, he angles his shoulders up towards the apex of the ball causing an extreme side bend of the spine (in the video, look how low his back shoulder gets compared to his front), and
Going into axial rotation to hit the ball, watch how both elbows move counter-clockwise, at the same time, and on the same plane with the shot.
Apply Key Baseball Pitching & Tennis Principles to Hitting for Repeatable Power
A page out of Dr. Serge Gracovetsky’s book The Spinal Engine…
The tennis serve and baseball pitching mechanics are very similar. Dr. Serge Gracovetsky says,
“The large torque required to propel the baseball demands such a large amount of lateral bending that the pelvis must be rocked as well. It is this requirement that precipitates the characteristic lift of the left leg before the throw.”
One of the key differences to hitting is the shoulder angle (lateral bend). Hitters need to move the front shoulder slightly down to hit the ball up. I get this with my hitters by cuing them to raise the back elbow at or above the top hand (see Trout photo above).
Whereas baseball pitching athletes, like 2014 NL Cy Young and MVP Award winner Clayton Kershaw, and Roger Federer need to angle the front shoulder up before throwing or hitting the ball down.
One last thought from Dr. Serge Gracovetsky about proper spinal engine mechanics for explosive rotational athletes:
“The axial rotation of the spine cannot happen unless the spine is flexed by the right amount on the correct side. Coaching an athlete to throw without a proper spinal position is an invitation to severe torsional injuries.”
'Add 40-Feet' To Batted Ball Distance
Swing Study reveals how tens of thousands of hitters are adding 40-feet to batted ball distance by using one simple strategy.
Click the button below to access the FREE video that's been downloaded over 30K times!!
https://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Truth-About-Hitting-Power-Bat-Speed-Does-Hip-Rotation-Lower-Half-Increase-Your-Bat-Speed.png423800Joey Myershttps://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/hitting-performance-labs_c90c0362088ef1d3d528f3078f4f8ac1-300x75.pngJoey Myers2022-12-06 10:00:112022-12-06 19:13:00Does Using Hip Rotation & Lower Half Increase Hitting Power Or Bat Speed? At Home Swing Drills NOT What You Think
Softball Hitting Tips Fastpitch: Is Power ALL In The Hips?
This is Part-3 of a 3-part softball hitting tips fastpitch video series coming straight out of the Catapult Loading System online video mini-course…
Sick of struggling with getting your hitters to hit the ball hard with more consistency?This is a simple 7-module online video mini-course that will help hitters weighing less than 100-pounds, hit the ball consistently over 300-feet in 60 days. You’ll be able to dramatically increase power without sacrificing swing quality.
In this softball hitting tips fastpitch video post, we’re going to answer one of my reader’s questions…
“Ways to use your hips to create bat speed?”
Before I get to the #1 Biggest Lie In Hitting, we’ll cover:
Inward hip turn towards catcher to load?
Springy ‘X’ Pattern, and
Landing open with the front foot.
Inward Hip Turn Towards Catcher To Load?
Are Lauren Chamberlain’s hips firing on their own, or was her spine pre-loaded earlier by her shoulders? Photo courtesy: YT user – Paul Arebalo
I picked up on this in High School after reading Ted Williams’s book The Science Of Hitting.
But is this really necessary?
After reading Thomas Myers’s book Anatomy Trains, I don’t believe that it is.
To me, ‘Loading the hips’ by turning the pelvis inward towards the catcher creates more challenges, than benefits.
The biggest challenge is that if the timing isn’t right, the hitter will get stuck landing with a closed front leg at landing (front toe less than a 45-degree angle).
CLICK HERE for a Zepp swing experiment I did on landing closed versus open, and the affect on average bat speed.
Olympic Javelin Throwers, Boxers, and Sprinters do just fine without using an inward turn of the pelvis, away from their target, before throwing, punching, or running.
Springy ‘X’ Pattern
I don’t want to beat a dead horse, so here are two great video blog posts I did, that apply to softball hitting tips fastpitch, talking about the Springy ‘X’ Pattern:
The guys at ZenoLink are awesome! They find the truth behind human movement science. This video discusses how the lower body position or stride setup will dictate how well you create and utilized ground reaction force to initiate the swing process and develop power and bat speed.
They found the optimal degree that the stride foot must be open at landing to be around 65-degrees (watch around the 2:00 mark)…
So WHY are we teaching our young hitters to stride closed?!!
To summarize…
‘Loading and exploding the hips’ by inwardly turning the pelvis towards the catcher can cause the hitter to land closed. If the hitter lands closed, then bat speed WILL go down, according to the results of my Zepp swing experiment, and to the guys at ZenoLink. As a result of bat speed going down, so will Ball Exit Speed.
‘Firing the hips’ is an over-coached cue, if anything, let’s ‘load and explode the shoulders’, not the hips. Us hitting coaches MUST shift our focus above the pelvis, into the shoulders by way of the Springy ‘X’ Pattern.
So, what is the #1 Biggest Lie In Hitting, as it relates to softball hitting tips fastpitch?
That we MUST ‘load and explode the hips’.
You see,
We have to get away from learning inside baseball and softball hitting circles. We must first learn human movement science, then break away, and begin thinking creatively about how to apply these human movement “rules”, that are validated by science, to hitting a ball.
The Catapult Loading System Online Video Mini-Course
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https://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/STOP-Early-Hip-Rotation-Using-Lower-Half-Correctly-Increase-Power-In-Baseball-Or-Softball-Swing.png423800Joey Myershttps://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/hitting-performance-labs_c90c0362088ef1d3d528f3078f4f8ac1-300x75.pngJoey Myers2022-12-06 09:45:072022-12-06 19:12:42Does STOPPING Early Hip Rotation And Using Lower Half Correctly Increase Power In Baseball Or Softball Swing? | Hitting Drills To Do At Home
Discover how to teach a kid to hit for power by hitting a baseball, fast pitch, and slow pitch softball better, farther, and harder with the Catapult Loading System.
Why I Teach Hitters To ‘Show Numbers’ (And Maybe You Should Too)
Question: How does ‘Showing Numbers’ to the Pitcher Effect Bat Speed at Impact versus ‘NOT Showing’ them?
Aaron Judge (Showing Numbers), unloads a solo home run to center field on 10/17/17 to put the Yankees on the board in the 7th inning.
Using the Zepp (Labs) Baseball app, I wanted to use the Scientific Method to analyze if a hitter showing their numbers to the pitcher at landing adds to or takes away from keyswing performance metrics like Bat Speed at Impact, Time To Impact, and Attack Angle. This swing experiment is revisiting two other experiments done analyzing the same thing.
Background Research
Since we’re REVISITING two previous swing experiments on ‘Showing Numbers’ versus NOT, here are the original posts and data to get you up to speed:
Now, let’s see how the Ball Exit Speed averages compare:
76.02-mph BES when ‘NOT Showing Numbers’,
77.32-mph BES when ‘Showing Numbers’,
That’s a 1.3-mph average INCREASE when ‘Showing Numbers’, and
Translates between 5.2-feet to 7.8-feet of EXTRA batted ball distance – depending on if you calculate using 1-mph BES = 4-feet of distance OR 1-mph BES = 6-feet of distance.
In this experiment, if you look at the ‘NOT Showing Numbers’ swings, they were actually ‘Showing Numbers’. In other words, the subject in the swing experiment, Preston Scott, already shows his numbers well causing a challenge to not show them. Therefore on the ‘Showing Numbers’ swings, he showed them more. I think that’s why we didn’t see as much of a difference in Ball Exit Speeds.
In 2014 ‘Show Numbers’ swing experiment, this was what the averaged out Zepp data looked like:
Bat speed for NOT showing numbers at landing: 73-mph,
Bat speed for showing numbers at landing: 79-mph (+6-mph),
Highest bat speed for NOT showing numbers at landing: 82-mph,
Highest bat speed for showing numbers at landing: 88-mph (+6-mph),
Hand speed max for NOT showing numbers was: 27-mph, and
Hand speed max for showing numbers was: 29-mph (+2-mph).
Between both swing experiments, we saw an average Bat Speed at Impact increase between 5 to 6-mph. In 2016 we saw a .003 second drop in Time To Impact ‘Showing Numbers’, while in 2014 we saw a .003 increase.
The research on increasing bat or ball exit speed can be seen in the following two books on springy fascia and spinal engine mechanics:
For those versed in Anatomy, for explosive movement on the Transverse Plane (twisting), there must be a protraction of the front scapula (‘showing numbers’), and a retraction of the back Scapula (what’s often referred to as ‘Scap Row’). Scap Rowing by itself doesn’t engage full range of springy fascia.
Hypothesis
Based on the above research, I’m expecting to see a dramatic bump in Bat Speed at Impact, Hand Speed Max, and possibly a reduction in Time To Impact. I think Attack Angle and Bat Vertical Angle at Impact will remain unchanged.
'Add 40-Feet' To Batted Ball Distance
Swing Study reveals how tens of thousands of hitters are adding 40-feet to batted ball distance by using one simple strategy.
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This is the SwingAway Bryce Harper model hitting station used for the ‘Showing Numbers’ experiment.
Zepp Baseball app (to measure Bat Speed, Hand Speed, Time to Impact, & Attack Angle),
SwingAway Bryce Harper model hitting station,
GS6 android phone to record swings, and
33 inch bamboo bat.
Setup:
SwingAway Bryce Harper bungy suspended ball was set equal to the landing foot, and ball height was about knee height.
I broke each swing down into three steps: 1) Get to landing, 2) Pause for 2-secs, and 3) Swing. The reason for this was to better control whether I was showing numbers or not.
The two tests in the swing experiment were counter-balanced. Which consisted of eight blocks of 25-swings done in the following order ABBA BAAB. ‘Showing Numbers’ was letter ‘A’, and ‘NOT Showing Numbers’ was letter ‘B’. 200 total swings were completed in the experiment, 100 per test. Counter-balancing helps remove the “getting tired” and “warm up” factors.
The ‘Showing Numbers’ swing shoulders were set to about 2’o’clock, if pitcher is 12’o’clock. The ‘NOT Showing Numbers’ swing shoulders were set to about 12’o’clock.
Data Collected from Zepp Baseball App:
Data Analysis & Conclusion
Zepp data analysis comparing the averages:
Bat Speed at ImpactINCREASE of 3-mph ‘Showing Numbers’,
Hand Speed Max DECREASE of 1-mph ‘Showing Numbers’,
Time To Impact INCREASE of 0.014 ‘Showing Numbers’,
Bat Vertical Angle At Impact DECREASE of 4-degree ‘Showing Numbers’, and
Attack Angle INCREASE of 6-degrees ‘Showing Numbers’.
The drop from previous ‘Showing Numbers’ swing experiments was surprising, in addition to a small 1-mph drop in Hand Speed Max. There was also a slight increase in Time To Impact. The interesting numbers were the ones that indicate Launch Angles, both Bat Vertical Angle at Impact and Attack Angle. We hadn’t experienced such a dramatic uptick in those in past experiments.
A couple notes…
The past two experiments were done in a cage, off a tee, so I could see ball flight, and maybe that had an effect on the swing metrics.
Some hitting coaches speak highly of Time To Impact and want to reduce at all cost, but I disagree. There’s a healthy range for that, you don’t want it too short or too long. I’m not going to get into why here, maybe in another post.
To explain the dramatic increase of the barrel’s upward trajectory in ‘Showing Numbers’, I may have been getting more of a downward shoulder angle at landing.
'Add 40-Feet' To Batted Ball Distance
Swing Study reveals how tens of thousands of hitters are adding 40-feet to batted ball distance by using one simple strategy.
Click the button below to access the FREE video that's been downloaded over 30K times!!
https://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/aaron-judge-showing-numbers.jpg295700Joey Myershttps://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/hitting-performance-labs_c90c0362088ef1d3d528f3078f4f8ac1-300x75.pngJoey Myers2022-10-20 09:00:262023-09-16 05:29:03Teach Kid To Hit For Power By Hitting Baseball Or Softball Better, Farther, & Harder With Catapult Loading System
Ryan Braun early on pitch-plane. Photo courtesy: JTA.org
I often get caught up in my own ways of doing things that I sometimes lose sight of better hitting tips others are using for the same outcomes. I’m not perfect. And I’ll readily admit that I don’t know all the answers. This my wife will surely echo 😉
But I do take pride in submitting and standing on the shoulders of giants. This quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson changed my life:
“As to methods there may be a million and then some, but principles are few. The man who grasps principles can successfully select his own methods. The man who tries methods, ignoring principles, is sure to have trouble.”
Think of methods as “the drills.” This post is for you hitting instructors or coaches who’re applying human movement principles, and successfully selecting your own methods. I want to pick your brain, and hear your thoughts below.
But first, here’s the gist of the hitting tips assignment…
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.
Ryan Braun staying long on the plane of the pitch. Photo courtesy: SportsWorldNews.com
I want to focus on efficiently increasing barrel time on the plane of the pitch using the Conservation of Angular Momentum. By the way, it doesn’t matter if you come from baseball or softball. So drawing from your teaching experience, what are your thoughts on the following (PLEASE leave your pearls of wisdom in the hitting tips comment section below):
Your go-to hitting drill for boosting barrel time on the pitch plane (pics or vids are welcome),
The best sticky coaching cue (or cues) that you use with young hitters, and/or
Any kind of underground (i.e. DIY) hitting aids that help with boosting barrel time on the pitch plane.
Keep in mind, inefficiencies such as arm barring, bat drag (racing back elbow), rolling over, and staying “attached” through the finish are issues you can address. After a week, I’m going to have my readers vote on the best approach, and we’ll announce a winner. Please share your thoughts in the “Leave a Reply” section below…
Grab 'Finger Pressure' Video
Frustrated with fixing BAT DRAG? Beat it!
Swing Study reveals how majority of hitters are correcting 'racing back elbow' bat drag within 1-2 weeks WITHOUT overhauling swing mechanics OR buying fancy and expensive hitting aids.
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https://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/ryan-braun-pitch-plane-e1419284176917.png207600Joey Myershttps://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/hitting-performance-labs_c90c0362088ef1d3d528f3078f4f8ac1-300x75.pngJoey Myers2022-10-18 09:30:182022-10-19 05:08:42Flat Swing Bat Path Trainer Drills To Square Up Baseball Or Softball & Hit More Line Drives Instead Of Swinging Under Fly Balls And Hitting Top Half Chopping Grounders
Baseball Swing Load: If You Can Bend Sideways You Can Gain 4-MPH Bat Speed
Question: Does a Slight “Downhill” Shoulder Angle Before Landing Boost Baseball Swing Load & Bat Speed?
In this baseball swing load “shoulder” angle experiment using the Zepp (Labs) Baseball app, I wanted to use the Scientific Method to analyze what would happen to Bat & Hand Speed when we took 100 swings with a slight “Downhill” shoulder angle (about 8-10-degrees) versus another 100 swings with level shoulders.
The Feedback Lab parent testimonial about his 14 year old daughter Mia:
“Hey Coach,
It has been way too long but I wanted to share some information that happened yesterday. We are heading up to Chattanooga, Tennessee, the largest showcase in the southeast today. Yesterday was our last day to hit before the showcase and Mia was struggling with her power. We hit about 60-70 balls and Mia was hitting about 10% over the fence (she is usually 40%+). I was looking to make sure she was showing her number, which she was, hiding her hands, which she was, landing with a bent knee, which she was and etc., etc. It was getting late and we had to go and I told Mia she had only 6 balls left. I told her to show me her stance and I noticed that her front shoulder was equal to her back shoulder. I then told her to lower her front shoulder and raise her back one. That was the only change we made to her swing, Mia then hit the next 6 balls over the fence and 2 of them were bombs. I cannot believe the difference this one small change made.
Thanks, Primo”
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.
Wall Street Journal Info-Graphic at: http://gohpl.com/1NFi8qi
The best resource for getting educated on spinal engine mechanics is to pick up Dr. Serge Gracovetsky’s book The Spinal Engine. For a teased out version of this,
CLICK HERE for a post I did that compared the pitching delivery, hitting, and an overhead tennis serve using this “bending sideways” technique.
Another good book from multiple authors on the subject of spinal engine mechanics, locomotion biomechanics, and springy fascia, check out the book Dynamic Body by leading author Dr. Erik Dalton.
Also, here’s a great Wall Street Journal post about Miggy Cabrera titled, Miguel Cabrera: The Art of Hitting. Check out what the illustration says in the middle of the red circle above…
Hypothesis
Based on the above baseball swing load experiment research and one of the other countless online hitting testimonials I get about “bending sideways” benefits, I think using a slight “Downhill” Shoulder Angle will boost Bat Speed at Impact by at least 3-mph, and Hand Speed Max by 2-mph.
Tyler Doerner, my intern for the summer and a hitter in HPL’s The Feedback Lab, is a redshirt college Freshman. He did the baseball swing load shoulder angle experiment.
Tyler broke the swing into two steps: 1) get to landing position, pause for 1-2 seconds, 2) then swing, to better control the shoulder angle during the tests.
So, there was an absence of forward momentum in this experiment.
The two tests in the experiment were counter-balanced. Which consisted of eight blocks of 25-swings done in the following order ABBA BAAB. “Level Shoulders” were letter ‘A’, and
“Downhill Shoulders” 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.
Data Collected (Zepp Baseball App):
Look at the significant jumps in average Bat Speed at Impact & the Attack Angle…
Data Analysis & Conclusion
There’s a significant 4-mph JUMP in average Bat Speed at Impact with the “Downhill” Shoulder Angle.
Average Hand Speed Max only increased by 1-mph with the “Downhill” Shoulder Angle.
There was a small change in Time To Impact, in favor of the “Downhill” Shoulder Angle.
Not a big change in the Bat Vertical Angle at Impact.
And there was a significant 3-degree angle change in Attack Angle with “Downhill” Shoulder Angle.
Notes
We found a slightly bigger increase in average Bat Speed at Impact with the “Downhill” Shoulder Angle compared to my Hypothesis (4-mph versus 3-mph).
I thought there was going to be a bigger difference in Hand Speed Max, than how it turned out.
What was surprising was the 3-degree angle change of the attack angle. A 10-degree Attack Angle is a typical line drive. Once you start to get into the 15-20 degree range, you’re looking at more of a home-run launch angle.
The “Downhill” Shoulder Angle is actually something we’re working in Tyler’s swing. He tends to let go of his angle a little too soon.
I find that before and after Ball Exit Speed readings with my local hitters who’re familiar with the “Downhill” Shoulder Angle, can increase from 1-3-mph when this it the only mechanic we’re working on.
The Bottom Line?
In this baseball swing load shoulder angle experiment, we can clearly see with the “Downhill” Shoulder Angle that there’s a significant 4-mph jump in Bat Speed at Impact, AND a surprising 3-degree boost in the Attack Angle. The “Downhill” Shoulder Angle is a piece of what I call the Catapult Loading System. The BIG-3 are:
Swing Study reveals how tens of thousands of hitters are adding 40-feet to batted ball distance by using one simple strategy.
Click the button below to access the FREE video that's been downloaded over 30K times!!
https://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Increase-Max-Bat-Whip-Or-Barrel-Speed-Creating-Hip-Shoulder-Separation-Hitting-Torque-For-Faster-Baseball-Softball-Swing.png423800Joey Myershttps://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/hitting-performance-labs_c90c0362088ef1d3d528f3078f4f8ac1-300x75.pngJoey Myers2022-09-06 10:00:072022-09-07 17:42:26Increase Max Bat Whip Or Barrel Speed Creating Hip Shoulder Separation Hitting Torque For Faster Baseball & Softball Swing | When To Load In Little League
Discover whether the baseball or softball batting weight donut (not to be confused with a doughnut!) is or IS NOT a benefit to the Little League swing? Weighted donut Amazon reviews: Easton, Power Wrap, and Varo.
Using Batting Weight On-Deck May Dangerous To Bat & Ball Exit Speed?
This post may blow the minds of those that didn’t get the memo…
You can read the article in full by clicking the previous link, but I wanted to include important bullet points from the article and Sports Science video above:
SCIENCE-BASED TRAINING:
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“Studies conducted over several decades have concluded that the ritual popular among professionals and emulated by amateurs doesn’t increase bat speed. It may actually slow it down…’the best is your own bat'”
According to the Zepp app, average professional bat speeds range from 75 to 90-mph, average High School and College bat speeds range from 65 to 80-mph, and average youth bat speeds range from 40 to 70-mph.
PLEASE NOTE: there are other batting weight studies with small sample sizes (ranging from 7 to 60 players) comparing High School, College, and recreational hitters in laboratory settings (not LIVE batting practice). Adrenaline or others batter’s routines could have influenced performance in these. Basically the variable wasn’t properly isolated…that being said, a study with 20 college baseball players found “their performance was statistically unchanged.”
Dr. DeRenne, found using a 28-ounce batting weight changed the balance point of the bat and slowed down bat speed.
In Sports Science video above, a college hitter in 2008 hit 10 machine pitched balls WITHOUT using a batting weight before, and had an average bat speed of 69-mph, and routinely connected with the sweet spot. After using the batting weight, then taking another 10 swings off the same pitching machine, his average bat speed dropped to 68.3-mph, and on each swing he missed the bat’s sweet spot by several inches.
The above video talked about how because the hitter swings the bat at a slower pace using a batting weight, more red slow twitch endurance muscle fibers get recruited, thereby decreasing the amount of white fast twitch muscle fibers which fire two to three times faster. Warming up with batting weight in on-deck circle is actually priming the wrong muscles before stepping in the box.
The experience of a single batter can’t be generalized to others, but the results resembled other studies.
“People are always looking for an edge,” Dr. Szymanski said, “but just because a professional athlete does something doesn’t mean it’s good or helpful or right.”
The Bottom Line?
Now, a 0.7-mph drop in average bat speed doesn’t seem like a lot, but as you saw, it makes a BIG difference in barreling the ball. As retired Physicist Dr. Alan Nathan says:
If ball hits bat 1-inch off sweet spot = then 1 to 2-mph DECREASE in Ball Exit Speed (that’s 4 to 8-feet less distance!)
If ball hits bat 2-inch off sweet spot = then 2 to 3-mph DECREASE in Ball Exit Speed (that’s 8 to 12-feet less distance!)
If ball hits bat 3-inch off sweet spot = then 3 to 4-mph DECREASE in Ball Exit Speed (that’s 12 to 16-feet less distance!)
So, not only are hitters losing bat speed using a batting weight on the on-deck circle, but by barreling up the ball LESS OFTEN, they’re losing batted ball distance as well. Aside from swinging the hitter’s own bat, I’d say swinging a lighter bat – faster – would help the body recruit more of those white fast twitch muscle fibers before stepping in the box.
Your thoughts?
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Learn how to increase hitting power using a bat speed and exit velocity exercises drill formula for baseball, softball, and slow pitch. Discover what is a good ball exit speed off the batting tee by age, and average High School programming. When it comes to ball exit speeds by age, here’s what I like to see by the end of each year, off the tee… (add about 5-mph exit velocity to the following, in game at-bats)
Seniors: 90 to 95-mph
Juniors: 85 to 90-mph
Sophomores: 80 to 85-mph
Frosh: 75 to 80-mph
8th graders: 70 to 75-mph
7th graders: 65 to 70-mph
12 years old: 60 to 65-mph
How To Hit 120.5-mph Ball Exit Speeds Like Josh Donaldson
Amy Gill and Andrew Marden from KSEE24, a local sports news station here in Fresno, CA, put this video together of an HPL Batted Ball Distance Challenge held about a month ago.
We worked primarily on testing “showing the numbers“, and the results were interesting…
Twelve total hitters, ranging in ages from 8-17 years old. Nine of them had been exposed to the HPL system. Two of them had not, and one had minimal exposure.
The familiar ones (control group) gained or lost between -1 to +1-mph of Ball Exit Speed, while the three “newbies” gained between 3 and 10-mph of Ball Exit Speed in one 30-minute session. That’s between 15 to 50-feet of added batted ball distance!!
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.
The Definitive Guide To Measuring, Tracking, & Boosting Ball Exit Speed
Josh Donaldson 120.5-mph Ball Exit Speed homer on April 23, 2015. Photo courtesy: MLB.com
On April 23rd, 2015…
The Toronto Blue Jays’ 3rd baseman, Josh Donaldson, hit a two-run homer to left off Chris Tillman that was clocked at 120.5-mph!
And as of August 18th, according to ESPN’s HitTrackerOnline.com (no longer available), was the highest Ball Exit Speed home-run in 2015. By the way, this topped Giancarlo Stanton’s highest Ball Exit Speed homer, in the same year, by 3.2-mph (117.3-mph).
How does Josh Donaldson do it?
I mean, come on!
Giancarlo Stanton, also referred to as “Bigfoot”, stands at a gargantuan 6-foot, 6-inches tall, 240-pounds. And from what I hear, has about 3-4% bodyfat.
On the other hand, Josh Donaldson stands in at mere 6-foot, 220-pounds.
Talk about David & Goliath!
But what little realize about David was that he was an expert marksman from long range. So he never had to go toe-to-toe with Goliath.
David had a better strategy. And so do small sluggers like Josh Donaldson.
In this post, we’ll be talking about Ball Exit Speed (BES), also known as Speed Off the Bat (SOB), or simply Exit Speed. We’ll learn:
What affects Ball Exit Speeds?
What is the Desirable Minimum Effective Dosage (MED) for Ball Exit Speed? And
How-to increase Ball Exit Speed…
What Affects Ball Exit Speeds?
“What gets measured gets managed.” – Peter Drucker
Recently, I use a Pocket Radar Ball Coach to measure the Ball Exit Speeds of my hitters, off the tee, before and after each session.
It’s not radar gun accuracy we’re looking for here, but an apples to apples comparison. Here’s what we’re comparing, using the radar gun, before and after each hitting session:
Did the hitter beat a personal record (PR), and/or
How consistent and stable their Ball Exit Speed readings are, or whether they’re jumping all over the place.
Unlike bat speed, there are many things that can affect the speed of the ball coming off the bat:
Bat Composition (BESR rating) – Wood v. non-wood. End loaded v. more balanced weight. Bat size and weight.
Ball Composition (COR rating) – Plastic balls v. rawhide. Corked core v. rubber. Higher v. lower seams.
Hitter’s Arm/Leg Length vs Body Mass – In my opinion I think limb length is more of a factor than body mass. And Physicist Dr. Alan Nathan has confirmed this.
Ball Spin Rate – Backspin and topspin, in addition to the coveted knuckle-ball will all affect BES differently.
Effective Mechanics – the better a hitter is at effectively using human movement rules that are validated by science, the better energy transfer from body to barrel to ball.
Pitching Velocity – From what I’ve heard and seen, pitch speed can add between 10-20-mph to Ball Exit Speeds, say from off the tee.
Fatigue – sleep, over-training, nutrition, and supplementation. CLICK HERE for Zach Calhoon’s recovery shake mix.
Warm Up Factor – I noticed in my latest Zepp swing experiment, that I didn’t consistently hit 90+mph Ball Exit Speed, off the tee, until I reached about the 75 swing mark.
Learning New Hitting Mechanics – I’ve noticed with my hitters that when we introduce a brand new hitting movement into their swing, their Ball Exit Speeds drop between one to four-mph. But if it’s something we’ve covered before, then they may actually increase by one to four-mph.
Timing – If a hitter is too late, and doesn’t allow his or her bat speed to mature, then Ball Exit Speeds will be lower. If a hitter is too early, and their bat speed has begun to decelerate, then Ball Exit Speeds will also go down.
Environment – Humidity dampens Ball Exit Speeds (pun intended). So does a head wind, duh. On the other hand, hitting in dry hotter climates OR in Denver, Colorado, Ball Exit Speeds will increase because the air is less dense.
Hitting the Sweet Spot – Hitting the ball on the end of the bat, or closer to the hands will decrease Ball Exit Speed, while consistently hitting the sweet spot will boost it.
Bat Speed at Impact – Most of the time Ball Exit Speeds will be higher than Bat Speed at Impact. With my Zepp swing experiments off the tee, it looks to be about a 6-mph difference.
Strength and conditioning – this can help but shouldn’t be the highest priority. This should be the cherry on top.
Mobility and stability – if you move better, then you perform better. Simple as that. This MUST be a high priority not just to increase BES, but to minimize an athlete’s risk for injury.
'Add 40-Feet' To Batted Ball Distance
Swing Study reveals how tens of thousands of hitters are adding 40-feet to batted ball distance by using one simple strategy.
Click the button below to access the FREE video that's been downloaded over 30K times!!
“Computers can track a ball’s exit velocity, launch angle, hang time and spin rate, 100 mph, the speed necessary for most home runs; 75 mph, commonly the break-even pace for a ground ball to skip through the infield for a hit; and four seconds, the inflection point for fly ball hang-time, with any remaining in the air that long before getting caught.”
You may be wondering, what is the launch angle for a typical home-run? According to the following Sports Science video, about 20-degrees:
According to a Beyond the Boxscore article titled, Do Hard Hit Ground-balls Produce More Errors?, that there is no significant increase in errors, at the Major League level, until Ball Exit Speeds reach and go beyond 95-mph.
Ball Exit Speed is being used to evaluate upcoming professionals, and can decide who starts,
Managers can use Ball Exit Speeds to see if there’s a drop off in a hitter’s Ball Exit Speed, which may reveal the player is hurt or needs to adjust their mechanics, and
Teams can shift their infielders back with hitters clocking higher Ball Exit Speeds.
“MLB average exit speed is 103 mph, bat speed ranges roughly from 70-85 mph. 1 mph of additional exit speed makes the ball go 5 more feet. This would be roughly 4 feet for 1-mph bat speed – which is less than the 7-8 feet we have heard from other studies.”
Based on the information above, ideally the MED Ball Exit Speed, for the average Little Leaguer, would be 40-mph BES (40-mph BES X 5-feet = 200-feet of distance). I want my Little Leaguers to get to 50-mph BES, for the fields that have 220-foot fences. And of course launch angle is a huge factor in this.
And on the big field, it looks like 95-mph Ball Exit Speed is the MED because that means the hitter has the ability to hit the ball 475-feet (95-mph BES X 5-feet of distance). Furthermore, the fact that Beyond the Boxscore’s observations about errors not increasing until Ball Exit Speeds reach 95-mph.
How-to Increase Ball Exit Speed
“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.” – Mark Twain
So, what advantage does a small slugger like Josh Donaldson have over Giancarlo “Bigfoot” Stanton?
Here’s the secret to boosting Ball Exit Speeds…
Tinker and Test.
Remember, Peter Drucker’s quote above?
“What gets measured gets managed.”
Here’s what to do to ensure a healthy increase in Ball Exit Speeds:
CLICK HERE to read the definitive guide to running swing experiments,
Choose an HPL “Topic” in the navigation bar above, or search for one in the upper right hand corner of the website, and start testing.
Stop analyzing big hitters. Instead look at the small sluggers, and see what they’re doing to compete, such as: Cano, McCutchen, Donaldson, Bautista, Vogt, Beltre, Braun, Pedroia (averages 44 doubles and 15 homers a season), Victor Martinez, Edwin Encarnacion, David Wright, Hank Aaron, Sadaharu Oh, and Mickey Mantle.
Do you have anything to add to the discussion? Please REPLY below…
'Add 40-Feet' To Batted Ball Distance
Swing Study reveals how tens of thousands of hitters are adding 40-feet to batted ball distance by using one simple strategy.
Click the button below to access the FREE video that's been downloaded over 30K times!!
https://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/How-To-Increase-Baseball-Softball-Hitting-Power-Bat-Speed-And-Exit-Velocity-Formula-Drills.png423800Joey Myershttps://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/hitting-performance-labs_c90c0362088ef1d3d528f3078f4f8ac1-300x75.pngJoey Myers2022-08-08 09:45:222022-08-15 05:07:09How To Increase Hitting Power: Bat Speed And Exit Velocity Exercise Formula For Baseball, Softball, & Slow Pitch Drills | What Is Good Off Tee By Age & Average High School Program
, I wanted to use the Scientific Method to analyze if “Blocking”, or using Ground Reaction Forces (GRF), produces a significant gain in bat speed.
and Tripod, and
.
, I don’t believe that it is.
, by Thomas Myers, and
, by Dr. Serge Gracovetsky.
. For a teased out version of this,
by leading author Dr. Erik Dalton.
,
to measure the Ball Exit Speeds of my hitters, off the tee, before and after each session.
and/or a 
