Have you ever wondered how baseball players are able to crush 400 foot homeruns? It takes years and years to perfect a baseball swing to be able to do that. Swinging a bat and hitting a baseball is a lot more difficult than most people think. The pros make it look so easy because they have to perfect many mechanics just to hit a ball hard on the sweet spot of the bat. “Hitting is the single most difficult thing to do in sport.” this coming from Ted Williams, one of the greatest hitters of all time. Hitting a baseball requires more mechanical precision compared to other sports (Williams).
When baseball first started, the scores would be very low because no one knew how important the mechanics of the baseball swing were. This period of time was known as the Dead Ball Era. Players would lunge at the pitch and swing as hard as they possibly could. These actions lead to very low scoring games and only relied on the speed of the players. Babe Ruth was the first player to be known as a power hitter. He relied on power and set the record for most home runs in a year, which was 29 in 1919. That is nothing compared to today. Chris Davis of the Baltimore Orioles hit 53 home runs this past season. As time went on, people started to realize that there should be more emphasis placed on the mechanics of the swing to make the game more exciting (Epstein).
One of the biggest hitting philosophies today is linear hitting. This philosophy was created around the late 70s. This method was created by one of the greatest hitters of all time, Ted Williams. Linear hitting relies on a player’s hips leading his hands to the ball. Baseball hitters who employ this method usually have high averages and are not looking to crush the ball. The whole point of t...
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Epstein, Mike. "Pre 1920: The Linear Hitting Technique." www. mikeepsteinhitting.com. N.p., n.d. Web.
Gwynn, Tony. The Art of Hitting. 1st ed. New York: GT Publishing Corporation, 1998. 1-144. Print.
Johnson , Tedd. "Linear vs. Rotational Hitting." www.trainbaseball.com. N.p., n.d. Web. .
Jones, Robin. Personal Interview. 11 Nov 2013.nmj
Lau, Charlie. The Art of Hitting .300. 1st ed. New York: Penguin Books, 1991. 1-200. Print.
O’Leary, Chris. "Rotational Hitting 101." www.chrisoleary.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Feb 2014.
Williams, Ted. The Science of Hitting. 1st ed. New York: Touchstone, 2013. 1-66. Print.
When asked to name great hitters, fans would probably mention the likes of Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, and Ted Williams. It would not come as a surprise if they forgot to include the Georgia Peach, Ty Cobb, on their list. The reason for their forgetfulness stems from the era in which Cobb played. Beginning his career in 1905, Cobb played baseball through the period dubbed “the dead ball era.” During this era (1900-1919), players hit marginally fewer homeruns than players from other eras. The reason for this homerun shortage resulted from the baseball used at the time. Indeed, the ball had no life. Loosely wound, one baseball often served throughout an entire game. Moreover, larger ball fields also kept the homerun totals down (“1900-1919”). Legal pitches also included the spitball, a terrib...
The game of baseball has changed ever since Babe Ruth has joined the league. He has changed the game with the amount of power he brings to the plate. Right now with the Yankees, he has showed how amazing he is and has helped make the Yankees popular by winning a few World Series and breaking many homerun records. For Babe to come into the league, it took a little help to get noticed.
Baseball has been of the longest living sports in our world today. The game started with the idea of a stick and ball and now has become one of the most complex sports known in our society. Several rules and regulations have been added to help enhance the game for everyone. Although baseball has endured several issues during its history and development of the game the game has still been a success throughout the world.
The game of baseball can be divided into three broad categories: hitting, pitching, and defense. No other facet of the game gets as much attention as hitting. For example, every year the MLB puts on a home run derby. No other part of the game draws as much attention. The traditional statistic that measure hitting ability is batting average (BA or AVG). To find a players batting averag...
Torque is another key ingredient to a good power hitter, or even a good hitter. Torque is the result of two forces being applied to an object in opposite directions. In this case the two forces are being applied from the hands and wrists onto the bat. As you start your swing, instead of moving your hands directly at the ball, you want your hands to start a rotation. The top hand begins to move backwards while the lead arm drives the end of the bat towards the ball. The torque invloved is created around the point of the bat that lies between your hands. This torque greatly accelerates the head of the bat which will have act with a greater force when (or if ) it comes into contact with the ball.
Chad Harbach’s The Art of Fielding focuses on Henry, a small town boy that learns the value of life through the sport of baseball. Henry comes from humble beginnings of small town America, but suffers from a case of perfectionism – he will not stop short of achieving total perfection and this will eventually lead to his demise. He meets Mike Schwartz, a college baseball player that convinces him that college baseball is his future. Henry’s curiosity gets the best of him as he stumbles into the dark, cutthroat, and competitive world of college athletics. Once he steps foot in this world, Henry’s hunger for perfection is amplified. He sees the real world of athletics and
before his missed swing, the wide-spread stride. of a man picked off his base, the intensity. on the new man's face. as he waits on deck and fans the air. Murray 837)
Baseball is not a difficult game to comprehend, but it can a very long time to achieve a high level of performance. Usually one starts playing this game at a very young age and the first thing they start out with is throwing. Throwing a baseball involves exploiting all major muscle groups in the body to generate a large torque on the arm that will in turn create a high potential for speed when it is released.
Texas Tech has proven that hitting a softball is way harder to hit than a baseball. A softball pitcher is very close to you at the pitcher's mound. If you are in the batter's box it feels like they are right on top of you especially since most softball pitchers can be up to about 6 feet in height. It is scientifically proven that a softball player has less time to react to the ball because of the distance and speed of the pitch. Also, softball pitchers not only throw hard, but they also throw tricky pitches to hit. The pitch that rises upwards is called a rise ball. When this pitch comes in, most coaches will say just let it go instead of risking this pitch. Baseball players throw breaking balls, but unlike in softball they don't suddenly leap up right as you're going to swing at it. Pitchers in softball can also throw a curve ball that curves away from the batter but still in the strike zone. A screw ball moves closer to the batter. Same as a curve ball it is still in the strike zone just right on the edge of it. Softball players throw many more change ups than in baseball. Change ups catch the player off guard causing them to swing and become frustrated with themselves. As you can tell softball pitchers don't mess around using every inch of the plate to pitch the ball and strike the batter
Baseball is known as America’s national pastime, and has been played for over 100 years. Baseball can be a lot of fun, but is also extremely challenging to play, especially when trying to hit a 90 mile per hour fastball. I am a very devoted baseball player myself, and over the years I have learned numerous key things about the game. Baseball does not only require physical strength to hit and throw the ball, but it also requires a great mindset, such as, mental preparedness, concentration, and a positive attitude. Mental preparedness separates the average baseball player from the elite ones.
Marsden, Malcolm M. If You Really Want To Know: A Catcher Casebook. Chicago: Scott, Foresman and Company, 1963.
Baseball has always been America’s natural past time. Many fans love watching baseball but do not realize how hard it is to prepare for a season. Most fans think the players just show up on the first day. I think this belief is completely false. I feel that preparing for a baseball season requires much preparation. The preparation I use includes working on my swing, working out, and studying other people’s ideas on hitting. These steps are necessary for me to have a successful season. These steps have proven to be a valuable aid in helping me to prepare for the season. I believe these steps are the basic steps to becoming a great baseball player.
Simon, Scott. 2002. Jackie Robinson and the integration of Baseball. Turning points. Hoboken, N.J.: J. Wiley & Sons.
This game of a stick and ball has captivated the United States during good and bad times. In either time most of us today can remember stories of players from the late 1800’s to early 1900’s. These are legendary figures in the sport of baseball that have are celebrated as hero’s and in scandal, i...
Marsden, Malcolm M. If You Really Want To Know: A Catcher Casebook. Chicago: Scott, Foresman and Company, 1963.