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Dr. Mike Marshall's Baseball Batting MechanicsI have organized most of your hitting instructions into one document which I have attached to this message. All of the instructions are your direct quotes. For organizational purposes, I added the following sub-headings: 01. Dr. Marshall's Three Laws of Force Application for Baseball Batters; 02. Set-Up; 03. Swing Preparation; 04. Swing - Arm Actions; 05. Swing - Body Actions; 06. Timing; Training/Drills; 07. Common Errors and 08. Articles. I will change the sub-headings at your request. I will continue to add to this document as you present new information about baseball batting. If any of your other readers would like a copy, they can e-mail me and I will reply with the document attached. --------------------------------------------- DR. MIKE MARSHALL’S BATTING INSTRUCTIONS Dr. Mike Marshall’s Three Laws of Force Application for Baseball Batters Dr. Mike Marshall’s Three Laws of Force Application for Baseball Batters are based on Sir Isaac Newton’s Three Laws of Motion from his book, Principia. Dr. Marshall says: “Sir Isaac Newton’s first law of motion, the law of inertia, says: Objects prefer to remain at rest or in straight line motion until external forces act on them. My first law of force application for baseball batters would be: Baseball batters should apply straight line force to the center of mass of their baseball bats from the moment they start to drive their rear hand forward until the center of mass of the baseball bat stops moving forward. Sir Isaac Newton’s second law of motion, the law of acceleration, says: The acceleration of objects is directly proportional to the force that external entities apply to them and inversely proportional to the mass of the objects. In formula form, this law becomes force equals mass multiplied by acceleration, where acceleration is the change in velocity divided by the time required for that change in velocity of occur. My second law of force application for baseball batters would be: The maximum velocity of the center of mass of the baseball bats equals the amount of straight line force that baseball batters apply to that center of mass multiplied by the time that they applied that force divided by the mass of the baseball bat, where mass equals the weight in pounds divided by gravity. Sir Isaac Newton’s third law of motion, the law of reaction, says: Every action force has an equal and oppositely-directed reaction force. My third law of force application for baseball batters would be: For baseball batters to apply greater straight line force to the pitched baseball, they must apply greater straight line force away from the pitched baseball.” Set-Up “I teach my baseball batters to use their rear arm in the same manner as when boxers throw a straight punch. Therefore, to maximize the distance over which they can throw this straight punch, I have them begin with their rear hand close to their rear ear, such that their thumb can touch their ear lobe.” “With their rear hand near their rear ear, baseball batters have their rear elbow maximally flexed. From this position, they can maximally extend their rear elbow. When the baseball bat is level, baseball batters have the rear arm maximally supinated. From this position, they can maximally pronate their rear forearm.” “Because I teach baseball batters to powerfully flex their shoulder joint, extend their elbow joint and pronate their forearm, I have them hold their upper arm vertical and close to their body, tightly bend their elbow and hold their rear hand just below their rear side ear, such that, with their rear hand thumb, they can touch the lobe of their ear.” “I teach my batters to keep their upper body erect with their shoulders level. I want the center of mass of the baseball bat at the same height as their hands, which is just below the rear side ear lobe.” “The rear hand grips the baseball bat like a fist. Therefore, the proximal phalanges of the second through fifth digit face toward the pitcher.” “I also want their front upper arm tight to their body.” “. . . while they are in their stance, I teach my baseball batters to keep the muscles that raise their front elbow calm, quiet and relaxed.” “I recommend that baseball batters have their rear arm tightly bent with their rear elbow close to their body and their rear hand close to the ear, much like boxers, but with a lower hand position and their front arm also tightly bent with their with their front elbow as close to their rear elbow as the musculature across the front of their chest allows.” Swing Preparation “In preparation for the powerful forward rotation of their hips and shoulders, I teach my baseball batters to keep their head absolutely still and relative to their body, keep their front and lead arms absolutely still and smoothly maximally reverse rotate their hips and shoulders. Because baseball batters perform this action before they step forward with their front foot, they should keep their body weight evenly distributed. Because baseball batters need to powerfully rotate their body, they should not move their head.” “Baseball batters cannot stride differently depending on where the pitched baseball crosses the contact line. They should step straight toward the pitcher. They should step no further than they would when they walk. It is critical that they keep their center of mass absolutely still.” “Baseball batters have to have their front foot on the ground in time to rotate their hips and shoulders into the proper position which to drive their rear hand at the fastest pitched baseball when it crosses the contact line.” “Throughout the hip and shoulder reverse rotation to their “Ready” position, I want baseball batters to hold their bats perpendicular to their acromial line.” “. . . when they start their short front foot step, I want baseball batters to raise their front forearm such that when their rear hand approaches the location on the contact line where they anticipate that the pitched baseball will cross, they can powerfully snap their front elbow downwardly against their body. This action initiates the force coupling of the front and rear arms.” “The problem with keeping their head still comes from their forward step with their front foot. Therefore, I recommend that baseball batters learn how to step forward with as little forward movement of their heads as possible. To do this, I teach baseball batters to comfortably lower the center of mass of their body with their torso and head erect and their feet comfortably spread. Then, without changing the height of the center of mass of their body, move their front foot back about one-quarter of the distance between their feet. In this way, when they step with their front foot, they will put their foot back to where they felt comfortably spread and they will not move their head forward.” “During the preparatory phase of baseball batting, when batters reverse rotate their hips and shoulders to parallel with the line from the pitching rubber to home plate, both feet stay firmly planted on the ground.” “All skills, Initiator and Responder, need a ‘trigger’ action that precedes the performance of those skills. For baseball batting, I recommend ‘loading’ the rear arm much in the same way that boxers get ready to punch straight forward with their rear hand. That is, a subtle reverse rotation of their acromial line.” “For baseball batting, to start the reverse rotation of the hips and shoulders, I want my batters to subtly point the bat at the pitchers mound.” “With my baseball batting motion, baseball batters have to get their rear hand in proper straight rear hand punch position at precisely the right moment. That moment is immediately before they start to forwardly rotate their upper body. If they get their rear hand in position too early, then they have to hold their hand in that position for too long and they lose the momentum of their rear hand. If they get their rear hand in position too late, then their rear hand cannot catch up with their body and apply force through contact.” “When pitchers release their pitch, I recommend that baseball batters keep their rear and front arms in this position while they reverse rotate their hips and shoulders to parallel with the line between home plate and the middle of the pitching rubber. I call this position my ‘Locked’ position where baseball batters lock their rear and front upper arms with their body.” Swing – Arm Actions “The ‘Ready’ position for the rear arm in baseball batting is the moment in the swing immediately before the rear arm applies force to the baseball bat to drive the center of mass of the baseball bat toward the location on the contact line where baseball batters anticipate that the pitched baseball will cross.” “I teach my baseball batters to use their rear arm in the same manner as when boxers throw a straight punch.” “With regard to the action of the rear arm in baseball batting, I compare it to boxers throwing a straight rear arm punch to their opponents’ nose. That movement is most powerful when baseball batters keep their rear upper arm vertical, that is, close to their rib cage.” “I teach my hitters to drive their rear hand straight forward perpendicular to their acromial line. I want them to powerfully extend their rear elbow and pronate their rear forearm, wrist, hand, and fingers, such that the center of mass of the baseball bat moves straight toward the pitched baseball.” “As the rear hand approaches the contact zone, I want my hitters to hyperextend the muscles that ulnar flex the rear wrist. Therefore, at the moment when my hitters start to ulnar flex their rear wrist, I want them to pull back on the end of the baseball bat with their front hand. These parallel and oppositely-directed forces combine to accelerate the center of mass of the baseball bat through contact. This is called force coupling.” “. . . while the visible pronation appears to occur after batters hit the baseball, in actuality, batters have to start pronating before they hit the baseball.” “Although it varies to some degree depending on the height of the pitch, in general, I teach my baseball batters that they should have their bat level through the contact zone. Therefore, because when they have their bat level, baseball batters must have the palm of their rear arm facing upward, I recommend that they have the palm of their rear hand facing upward at impact of the center of mass of the baseball bat with the pitched baseball. Even though my batters are powerfully pronating their rear forearm, wrist, hand, and fingers through contact, the inertial mass of the baseball bat keeps the bat level until well after contact when the rear hand drives over top of the front hand. And even then, the centripetal imperative of the movement of the center of mass of the baseball bat will remain horizontal.” “After they have appropriately forwardly rotated their acromial line to perpendicular to where the pitched baseball crosses the contact line, baseball batters should drive their rear arm straight toward the pitched baseball.” “Until baseball batters appropriately forwardly rotate their acromial line, they do not move their rear hand. After they have appropriately forwardly rotated their acromial line, they drive the center of mass of their baseball bat straight to where the pitched baseball intersects the contact line. Therefore, relative to their acromial line, baseball batters always drive their rear arm in straight lines toward the pitched baseballs.” “When baseballs intersect the contact line on the outside of home plate, I recommend that baseball batters drive the center of mass toward the opposite field. Therefore, I teach my batters to drive their rear arm toward the opening between the two infielders on the opposite side of the infield.” “When baseballs intersect the contact line in the middle of home plate, I recommend that baseball batters drive the center of mass toward center field. Therefore, I teach my batters to drive their rear arm toward the pitcher.” “When baseballs intersect the contact line on the inside of home plate, I recommend that baseball batters drive the center of mass toward the pull field. Therefore, I teach my batters to drive their rear arm toward the opening between the two infielders on the pull side of the infield.” “. . . the critical element in the baseball batting skill is the force-coupling during the contact zone that the front arm provides.” “With both arms, I tell them to start their baseball bat forward with their rear arm until the thrown baseball nears the contact line. Then, I tell them to simultaneously continue to powerfully drive their rear hand forward and snap their front elbow downward and pull the front hand backward parallel to the driveline of the rear arm.” “. . . while they continue to powerfully extend their rear batting elbow and pronate their rear batting forearm, to stop the forward movement of the handle of the bat, batters should powerfully flex their front batting elbow and supinate their front batting forearm. “. . . while they start to forwardly rotate their hips and shoulders into the proper position, I teach my batters to smoothly and calmly raise their front upper arm to its proper position.” “Hitters should keep the center of mass of the bat as close to the hitting zone as possible. This means a slightly above the shoulder horizontal bat at the start and moving the center of mass downward to the contact height during the swing.” “Unless the pitched baseball is at the same height as the rear ear lobe of the batter, they must make a downward adjustment with the center of mass of the baseball bat. However, like an airplane landing on a runway, I do not want them to take the center of mass of the baseball bat below the pitched baseball, but rather to that height and horizontally forward from there.” Swing – Body Actions “For outside pitches, baseball batters should forwardly rotate their acromial line to forty degrees behind perpendicular.” “For middle pitches, baseball batters should forwardly rotate their acromial line to perpendicular.” “For inside pitches, baseball batters should forwardly rotate their acromial line to forty degrees in front of perpendicular.” “For baseball batters want to rotate their body, they initiate that rotation with their rear leg. After their front foot contacts the ground, they can start forwardly rotating their hips. After their hips have forwardly rotated to perpendicular to where the batters want to drive their rear arm, they can start forwardly rotating their shoulders (acromial line).” “The rear knee determines the direction of the straight line drive of the rear arm." “If the pitched baseball is on the outside corner of home plate, then baseball batters should point the rear knee between the opposite field infielders.” “If the pitched baseball is in the middle of home plate, then baseball batters should point the rear knee at the pitcher.” “If the pitched baseball is on the inside corner of home plate, then baseball batters should point the rear knee between the pull field infielders.” “Because the shoulders are the foundation from which baseball batters drive their rear hand straight toward the pitched baseball, the acromial line will stop forwardly rotating until the momentum of the forward movement of the center of mass of the baseball bat pulls their rear shoulder forward.” “Baseball batters only forwardly rotate their hips and shoulders to perpendicular to the appropriate driveline for their rear arm. Also, the forward rotation of the hips and shoulders properly positions the center of mass of the baseball bat for the straight line drive of the rear arm.” “While I recommend that baseball batters stand upright, if they must swing at low pitches, I prefer that, to keep their swing as horizontal as possible, they bend their knees to lower their body.” “In baseball batting, the hips rotate first and snap to a stop at perpendicular to the driveline to the rear arm to contact of the pitched baseball. The inertial mass of the upper body and shoulders elongates the muscles that forwardly rotate the upper body and shoulders. When these muscles overcome the inertia, they powerfully forwardly snap the shoulders to perpendicular to the driveline to contact with the pitched baseball, where they also snap to a stop.” “All ballistic/explosive motor skills that use the arms, such as . . . baseball batting . . ., build to the critical moment. This means that athletes initiate the acceleration with their legs, which come to a stop, continue with their hips, which come to a stop, continue with their shoulders, which come to a stop and finish with their arms driving through release.” “In baseball batting, to see pitched baseballs, baseball batters must keep their head absolutely still. Therefore, the purpose of the front foot is to stabilize the center of mass of the body, such that baseball batters can forwardly rotate their hips and shoulders about an absolutely vertical axis.” Timing “I determined the contact line for baseball batting is forty degrees to the front edge of home plate. This means that baseball batters should contact pitched on the outside of home plate farther behind the front edge of home plate than they should contact pitches on the inside of home plate.” “I recommend baseball batters keep their head absolutely still. When they keep their head still, they keep their eyes still. When they keep their eyes still, they have a better chance of seeing the baseball. When they clearly see the baseball, they have a better chance of correctly predicting where the pitched baseball will cross the contact line.” “Baseball batters must step forward and get their front foot on the ground before the pitched baseball gets too close as to prevent their ability to powerfully move the center of mass of the baseball bat to the contact zone. This means that I prefer baseball batters do not step any farther than they would have to move the center of mass of their body forward.” “The two critical elements for highly successful baseball batters are for baseball batters to: 01. correctly anticipate where the pitched baseball will cross the contact line and 02. correctly drive the center of mass of the baseball bat directly at that spot, such that it simultaneously arrives with the pitched baseball.” Training/Drills “To teach my batters how to perform this skill, I have them hold the baseball bat near the middle and practice swinging their baseball bat with only their rear arm and, then, with only their front arm. With only their rear arm, I tell them to punch straight at where the thrown baseball crosses the contact line and powerfully pronate their rear forearm through release. With only their front arm, I tell them to start with their front elbow abducted to shoulder height locked with their body and their elbow bent at ninety degrees. Then, when the baseball approaches the contact line, I tell them to powerfully snap their front elbow down to their side and drive the back of their front hand straight toward the baseball.” “. . . baseball batters should never swing anything heavier than their game bats. However, they can swing lighter bats or implements. For example, for youngsters, I have them swing appropriately adjusted broom handles at whiffle balls. For adults, I have them swing appropriately adjusted shovel handles at tennis balls.” “. . . baseball batters can not only appropriately stress their rear and front arms with hitting implements that weight less than two pounds, but they can also better perform the batting mechanics, which improves their motor unit contraction and relaxation sequences.” “. . . underloading is valuable for improving batting strength and skill. . . the precise force application technique is critical. The lighter weight helps youngsters learn while they get sufficiently strong to swing regular bats as they swing the lighter ones.” “Underloading strengthens muscles when youngsters practice some number of swings at maximum intensity over some number of sets. When I coached college baseball, I used twenty-four swings and four sets with my shovel handle-tennis ball underloading drill.” “When my baseball batters do my rear arm only drill, I have them grab their belt on the rear arm side of their body with their front hand. Otherwise, they should use their body in the manner I describe for baseball batters.” “When my baseball batters do my front arm only drill, I have them grab their belt on the front of their body with their rear hand. Otherwise, they should use their body in the manner I describe for baseball batters.” “I never work with batting tees.” “To teach my baseball batters how to rotate their acromial lines to perpendicular to the driveline for high-away pitches, I tell them that my pitchers are going to throw baseball into the high-away square and that they are to drive the baseball through the infield opening between the opposite side infielders. And so on. After they forwardly rotate their acromial line to perpendicular to the driveline to where they should hit the baseball, I tell them to ‘punch’ their rear arm directly at the appropriate infield opening.” “The key to improving bat head velocity is technique.” “To start, I recommend whiffle bats and balls with one-handed drills. I recommend that they start with high, outside pitches that they hit to the opposite field and work downward and inward through the nine pitch locations. After they develop sufficient skill, I recommend appropriately sized and safety-designed shovel handles and tennis balls. Lastly, I recommend baseball bats and baseballs. For the one-handed drills, batters will have to hold the bat about the length of their forearm above the knob end of the bat. Depending of the pitch location, the rear arm straight line drives the center of mass of the bat toward the opposite field for outside pitches, toward center field for middle pitches and the pull field for inside pitches.” “Baseball batting is a complex motor skill. Therefore, hitters should start to learn the critical elements of the skill separately. As I discussed before, I start with drills for the rear arm only. After hitters demonstrate appropriate strength and skill, I continue with rear arm only and add drills for the front arm only. After hitter demonstrate appropriate strength and skill, I continue with rear arm only, with front arm only and add force coupling drills for both arms. And so on.” “I would have him complete one set of rear arm only swings at high and away fastballs that I would want him to hit on the ground to the opposite field. I would start with twelve swings per set. After the appropriate rest, I would have him complete one set of front arm only swings at high and away fastballs that I would want him to hit on the ground to the opposite field. After the appropriate rest, I would have him complete one set of both arms high and away fastballs that I would want him to hit on the ground to the opposite field. After each week, I would increase the number of repetitions by three until they total ninety-six. I would continue with high and inside and middle and away fastballs, middle and middle and middle and inside fastballs, low and away and low and middle fastballs and, lastly, low and inside fastball and random locations.” “I recommend that baseball batters stay at the same resistance for six days to allow their body to adapt to the stress. However, it is equally important that they learn how to drive the center of mass of the striking implement in straight lines to the ball. With baseball batting, the resistance is the hitting implement. For my first day, I would use broom handles and whiffle balls. I would start with twelve repetitions. I would train the rear arm only, front arm only, and both hands. I would throw the ball from fifteen feet away to the batters’ high and away location. With the rear arm only drill. I would have them ‘punch’ at the ball with powerful forearm pronation action, such that the implement ended its movement below the front shoulder. With the front arm only drill. I would have them snap their front upper arm downward to their side with their front elbow bent and powerfully supinate their forearm, such that the implement ended its movement below the front shoulder. With the both hands drill, I would have batters hold the hitting implement the length of their forearm up from the handle with their hands one-half inch apart. I would ask them to start with their hands in front of their face. To strike the ball, I would tell them to first straight line ‘punch’ with their rear arm, then just before they contact the ball, pull straight backward parallel to the force of the rear arm. The implement should end its movement below the front shoulder. After two days at each level, I would increase the repetitions for each drill from twelve to fifteen to eighteen, to twenty-one and to twenty-four. I would keep hitters at seventy-two total repetitions for six days. Then, each week of training, I would increase the repetitions to thirty, thirty-six, forty-two, and forty-eight. This requires forty-two days. Now, we have to coordinate the pitch locations with these days. If we stay with each pitch location for six days, then we have seven pitch locations that we can practice. I recommend that we skip the high and middle and low and middle pitch locations. After forty-two days with the broom handle and whiffle balls, I would repeat the program with the shovel handles and tennis balls. After forty-two days with the shovel handles and tennis balls, I would repeat the program with baseball bats and baseballs.” “I want all practice to as precisely as possible simulate the competitive activity. Therefore, I only have baseball batters swing at pitches thrown to them from the direction of the pitchers mound.” “. . . because, during the early learning stages, I want to minimize body action, I have my batters first practice with balls thrown on the opposite side of home plate from where they stand.” “I recommend that batting coaches only use tees for the initial phase of the youngsters learning how to properly use their rear and front arms. After that, I prefer that they only hit balls thrown from the direction of the pitching rubber and thrown on straight lines to the appropriate locations. . . Batters must respond in practice to the same stimuli that they see in competition.” “For me to teach the force application for my baseball batting swing and complete the basic interval-training program requires one-hundred and forty days. For them to master the skills always takes longer.” “When teaching baseball batting, it is all stimulus/response reaction. This means that coaches must teach baseball batters how to perfectly respond to pitched baseballs. Therefore, the first skill baseball batters need is the perfect swing. Once they can perform the perfect swing, then they need to apply that swing to specific stimuli. I start with High-Away fastballs. I have my throwers twenty-five feet away. . . If batter use my force-coupling baseball batting swing properly and drive these pitches on one hop between the infielders on the opposite side of the field five-hundred times, then we move to the High-Middle pitches. In my program, baseball batters swing at twenty-four pitches four times a practice session. We work in groups of six with each taking turns as thrower, batter and pick-up the baseball guys.” Common Errors “Baseball batters have ‘loops’ in their swings for two reasons: 01. When, in their ‘Ready’ position from which they start their bat toward the pitched baseball, baseball batters hold the center of mass of their bat above their head. This causes them to have to move the center of mass steeply downward to the height of the baseball. If the pitch is a high fastball, the steep descent of the center of mass of the bat causes them to over-shoot the height of the baseball, such that they have to then try to raise the bat’s center of mass to the height of the baseball. 02. From their “Ready’ position, after they have appropriately forwardly rotated their acromial line into position to attack the contact zone, if they use their front arm to pull their baseball bat forward, then the center of mass of the bat rapidly drops to the height of the front arm pull action, such that it moves below the height of the baseball.” “The ‘traditional’ baseball swing has baseball batters using their front arm to pull the baseball bat forward. As a result, the inertial masses of the baseball bat and their front arm pin the upper arm of their front arm against their chest. Because, from this position, the front arm can never apply any parallel and oppositely-directed force to the handle of the baseball bat, these batters cannot force-couple. This is the swing that benefits the fast-twitch muscle fiber genetically superior.” Articles “Overload for the Quick Bat” – Athletic Journal – 1967 “Specific Weight Training for Baseball” – Journal of Strength and Health – 1967 --------------------------------------------- After typing this document, I have several 'new' questions: 1. In one answer, you write, "When the baseball bat is level, baseball batters have their rear arm maximally supinated." In another answer, you write, "Throughout the hip and shoulder reverse rotation to their 'Ready" position, I want baseball batters to hold their bats perpendicular to their acromial line." It seems that if the rear forearm were maximally supinated, then the bat would be parallel, rather than perpendicular, to the acromial line so that the top end of the bat points away from the pitcher. Would you clarify this? 2. In one answer, you write, "... when they start their short front foot step, I want baseball batters to raise their front forearm... ." In another answer, you write, "... while they start to forwardly rotate their hips and shoulders into the proper position, I teach my batters to smoothly smoothly and calmly raise their front upper arm to its proper position." Do you want batters to raise their front upper arm when they step or when they begin to forwardly rotate their hips and shoulders? 3. You write in one answer, "During the preparatory phase of baseball batting ..., batters reverse rotate their hips and shoulders to parallel to the line from the pitching rubber to home plate... ." Do you recommend an open starting position where the batters' acromial line is positioned so the chest faces the pitcher? 4. In one answer you write, "... I teach baseball batters to comfortably lower the center of mass of their body with their torso and head erect and their feet comfortably spread. Then, without changing the height of the center of mass of their body, move their front foot back about one quarter of the distance between their feet. In this way, when they step with their front foot, they will put their foot back to where they felt comfortably spread and they will not move their head forward." In another answer you write, "During the preparatory phase of baseball batting, when batters reverse rotate their hips and shoulders... , both feet stay firmly planted." When during the swing do you teach batters to move their front foot back? 5. In one answer you write, "With the both hands drill, I would have batters hold the hitting implement the length of their forearm up from the handle with their hands one-half inch apart. I would ask them to start with their hands in front of their face." Why would you have batters hold the bat with their hands one-half inch apart? When batters look toward the pitcher, their faces face toward the pitcher. For batters to start their hands in front of their face from this position would mean that their hands would be in front of their body (closer to the pitcher than their body). Is this correct? While I only have my own interpretation of your baseball batting instructions, I am teaching some of your batting concepts to my batters. Those that come consistently are doing well. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It sounds as though you have done something that I have been meaning to do for years. 01. During the preparation phases of hip and shoulder reverse rotation, I want baseball batters to have the longitudinal axis of their baseball bats perpendicular to their acromial line. This means that from the overhead view, the baseball bat and acromial line are at right angles. During the final acceleration of the baseball bat to contact, I want baseball batters to have their baseball bats horizontal to the ground, i.e., level. To accomplish this, baseball batters must have the palm of their rear arm facing upward. Anatomically, when we have our Radius bone as far away from our Ulna bone as possible, we call this position, supinated. However, while we have the forearm of our rear arm in a supinated position, we are actually pronating that forearm through contact. 02. In preparation for the parallel and oppositely-directed force that I want baseball batters to apply in the final acceleration to contact, I want baseball batters to raise their front upper arm to shoulder height from which they will snap it downward as they pull their front hand straight backward and supinate their front forearm. 03. With considerable practice, baseball batters can lengthen the distance over which they reverse rotate their hips and shoulders, but, for the novice, I recommend that they keep their body actions compact and controlled. 04. I want baseball batters to rotate about a vertical axis. However, during their swing, I do not want the center of mass of their body to move up or down or toward home plate or away or toward the pitcher or away. To accomplish this, they need to have a very stable body position. I recommend that, to stabilize their body, they need to lower the center of mass of their body by bending their knees in a squatting action. 05. Force-coupling requires that baseball batters apply parallel and oppositely-directed forces on either side of the fulcrum between their hands. To emphasize this feeling, for this drill, I recommend that baseball batters separate their hands by about one-half inch. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
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