Newton Had It Right

All initial body positions or movements in a swing will affect subsequent movements later in that swing. A swing is like a flow chart as shown in Figure 1, there are many ways to get to the end (contact), but those who stay along the most efficient path will have to make fewer adjustments mid swing, and therefore have a better success rate of solid contact. As Newton said, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Every movement creates another in the opposite direction to keep the hitter in balance.


Figure 1: Flowchart which represents what occurs during a swing. The path made by the green arrows is the most efficient path, while the red path is a less efficient path. The first movement of striding outwards caused the hitter to stray away from the efficient path and therefore caused him to make the subsequent inefficient movements. Click to enlarge image

The flow chart in Figure 1 is only a particular situation, there are many ways in which a hitter can stray away from the most efficient path to contact. This chart shows that because the hitter steps away from the plate, each successive movement is to compensate for the imbalance. The hips follow the feet away from the plate, and in turn the arms have to straighten out in the opposite direction towards the plate to get back to contact. This chart also shows that because the red path isn't straight, it intersects the contact zone at one point. Much like the circular and elliptical swing concept, the more efficient green path travels through the whole contact zone while the red path only intersects it once, yielding a lower rate of success. The contact zone being the batter's ability to time the pitch, and the longer that the bat and ball are on the same path the better chance the bat will contact the ball.

So next time you're trying to diagnose a swing, work "backward". Or in other words, see the result that is the problem, and work from the beginning. Too often coaches try to make adjustments to the hands and upper body while ignoring the lower body. Trying to make sense of the flow chart from the end is not always easy to do. It all starts with the feet, trace the series of events from start to finish, and often you'll see there is an underlying reason for a hitter's troubles.