the important part of bat speed

Bouldersdad · Jan 1, 2013

I believe you just identified the reason, Short to long thru as some say. A swing that is fast as lightning but comes off the ball instead of thru it is pretty much a waste of energy. But in saying that I have yet to see a hitter with a low swing speed and a high bev. That is why I said they are interconnected.

RookKev · Jan 1, 2013

Interesting. My dd has a fairly powerful looking swing in motion, all the way to contact. But at contact, it almost looks like the bat deflects off the ball, unless she hits it right on the button. I might add, she is about 5'-0" and 75 lbs. So, the drive through the ball is what I think is missing.

RubberBiscuit · Jan 1, 2013

Bouldersdad said:
Not really, Bat speed is a big part of what creates the BEV. The better the one the better the other. D1 coaches measure both. And there are guidelines for conditioning testing on these.

So confirm for me one thing more here => If DD ever goes into a camp again to measure bat speed via a bat-only measuring radar I should make sure to have DD use her old Balanced & inch shorter bat versus her current inch longer End Loaded bat right?

Even though I know DD can hammer the ball much futher with the End-Loaded......

Bouldersdad · Jan 1, 2013

RubberBiscuit said:
So confirm for me one thing more here => If DD ever goes into a camp again to measure bat speed via a bat-only measuring radar I should make sure to have DD use her old Balanced & inch shorter bat versus her current inch longer End Loaded bat right?

Even though I know DD can hammer the ball much futher with the End-Loaded......

Not particularly. My advice to anyone would be to work on hand path, grip, using the hips. I know bb guys here have different cue words for that. Work on her mechanics with the bat she uses. Im not a fan of trading bat mass for speed. Its a combination of both. If a coach sees her fast bat but she gets little or no drive from it, that speed he likes may not be as appealing.

Bouldersdad · Jan 1, 2013

And by the way RubberBiscuit, love the Avatar...........

coach james · Jan 2, 2013

Speed is a contributing factor, but without some mass, the force applied is diminished on contact. Example, take a fiberglass bodied corvette and crash into a brick wall vs. a full sized F150... both are driving at 100mph. Which vehicle does more damage to the wall?
Bottom line... she should swing the heaviest bat she can as long as her fundamentals aren't compromised.

Mr T · Jan 2, 2013

Careful there is some bad info on this thread.

If two people swing identical bat at the same speed, same location on the bat, same angle, etc., the BEV will be identical. So yeah, there are more than a little related.

00fpdaddy · Jan 2, 2013

Mr T said:
Careful there is some bad info on this thread.

If two people swing identical bat at the same speed, same location on the bat, same angle, etc., the BEV will be identical. So yeah, there are more than a little related.

Chew on this Mr. T I pity the fool

Hitting Tips From Ray DeMarini
These tips were posted on DeMarini Sports' web site when the softball list was in existence

Let’s get started. Subject - what weight bat to use. I have done lots and lots of scientific testing relating to hitting a softball. I have become a proponent of using light weight bats and here’s why:

Using myself as an example - I generate approximately 95MPH bat speed with my 26 ounce bat. I can generate just about the same 95MPH speed using a 29 ounce bat. You would logically think that I should use the 29 ounce bat, no question. I can swing it as fast and the added mass will allow me to hit the ball farther than with the 26 ounce bat. Logic in this case is dead wrong!

The important part of the equation that isn’t considered in the above comparison is relative bat speed immediately after the ball has left the bat. In other words, how much of my initial 95MPH speed was I able to maintain while hitting through the ball. Here are the facts. I swing both at 95MPH just prior to hitting the ball. With the 26 ounce bat, my bat speed immediately after the ball is hit goes down to 56MPH! With the 29 ounce bat, my bat speed goes down to 49MPH! In other words, with the heavier bat, I’m swinging it fast but cannot push the bat through the ball and maintain as much speed as I can with the lighter bat.

Before we even take this subject much further I think it is crucial to stop and realize the incredible fact that I lose that much speed from hitting a 6.5 ounce ball. It simply amazes me. I have a pretty good follow through, I am extremely strong and have a decent swing ... and I lose all that speed when I hit the ball. I have tested lots of hitters; it is a constant. You lose a lot of speed when you hit the ball.

If you really think about it, what separates the true power hitters from the mere mortals is their ability to maintain bat speed. Compare my stats to that of a truly great player. I’ll reference Larry Carter, one of the most awesome distance and power hitters I’ve ever seen (and I’ve seen most all of them!) Larry weighs 260lbs+ and is in great physical condition with a vicious swing and scary strength. He can squat over 600lbs, bench 485lbs. and military press 275lbs. (easy)! You get the message. Larry is strong! He is dedicated and a great, great banger. Compare his bat speed to mine. It’s the same at 95MPH. Larry uses a 31 ounce bat ... I use a 26 ounce. So why does he hit the ball over 100 feet farther than I do? Simple ... his speed during contact with the ball.

Larry has the highest ‘after’ speed I have recorded. I finish at 56MPH, Larry finishes at 89MPH. In other words, Larry literally loses NO bat speed while powering through the ball. Larry shouldn’t go down in weight! He isn’t losing any speed with the 31 ounce ... there’s no need to go lighter. The question is can YOU? If you went with a lighter bat than you now use, would you pickup ‘finishing’ speed, and therefore distance? Try a friend's lighter bat and give it a fair chance. Take the time to know what works for you. Don’t swing 5 times and say, no, not for me. Give it 100 swings. See if your follow through seems more efficient. Note what is happening with the ball.

What I am really trying to get across to you is crucial to hitting performance: you MUST have an efficient and complete follow through with your swing. You must think acceleration through the ball. Go right directly through the ball. Don’t give up your swing the second you feel the ball hit the bat ... in fact, that’s when you have to swing hardest! And give some thought to your bat weight. Make sure you give yourself full chance to be as good as you can!

Greenmonsters · Jan 2, 2013

00fpdaddy said:
Chew on this Mr. T I pity the fool

Hitting Tips From Ray DeMarini
These tips were posted on DeMarini Sports' web site when the softball list was in existence

Let’s get started. Subject - what weight bat to use. I have done lots and lots of scientific testing relating to hitting a softball. I have become a proponent of using light weight bats and here’s why:

Using myself as an example - I generate approximately 95MPH bat speed with my 26 ounce bat. I can generate just about the same 95MPH speed using a 29 ounce bat. You would logically think that I should use the 29 ounce bat, no question. I can swing it as fast and the added mass will allow me to hit the ball farther than with the 26 ounce bat. Logic in this case is dead wrong!

The important part of the equation that isn’t considered in the above comparison is relative bat speed immediately after the ball has left the bat. In other words, how much of my initial 95MPH speed was I able to maintain while hitting through the ball. Here are the facts. I swing both at 95MPH just prior to hitting the ball. With the 26 ounce bat, my bat speed immediately after the ball is hit goes down to 56MPH! With the 29 ounce bat, my bat speed goes down to 49MPH! In other words, with the heavier bat, I’m swinging it fast but cannot push the bat through the ball and maintain as much speed as I can with the lighter bat.

Before we even take this subject much further I think it is crucial to stop and realize the incredible fact that I lose that much speed from hitting a 6.5 ounce ball. It simply amazes me. I have a pretty good follow through, I am extremely strong and have a decent swing ... and I lose all that speed when I hit the ball. I have tested lots of hitters; it is a constant. You lose a lot of speed when you hit the ball.

If you really think about it, what separates the true power hitters from the mere mortals is their ability to maintain bat speed. Compare my stats to that of a truly great player. I’ll reference Larry Carter, one of the most awesome distance and power hitters I’ve ever seen (and I’ve seen most all of them!) Larry weighs 260lbs+ and is in great physical condition with a vicious swing and scary strength. He can squat over 600lbs, bench 485lbs. and military press 275lbs. (easy)! You get the message. Larry is strong! He is dedicated and a great, great banger. Compare his bat speed to mine. It’s the same at 95MPH. Larry uses a 31 ounce bat ... I use a 26 ounce. So why does he hit the ball over 100 feet farther than I do? Simple ... his speed during contact with the ball.

Larry has the highest ‘after’ speed I have recorded. I finish at 56MPH, Larry finishes at 89MPH. In other words, Larry literally loses NO bat speed while powering through the ball. Larry shouldn’t go down in weight! He isn’t losing any speed with the 31 ounce ... there’s no need to go lighter. The question is can YOU? If you went with a lighter bat than you now use, would you pickup ‘finishing’ speed, and therefore distance? Try a friend's lighter bat and give it a fair chance. Take the time to know what works for you. Don’t swing 5 times and say, no, not for me. Give it 100 swings. See if your follow through seems more efficient. Note what is happening with the ball.

What I am really trying to get across to you is crucial to hitting performance: you MUST have an efficient and complete follow through with your swing. You must think acceleration through the ball. Go right directly through the ball. Don’t give up your swing the second you feel the ball hit the bat ... in fact, that’s when you have to swing hardest! And give some thought to your bat weight. Make sure you give yourself full chance to be as good as you can!

And there were good, scientific explanations for the world being flat before Columbus set sail.

Mr T · Jan 3, 2013

00fpdaddy said:
Chew on this Mr. T I pity the fool

Hitting Tips From Ray DeMarini
These tips were posted on DeMarini Sports' web site when the softball list was in existence

Let’s get started. Subject - what weight bat to use. I have done lots and lots of scientific testing relating to hitting a softball. I have become a proponent of using light weight bats and here’s why:

<snipped>

When was that posted? I would like to think we are at a pretty good point in history with regards to understanding the physics of the swing. Maybe Ray wouldn't agree with the gist of his argument any more, I don't know.

Ray has a famous last name on his side, but I have both of the major physicists who have published on the topic on my side. And then finally the Angels player, I believe it was, accidentally let go of the bat at impact and hit a homerun, which provided a "seeing is believing" moment.

Here is a thought for you proponents of a strong grip at contact, and maintaining bat speed through contact: I've heard the blink of an eye is about 3-400 milliseconds. I've read in the physics of baseball that impact in MLB is about 2 milliseconds, and the important part of contact occurs in 1 millisecond.

By my math, that means that every single ball hit by every player on your team in the span of maybe a month of games occurs in the timespan of the blink of an eye, or at most a few blinks.

That's not much time to be exerting all that great force and velocity on the ball now is it?

the important part of bat speed

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