The most overlooked technique for creating bat speed/power? Does bat speed = power?

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Apr 20, 2018
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SoCal
Let's assume that the hitter has decent sequencing. Understand FBC and tip and rip and/or TTB,but needs to find more power/bat speed. Yes, she can polish these thing or she can work on timing or conditioning (core strengthening). How about hand/ forearm strength? What is most overlooked and easiest way to acquire bat speed? I have my answer, but am interested in yours.

Don't forget to weigh in on "does bat speed = power" too! My question here is: if they had a machine that threw the bat thru the air 50 mph and it collides with a ball moving 50 mph would the ball travel the same distance as a hitter (with hands on the bat) swinging 50 mph and hitting a ball 50 mph? Does the mass of the hitter matter?
 
May 24, 2013
12,461
113
So Cal
Some really smart physics dude (Alan Nathan, aka pobguy) did some research and wrote an article about the physics of the ball-bat collision in baseball, and concluded that what happens at the handle (hands on or off the bat) during impact does not have any effect on the impact equation. It has been assumed that the same is true for softball. Based on that, in your theoretical situation, the ball should travel the same distance (assuming ALL other factors are identical).
 
Jan 28, 2017
1,662
83
I never see people talk about the bat speeding up after contact or not slowing down after contact. I coached one MLB player that his bat would speed up after contact and would hit absolute bombs and he wasn't a monster. At one time I was around a lot of D1 and minor league guys and you could really see the difference with the guys that were true hitters.
 
Jul 16, 2013
4,659
113
Pennsylvania
Seems like a fitting clip for this thread... This swing resulted in a home run.

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Apr 20, 2018
4,581
113
SoCal
I am not a engineer but I cant believe that! Could be wrong, but when I see a heavier girl with a slow swing drive the ball to RC field for a long double????
 
Jun 17, 2009
15,105
0
Portland, OR
I am not a engineer but I cant believe that! Could be wrong, but when I see a heavier girl with a slow swing drive the ball to RC field for a long double????

I know what you mean. You'll see a girl with a bit more mass hit a bomb ... and it's almost as if the "mass", in "force = mass x acceleration", included the "mass" of more than just the barrel.
 
Jun 6, 2016
2,714
113
Chicago
I am not a engineer but I cant believe that! Could be wrong, but when I see a heavier girl with a slow swing drive the ball to RC field for a long double????

Maybe it's not actually a "slow swing" but just appears to be. It's funny you mention this, but I have a girl on my team in mind, and I'm looking forward to having her swing with the Blast sensor this spring. My guess is that even though her swing looks slow, the bat speed is among the best on the team (and if we can get other elements of her swing smoothed out, she'll hit the ball that much farther).

It's possible that her size, and maybe a slower load or reaction time, could be fooling your eye (maybe that ball goes to RF because she's late getting everything going, but the bat speed is there to drive the ball). Maybe she has some other mechanical flaws but still has good bat speed.

Eric said mass doesn't matter at impact, but her size could be generating actual bat speed somehow.
 

ian

Jun 11, 2015
1,175
48
Some really smart physics dude (Alan Nathan, aka pobguy) did some research and wrote an article about the physics of the ball-bat collision in baseball, and concluded that what happens at the handle (hands on or off the bat) during impact does not have any effect on the impact equation. It has been assumed that the same is true for softball. Based on that, in your theoretical situation, the ball should travel the same distance (assuming ALL other factors are identical).

I talked with nathan about this. Grip matters on every contact except for pure sweet spot contact.
 

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