Grounders vs ball in the air

[hssoftball101]

Baseball swing tracking focuses on trying to get the batter to swing at an angle, which is going to produce fly balls, more outs, lower avg and more strike outs, but also more HRs, high slugging %, more RBI, total bases, basically the stats that produce and win games. Grounders in softball unless you can run fast are automatic outs. Flyballs I think give girls more of a chance. Outfielders are slower and less athletic than males and the light, low pop bats usually produce more of a line drive than a high fly ball.

 

[GStrot]

On the opposite end of the spectrum, what are the best drills to help fly ball hitters (not pop ups) hit more line drives?

 

[canyonjoe]

Just wondering, how far does the ball have to go to be considered a line drive? The same question with height? You see big hitters who hit it hard on the ground that unless it's right at the IF it's a hit. What about soft liners right at IF or are those popups.

 

[Buttermaker]

On the opposite end of the spectrum, what are the best drills to help fly ball hitters (not pop ups) hit more line drives?

Long tee in a hitting cage or on a field. Pick a spot 15 in front of hitter and learn to hit a line drive into that spot 15 ft in front of you. Then move your target away (30 ft) and do that. And so on. Work on trying to hit ball in center but creating back spin. Knuckle balls are really good to.

 

[colin]

in some older posts by hitter he says if you have your tee 4' out from tarp or net and hit into a zone 39"-53" up from floor that is a good line drive over the infield (near bottom of zone) or over the outfielder (near top of zone).

not sure if those numbers are accurate but you get the idea. hit it in that stripe, zone.

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

Just wondering, how far does the ball have to go to be considered a line drive? The same question with height? You see big hitters who hit it hard on the ground that unless it's right at the IF it's a hit. What about soft liners right at IF or are those popups.

There is no specification on distance for a hit to be classified as a line drive.

 

[wheresmycar]

If you hit the ball hard goods things will happen either in the air or on the ground.

This ^^^ Hit the ball hard, and everything else falls into place.

 

[Tom]

Another way to analyse ball in air vs. ball on ground (swing up/down) is through geometry and statistics, which also suggest hitting the ball in the air is preferable to hitting it on the ground. Besides the HR, the rising line drive over the infielders is the obvious desired outcome and has the lowest probability of negative outcome (being caught). To achieve the rising line drive the barrel is typically going to have to be traveling on an upward angle matching the plane of ball. Then figure that a typical 200 ft field will be approximately 31500 sqft (fair territory). Assume an average infielder playing normal depth can cover an extra 10 feet behind them making the infield approximately 4900 sqft, leaving 26,600 sqft outfield. That results in the 6 infielders having to cover only ~817 sqft per player and outfielders having to cover ~8,867 per player. Odds exponentially higher of that ball in air falling for a hit.

I personally hate the slap. I know it can be used strategically, but it appears to me in those situations a bunt is equally/more effective. I would be curious to see statistics of success with bunt vs. slap. The one thing I am surprised we don't see more of is the old "Baltimore chop". Swinging straight down to try and produce hang time seems more effective than slapping towards the infielders.

In regard to "over coaching"...a good hitting coach is going to understand that methods are many & principles are few. If they can get hitters to understand the physics and principles, methods (and drills) are much easier to evaluate as sound, questionable or pointless as their hitters are exposed to other influences.

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

To achieve the rising line drive the barrel is typically going to have to be traveling on an upward angle matching the plane of ball.

Are you 100% certain of this?

 

[go4um]

Another way to analyse ball in air vs. ball on ground (swing up/down) is through geometry and statistics, which also suggest hitting the ball in the air is preferable to hitting it on the ground. Besides the HR, the rising line drive over the infielders is the obvious desired outcome and has the lowest probability of negative outcome (being caught). To achieve the rising line drive the barrel is typically going to have to be traveling on an upward angle matching the plane of ball. Then figure that a typical 200 ft field will be approximately 31500 sqft (fair territory). Assume an average infielder playing normal depth can cover an extra 10 feet behind them making the infield approximately 4900 sqft, leaving 26,600 sqft outfield. That results in the 6 infielders having to cover only ~817 sqft per player and outfielders having to cover ~8,867 per player. Odds exponentially higher of that ball in air falling for a hit.

I personally hate the slap. I know it can be used strategically, but it appears to me in those situations a bunt is equally/more effective. I would be curious to see statistics of success with bunt vs. slap. The one thing I am surprised we don't see more of is the old "Baltimore chop". Swinging straight down to try and produce hang time seems more effective than slapping towards the infielders.

In regard to "over coaching"...a good hitting coach is going to understand that methods are many & principles are few. If they can get hitters to understand the physics and principles, methods (and drills) are much easier to evaluate as sound, questionable or pointless as their hitters are exposed to other influences.

Stats for 3 high school hitters who had 2-4 years of multi skill experience. Obviously other hitters could have different results.
....................Attempts.....BA
Bunt.................93............774
Soft Slap...........28............714
Hard Slap..........66............409
Full Swing.........163 ..........497

Added. Also, If the infielders are positioned shallow due to the slap or bunt threat then the outfielders have even more acreage to cover and the infielders will have less reaction time to field a solidly hit ball.