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Dec 11, 2010
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Japan beat the U.S. because we didn't score any runs.

Team USA was not offensively dangerous in any way and no amount of split grip would have changed that with those players.

I'm still pretty gosh damned salty about it too.
 
Apr 27, 2020
83
18
From your link:
"Further analysis found that normal grip and pinky-off grip showed significantly greater bat speeds than a split grip and a choked-up grip."

Why would anyone promote a grip/swing that is less than optimal?
Again, not that hard to understand,
There are many that have used this style and other styles (it is just a different style with success as pointed out).
So if, one is having success there is absolutely nothing wrong with using it...There is nothing "optimal" about any hitting style. There are a lot of ugly hitters out there that can regularly get on base.

As far as choking up, As Joey Votto pointed out in his post game interview (and the article studied) that would be a grip different than a traditional grip.

Don't be the guy at the 54 second mark...
 
Last edited:
Apr 27, 2020
83
18
Japan beat the U.S. because we didn't score any runs.

Team USA was not offensively dangerous in any way and no amount of split grip would have changed that with those players.

I'm still pretty gosh damned salty about it too.
Correct, as pointed out in previous post about the hitting woes of team USA...The optimal swing/grip as others have posted was not to very optimal vs. the worlds best...

I am even talking about Team USA struggles vs. the "weaker' National teams that got soundly beat by Canada and Japan...Keep in mind...Team USA is made up of the "best" players in the country and the roster is filled with NCAA studs several that won NCAA championships...

Now, I never said Team USA or anyone needs to change hitting styles as others have said in this thread... I just pointed out that a hitting style not very popular has been good enough for team Japan to win 2 gold medals in softball and some players in MLB are starting to use the modified grip or split grip with some success as pointed out in the Washington times article....
 
May 12, 2016
4,338
113
Do tell.... what NCAA team do you think would beat Team, USA-Canada or Japan in a series...
.
Completely missed the point…

“Hell I would EVEN take Team Canada or Japan…”

seriously? Gold and Bronze medal teams for their nation at the Olympics and you would “EVEN” consider them over a NCAA team?
 
Oct 13, 2014
5,471
113
South Cali
1. Again it's a terrible idea. You lose 3-5 inches of plate coverage. Most people can't hit outside pitches anyway.

2. Who are these baseball coaches advocating for split grips? Have they produced stats showing improved bat/exit speed?

3. Team USA and Japan had horrific Batting Averages, and Slugging Percents (.273 for USA - it's not a typo, .273). Both were much, much worse than the 40-50 ranked NCAA teams (slugging .464 for #50).
View attachment 23560

View attachment 23561

The hitting for Team USA was terrible. So was Japan. Their hand split tricks did not help them at all. Even the regular swing posted in Post#22 is terrible. You won't see a swing that bad on any D1 college baseball team.

such bold and broad statements. hitting stats are relative to pitching prowess ALWAYS. curious what is so bad about the Japan hitters swing to call it terrible? Look fundamentally sound to me.
 
Aug 13, 2020
29
3
Japan beat the U.S. because we didn't score any runs.

Team USA was not offensively dangerous in any way and no amount of split grip would have changed that with those players.

I'm still pretty gosh damned salty about it too.
I guess we’ll have to wait until the 2028 Olympics where we can hopefully take back the gold😪
 
Oct 13, 2014
5,471
113
South Cali
American ignorance at it's finest right here

umm. Not a good look here J. As far as pitching dominance in college or pro softball. I would have agreed 5-10 yrs ago. not anymore. scoring totals are through the roof nowadays. most pitchers get hit pretty regularly. it takes ‘special’ outings and good defense for pitchers to finish games nowadays. When playing at ‘their’ level(college).
 
Dec 11, 2010
4,713
113
Team USA is made up of the "best" players in the country and the roster is filled with NCAA studs several that won NCAA championships...
Team USA did not have its best players there or it would have been a different result.

Hashed and rehashed on this site and many others.

We got what we deserved. We had a head coach who has never won anything with his college team. Had a hitting coach that put out a real cool dvd but whose teams never really did much. The selection committee put together a team that was not up to it. If these jokers had Crystl Bustos show up to the trials in her prime they would have passed on her. Then we showed up and sleep walked through the Games thinking we could score a run here or there and go home and film commercials with their gold medals around their necks.

It was arrogant and we deserved to lose, despite Osterman and Abbot.

Hitters hit. You don’t pick players that can’t hit and “work real hard on hitting” and magically make a hitter where there wasn’t one before. At the got dayum OLYMPIC GAMES.

Come to think of it, maybe some guy on the internet who had a notion that the split grip could solve all our problems is better than what we had.

I told you I was salty. I wasn’t kidding.
 
May 12, 2016
4,338
113
umm. Not a good look here J. As far as pitching dominance in college or pro softball. I would have agreed 5-10 yrs ago. not anymore. scoring totals are through the roof nowadays. most pitchers get hit pretty regularly. it takes ‘special’ outings and good defense for pitchers to finish games nowadays. When playing at ‘their’ level(college).
Post #35

my ignorance comment has nothing to with my comments about pitching. However what we saw at the Olympics was world class pitching and I agree that defence was good. But no defence can stop a 210 foot shot. The pitchers kept the ball in the yard and that was the story of the Olympics.
 

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