Hitting with backspin- Fact or Fiction?

[Chris O'Leary]

But the ball is sitting there and the club face is angled to go UNDER the ball creating back spin.

You also put the ball up on a tee.

 

[mrslug01]

I don't think anyone is saying you can't hit a HR without backsping. Just that the most of us seem to agree that the majority of HRs are in fact hit with backspin.

I could post images of Byun-Hyun Kim, Chad Bradford and Brad Ziegler as evidence that MLB pitchers throw underhand. It wouldn't change the fact that most MLB pitchers do not in fact throw underhand.

I haven't seen a video yet showing that, just suppostion that it happens.

 

[RayR]

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/V0FiIetBDJk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[obbay]

Peppers chart does graphically show the problem of collision between a small round object hitting a larger round object. the only drawback is that it requires both to be travelling on/in the same plane. Things get really complicated when you try to figure in the variance in bat path relative to the path of the pitched ball. a very complicated physics problem that takes place in 1/2000 of a second.

I'm thinking that whether there is backspin or not, it is more a symptom of the collision, not a factor for the batter to attempt to replicate.

For some reason this reminded me that when teaching my OFs to play OF, I will make sure they understand about the pulled line drive that curves toward the foul line. Hitting the ball with a curve on it is something that makes it difficult for fielders to play and does happen but I haven't heard coaches teaching players to hit like this.

 

[PEPPERS]

We do hitting into the field from a tee and watch for balls tailing off to one side or the other, this is a result of I believe poor extension or not staying on the ball. Seeing a ball tail off gives feedback to the hitter to stay on the ball longer with maxim extension. In our hitting we try to avoid the cure or tailing off of hit balls.

Although we will take a hit any way we can get it!!!!!

 

[mrslug01]

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/V0FiIetBDJk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

That's a commercial. The bat is also traveling downward when it hit the ball. I would expect back spin. That ball would not have been a home run anywhere

 

[lhowser]

That's a commercial.

You can see the tremendous friction created by the swing with the high volume of smoke the surrounds the ball contact. ;-)

 

[Sweet Lou]

I haven't seen a video yet showing that, just suppostion that it happens.

This is slow mo. No it isn't frame by frame where you can see the seams spining but I'd bet a nickle that fewer than one of the HRs in this clip from the 2011 MLB HR derby did not have appreciable back spin.

 

[Chris O'Leary]

We do hitting into the field from a tee and watch for balls tailing off to one side or the other, this is a result of I believe poor extension or not staying on the ball. Seeing a ball tail off gives feedback to the hitter to stay on the ball longer with maxim extension. In our hitting we try to avoid the cure or tailing off of hit balls.

Although we will take a hit any way we can get it!!!!!

Extension has nothing to do with this.

 

[Jim]

Extension has nothing to do with this.

Extension has a very large part in this. That is if your idea of extension is the same as the hitters in the Home Run Derby video.