Swinging under the ball

[Bobby Shirer]

Are you pitching from the circle, at standard distance?
If you pitch from closer than regulation and slow the pitch down to allow reaction time, physics dictates that the shape of the arching flight of the ball will be more pronounced.
For example: if the pitch takes 1/2 second to travel from regulation distance to the plate, it will fall 1/2 × 32ft /second squared or 4 feet.
The pitch will rise 2 feet and fall 2 in a parabolic shape the length of the horizontal distance.
If you pitch from closer than regulation, let's assume 21.5 feet, and the ball is in the air for the same 1/2 second, the ball will fall much more per horizontal foot than if it were pitched from regulation distance.
So it will fall 1 foot every 5.4 feet of travel.
Whereas a ball pitched from 43 feet will fall only 1/2 foot per 5.4 feet of horizontal travel.
Your dd's practice has ingrained that the ball will fall a certain amount per foot of horizontal travel and, to make contact, she must swing lower to align with the more dramatic arch of the ball path.
Then during games, the flight arch changes to the flatter path, and she swings under the ball.

A rise ball has the same effect. The batter develops an expectation that the ball will fall a certain distance over time, but the rise ball has aerodynamic lift that slows its fall, and the batter swings beneath the ball.

Takeaway....spend more time hitting balls pitched from regulation distance.

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[Rolling Hard]

I don’t understand why anyone would teach to swing under or over the ball. Please explain the theory.

 

[Cornbread]

Reality is, the best hitters swing down, then up. No high level hitter swings down to down and across with the barrel below their hip. I don’t see any high level hitter turn the knob up immediately either. I don’t see them snapping their hands the way teacherman says they do. If you watch high level hitters hands and hands only, they go down first. Not knocking anything anyone teaches. Every hitter is different. I’ve worked with players that need the feel of swing down. I’ve worked with players that need the feel of swing up. I do think that the hands need to be trained what to do. And if you can’t change a motor pattern then I don’t know anybody has ever learned to be a fastpitch pitcher.

 

[Rolling Hard]

Reality is, the best hitters swing down, then up. No high level hitter swings down to down and across with the barrel below their hip. I don’t see any high level hitter turn the knob up immediately either. I don’t see them snapping their hands the way teacherman says they do. If you watch high level hitters hands and hands only, they go down first. Not knocking anything anyone teaches. Every hitter is different. I’ve worked with players that need the feel of swing down. I’ve worked with players that need the feel of swing up. I do think that the hands need to be trained what to do. And if you can’t change a motor pattern then I don’t know anybody has ever learned to be a fastpitch pitcher.

Are you suggesting that the underhand throwing is unnatural? IOW, cavemen never threw a spear or a stone underhanded. Maybe David with his sling is how softball started. LOL.