Thoughts and questions about right handed batters batting from left side...

[2bucketdad]

Ok let me start by saying any thoughts and theories etc posted in here by me are only IMO and I have no idea if I am way off base or even why I am thinking of this...

I have 2 dd's one is 16 and throws and bats right handed, and my larger but 14 year old throws right and bats left...both hit for power no speedy slappers here...

I have watched both and talked with both about there hitting and both say that there right hand does most of the work during there respective swings and I believe they are both correct...

So I have one that the top hand is doing most of the work and one that the bottom hand is doing most of the work...

Has anyone ever given any thought to this is the top hand supposed to do the most work pushing or can the bottom hand pulling be as effective or even more?

Thanks in advance for any replies or sharing your thoughts and ideas on this.

 

[Wellphyt]

"Ideally, for maximum power and efficiency, you want your stronger hand closer to the point of impact. If you're a natural right-hander batting left-handed as I did, your strong hand-the right-is not closer to impact." --Ted Williams

Ted goes on to say that he felt like he would have been a better left-handed hitter if he had not been a natural right-hander.

 

[lhowser]

One idea is that the top hand it not pushing but turning the bat. Jack Mankin calls it Top Hand Torque (THT) and explains it here:

BatSpeed.com_Baseball and Softball Swing Hitting Mechanics

His idea is disputed by some and accepted by some. If it is an important component of the swing (I kind of lean in that direction...at least today) then the top hand is very important.

 

[go4um]

As a slap hit instructor, I have worked with about 100 players who were switching from RH to LH. I would estimate that 99% have a back arm/hand (LH) dominated push swing when first switching....regardless of whether they throw LH or RH. That works okay for soft slaps but can't generate enough power to hard slap onto the grass...at least for these average sized slapper newbies. We always end up doing a lot of front arm swings, learning how use the front arm, shoulder and torso to move the knob so that the barrel releases into collision with the ball. With progress we move to blend in the action of the back hand/arm/shoulder turning the barrel during the palm up move to increase barrel speed without disrupting the barrel path established by the front side. I'm not a big fan of the cue "pushing with the back arm." My $.02 is that to maximize power you need to engage both the front and back and middle muscles to move the barrel but I wouldn't argue that some players can get decent results using more of one than the other.

 

[kristiansmart]

Thanks for your reply.

 

[ArmWhip]

This is an issue of kinesthesia or proprioception. There are obviously a lot of parts to the swing, lots of muscles being employed simultaneously. A hitter cannot be aware of all of them at the same time. During the swing a hitter might feel the core muscles of the trunk or the firm left side or the left arm pulling or the right arm pushing, etc. Even though they are all being used the hitter will primarily feel only one at a time and that action becomes the dominant way in which they define their swing. The other thing to keep in mind is that with the application of modern technology to sports in has been shown that athletes, even world class ones, are often mistaken about their mechanics. They explain what they do and then high speed video proves them wrong (The Hanson Principle).

 

[lhowser]

There are obviously a lot of parts to the swing, lots of muscles being employed simultaneously. A hitter cannot be aware of all of them at the same time. During the swing a hitter might feel the core muscles of the trunk or the firm left side or the left arm pulling or the right arm pushing, etc. Even though they are all being used the hitter will primarily feel only one at a time and that action becomes the dominant way in which they define their swing.

This is very accurate and can revolutionize the way you teach. The more I try to hit myself I find Armwhip's statement to be true. It has increased my patience with young players and minimized how many aspects we work on at a time.

 

[PA SB Dad]

Another thing to consider is which is their stronger eye, left or right? I've seen a couple of hitters who throw righty and bat lefty are actually left-eye dominant, which may partially account for why they hit better from the left.

 

[2bucketdad]

Another thing to consider is which is their stronger eye, left or right? I've seen a couple of hitters who throw righty and bat lefty are actually left-eye dominant, which may partially account for why they hit better from the left.

My youngest is a left eye dominate lefty batter, right hand thrower...