View Full Version : MLB vs. Slow Pitch
Can anyone who is good with video and has the time/resources for this challenge, put up a comparison between an adult male slow pitch softball hitter and a MLB hitter? I contend that the best in each have similar swings. Do you agree or disagree?
gklein has graciously accepted the challenge, now I am just trying to find some quality slow pitch clips.....
Chris O'Leary
04-13-2007, 01:20 PM
Can anyone who is good with video and has the time/resources for this challenge, put up a comparison between an adult male slow pitch softball hitter and a MLB hitter? I contend that the best in each have similar swings. Do you agree or disagree?
I think you're going to see the same basic thinks in terms of force production (e.g. swinging with the body and not the arms).
The difference is that slow pitch hitters can get away with longer swings due to the reduced speed of the ball.
One interesting difference is that, theoretically at least, slow pitch guys have to produce more force themselves due to the slower speed of the ball and the greater size of a softball. To a degree, "all" a baseball player has to do is send the ball right back where it came from.
There biggest argument is the swing is different due to the trajectory of the pitch and the height of the pitch. They also claim that the best slow pitch swing is a downward swing at a pitch at the chest or shoulders. Here are some of their comments:
Basebal & Softball swings are 2 completely different animals. You look at ALL of the top Major guys who everyone would agree seem to get the most distance, and you will see that they all have one thing in common. They ALL swing level or even slightly downward to impart backspin on the ball to increase distance. An upward swing plane will result in a lot of pop ups, lazy fly balls, and top spin "hump shots" over the infield.
While one may be able to use a baseball swing for slopitch and viseversa, they are ultimately different techniques.
I would attest this to the pitching variable rather than hitting.
With slopitch, obviously, it is slow, so the ability for placement of the hit, reaction time and bat placement are different.
Secondly, the ball comes in at an arc, not straight line, swinging upwards, at something coming down will usually ead up in something going back up, not out. I too would attest to the downswing affecting the spin and distance, it is the same for golf, you actually swing down on the ball, not up or straight on it.
Softballs come in from a much high trajectory than a baseball.
Softballs come in at a considerably slower speed than a baseball.
In baseball you are usually hitting balls at or below your waist. So of course you have to dip and swing upwards to hit it.
In softball.. the optimum pitch for distance is above your waist, closer to chest high.
Also... I'm not saying that people "can't" hit homeruns with an uppercut swing or off pitches below their waist. I am talking about the things required to achieve MAXIUMUM distance.
I have been around the game a long time and have seen all of the "great" homerun hitters of the last 15-20 years. And they all will tell you the same thing when it comes to hitting the ball far. It has to be the right pitch, (chest/ shoulder high), and you need to impart tight backspin on the ball. The way to acheive that is a level or slightly downward "cutting" swing.
Ok, I found this video of some of the supposed best in slow pitch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvJZ8fK27do
There is a slow motion swing at the 1:30 mark.
Chris O'Leary
04-13-2007, 02:14 PM
The person you are talking to or reading doesn't know what they are talking about.
Basebal & Softball swings are 2 completely different animals. You look at ALL of the top Major guys who everyone would agree seem to get the most distance, and you will see that they all have one thing in common. They ALL swing level or even slightly downward to impart backspin on the ball to increase distance. An upward swing plane will result in a lot of pop ups, lazy fly balls, and top spin "hump shots" over the infield.
This is completely wrong.
Nearly every good pro swing is an uppercut, at least to a degree. Slow pitch swings are just more of an uppercut due to the different trajectory of the pitch.
Secondly, the ball comes in at an arc, not straight line, swinging upwards, at something coming down will usually ead up in something going back up, not out.
No baseball pitch comes in completely flat, not even a "rising" fastball. The ball would have to be coming in at something like 500 MPH for it to come in truly flat.
I too would attest to the downswing affecting the spin and distance, it is the same for golf, you actually swing down on the ball, not up or straight on it.
In most cases (excepting maybe some drives), at the point of contact the golf club is coming in pretty much flat. If it wasn't, you'd take a gigantic chunk out of the ground. Most of the upward trajectory and spin of the ball comes from the tilted face of the club.
In baseball you are usually hitting balls at or below your waist. So of course you have to dip and swing upwards to hit it.
Good hitters don't dip. They tilt.
In softball.. the optimum pitch for distance is above your waist, closer to chest high.
Not necessarily.
I have seen plenty of guys hit belt-high pitches a long way.
Chris O'Leary
04-13-2007, 02:25 PM
Ok, I found this video of some of the supposed best in slow pitch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvJZ8fK27do
There is a slow motion swing at the 1:30 mark.
If you look at the slow motion portion, you'll see a lot of rotational principles at work...
1. Stiff front knee.
2. Weight on, but behind, front foot.
3. Back leg making the L.
4. Back foot completely off the ground (3 inches).
5. Decent connection.
6. Some bat drag, but it's not an issue due to the speed of the pitch.
7. Relatively short stride.
8. Front heel drop triggers the swing.
9. Slight uppercut swing.
Boy, they are crucifying me and dragging my name thru the mud. Unfortunately, I am not knowledgeable enough to adequetely describe and defend the PCR philosophy......
scorekeeper
04-13-2007, 04:41 PM
Chris,
Gotta agree with everything other than the golf thing. Golf should never be compared to baseball because the objectives are totally different, as is the equipment. But other than that, take a look at a golf course some time. There are things all over the place called divots. They occur when the bottom of the swing plane is lower than the ball.
Although that doesn’t happen on every shot, for the most part, an above average golfer attempting to hit any ball off the fairway to a green, from a level lie with no wind, will try to hit the ball on at least a slightly down trajectory. The best players ever to play the game have taken the biggest divots. Bobby Jones did it, Tiger does it, but the master of the divot was Jack Nicklaus. He actually dug trenches on the golf courses.
There are a couple of reasons golfers want backspin, the least of which is to make the ball go farther. Golfers want backspin because of the gyro effect it has that makes the ball tend to stay on course. If they want distance, all they need to do is choose a different club, then make the exact same swing. Another reason they like backspin is because it makes the ball go higher, and it makes the ball stop quicker.
For those reasons as well as many others, golf and baseball should never be compared.