View Full Version : Bat staying in the zone
Railsplitter
05-25-2009, 08:15 PM
I hear over and over again by announcers that a player is a good hitter because his "bat stays in the zone longer". Am I the only one who thinks that this is ridiculous? Wouldn't logic say that if a player has good bat speed then his bat will be in the strike zone for a shorter period of time?
I believe that from time to time the so called "experts" are wrong, and this is one of those times
mightylakers
05-25-2009, 08:30 PM
I have similar thought about that before. I have an explanation about this. The bat speed is not constant, if you can accelerate you bat to the max speed in a very short time then you can afford to put your bat through the bat zone for longer time yet achieve greater speed upon contact.
CoachW
05-25-2009, 09:29 PM
It means they are quick to the zone and the plane of the pitch. It is quick to the zone, then long through the zone.
CoachW
skipper5
05-25-2009, 11:42 PM
I've coached two especially good hitters with bats that "stay long in the zone" Both went on to considerable success in HS.
I'm not a hitting coach per se, and I haven't done video of their swings, but they seemed to be out over their front foot when they hit, and the naked eye of myself and others noticed that their bats stayed on plane for a noticeably longer than usual period of time.
Both hitters hit very well in varsity play for both average and power. I couldn't help comparing them with my own son's "wait-and-be-quick with max. bat-speed" timing equation, which was less forgiving. He was something in-between a front-footer and a spinner, but let's face it, if you crave bat-speed, your bat is in the zone for a shorter period of time.
In recent years, I haven't noticed any MLB hitters who do this, but I don't make a study of watching MLB hitters. I've seen one film clip of Hank Aaron, and it seemed to me he was out over the front foot and "long in the zone", but again, I don't claim to be an MLB expert.
I hear over and over again by announcers that a player is a good hitter because his "bat stays in the zone longer". Am I the only one who thinks that this is ridiculous? Wouldn't logic say that if a player has good bat speed then his bat will be in the strike zone for a shorter period of time?
I believe that from time to time the so called "experts" are wrong, and this is one of those times
Railsplitter,
the hitter that chops down and meets the ball in front of the plate gets the bat in the zone late and is limited. This doesn't allow the hitter to develop a swing that has room for timing errors. The hitter that has a level to slightly upward swing gets the barrel into the hitting zone early. This allows the barrell to be whipped around and through the hitting zone to create a larger hitting area back to front. This allows the hitter hit through the ball instead of down through the ball.
EL
Coach G
05-26-2009, 07:58 AM
Railsplitter,
the hitter that chops down and meets the ball in front of the plate gets the bat in the zone late and is limited. This doesn't allow the hitter to develop a swing that has room for timing errors. The hitter that has a level to slightly upward swing gets the barrel into the hitting zone early. This allows the barrell to be whipped around and through the hitting zone to create a larger hitting area back to front. This allows the hitter hit through the ball instead of down through the ball.
EL
Correct!
it isn't so much as in the zone long as it is staying on plane with the pitch through the zone if your swing is on plane with the pitch, and the pitch is a strike then your bat will be in the "zone" longer. I don't really think you lose any bat speed.
AgentX
05-26-2009, 08:12 AM
Correct!
it isn't so much as in the zone long as it is staying on plane with the pitch through the zone if your swing is on plane with the pitch, and the pitch is a strike then your bat will be in the "zone" longer. I don't really think you lose any bat speed.
Because the bat is accelerating through to extension, it makes sense that the longer the bat remains in the "zone" (or on the flight plane of the ball), the higher that bat speed will be on contact.
Railsplitter
05-26-2009, 08:23 AM
I'm glad that I posted this question, because I received a lot of insightful responses. Thanks to all!
Drill
05-26-2009, 08:38 AM
palm up palm down through the zone
IMHO,
drill
rkbenn
05-26-2009, 05:41 PM
The longer the bathead is in the hitting zone, the better chance of success.
I show my young hitters that hit down on the ball, how much more successful they would be if they hit on the plane of the pitch.
I use a string to show the pitch path and how perfect they need to be in order to make contact and if they were on plane with the pitch it gives them more room for error, and a better chance to hit through the ball.