1. 타자의 단계별 타격 동작
1-1. 세트 포지션 (set position)
배터박스 안에서 타격을 위한 준비를 마쳤음을 투수에게 시사하여야한다.
1-2. 로드 (load)
카크라고도 한다. 런치 포지션을 만들기 위해 몸의 무게 중심을 뒤쪽으로 움직이는 것을 말한다. 즉 스탠스 자세에서 런치 포지션으로 가는 것을 말하는 것이다. 로드의 동작은 백스윙(back swing), 백레그로드(back leg load), 백바디로드(back body load) 등이 있다. 백스윙은 타자가 배트에 더 많은 힘을 실어보내기 위하여 뒤로 반동을 주어 배트를 들어올리는 동작이다. 백레그로드는 기본 스탠스에서 다리의 스트라이드를 진행하기 위하여 앞다리를 뒤로 당겨주는 동작이다. 백바디로드는 로드 동작 중 전체적인 몸의 무게중심이 뒤로 이동하는 것을 지칭한다. 앞쪽 어깨와 엉덩이, 무릎 등이 안쪽으로 닫히는 현상을 볼 수 있을 것이다. 그리고 일반적으로 앞팔의 각도는 90도를 유지하는 것이 가장 이상적이라고 한다. 또한 타자의 눈은 두 눈이 모두 투수 방향으로 향해 있어야 한다.
1-3. 런치 포지션 (launch position)
타자가 투수의 공을 치기 위해 방망이를 휘두름을 시작하기 직전의 자세를 말한다. 즉 타자가 스윙을 하기에 있어 뒤로 이동했던 몸의 무게 중심을 앞쪽으로 폭발시키기 직전의 순간을 의미한다.
1-4. 포워드 스윙 (forward swing)
로드 상태에서 임팩트 직전까지의 전체적인 스윙 동작을 말한다. 스트라이드 동작이 포워드 스윙의 시작을 알린다고 보면 되겠다. 타격 단계를 로드 -> 포워드 스윙 -> 임팩트 -> 팔로우 스윙으로 크게 나눈다.
1-5. 스트라이드 (Stride)
로드 자세에 취했던 앞다리 동작을 지지대를 형성할 수 있도록 앞으로 뻗어주는 동작이다. 스트라이드는 당겼던 다리를 앞으로 향하는 백레그푸쉬(back leg push)와 앞다리가 땅에 닿으며 지지대를 형성하는 프론트레그블록(front leg block)으로 나눈다. 스트라이드 동작시 몸의 무게중심은 약 5% 정도만 앞으로 이동하며 로드 동작을 통해 취했던 런치 포지션 상태를 그대로 유지해야한다. 이상적인 스트라이드 폭은 15~20cm 정도이며 단타자일수록 좁게 장타자일수록 멀게 가지는 경향이 있다.
1-6. 바디 로테이션 (body rotation)
스트라이드를 통해 형성된 앞발을 기점으로 몸의 전체적인 회전이 일어난다. 바디 로테이션은 엉덩이 부분 즉 힙 로테이션(hip rotation)을 시작으로 자연스럽게 이동한다. 엉덩이를 시작으로 상체로는 배 가슴 어깨 순으로 이어지고 하체는 허벅지 무릅 발 순으로 이어지며 지지대를 형성하던 앞다리를 쭉 펴주는 프론트레그푸쉬(front leg push)가 일어난다. 이 때 유의해야할 점은 공을 치기 전까지는 닫힌 채로 있어야 한다는 것이다.
1-7. 솔져 로테이션 (shoulder rotation)
전체적인 바디 로테이션을 시작된 몸의 무게중심 이동을 통하여 어깨 팔 손목 순으로 전달된다. 90도로 접혔던 앞발이 쭉 펴지며 몸과 팔의 힘을 극대화시킨다. 어깨의 회전은 공의 방향, 각도, 속도 등의 영향을 받는다.
1-8. 임팩트 (impact)
공이 배트와 만나는 순간을 말한다. 공과 배트가 만난다고하여 미트(meet)라고도 한다.
1-9. 체중이동 (weight transfer)
포워드 스윙을 시작으로 일어났던 몸의 체중이동이 임팩트 순간을 기점으로 극대화된다. 힙을 기준으로 상체 및 하체가 열리며 회전 및 무게중심의 이동이 극대화된다.
1-10. 팔로우 스윙 (follow swing)
임팩트 후 몸의 회전을 끝까지 가져가주어야한다. 몸의 회전은 끝까지 이루어져야하며 어깨를 비롯한 팔꿈치를 쭉 펴서 힘을 끝까지 실어보내야한다. 스윙을 마친 팔과 어깨는 등쪽을 향하는 것이 좋다. 팔로우 스윙을 끝까지 해주는 것이 부상 방지에도 좋다.
1-11. 마무리 (finish)
타자가 공을 쳤다고 해서 타격이 끝난 것이 아니다. 타자는 주자가 되어야하기 때문이다.
1. 야구 선수를 통해 본 타격폼
타격폼 즉 스텐스는 크게 일반 스탠스, 클로즈드 스탠스, 오픈 스탠스로 나눕니다. 하지만 타자마다 스탠스의 각도 및 타격 자세의 차이는 매우 다양하게 존재합니다. 보편적인 분류로서 위 세 가지를 기본으로 대략적으로 설명을 해볼까합니다. 한 타자가 꼭 한 가지 스탠스만을 치는 것은 아니며 투수의 투구시 스텐스 자체를 변화시키는 경우도 있습니다. 대표적인 예로서 기아 타이거즈 최희섭 선수를 들 수 있습니다. 오픈 스탠스에서 일반적인 스텐스로 변화하여 치거나 투수에 따라서 타격폼에 변화를 주곤 하였습니다. 2010시즌은 클로즈드 스탠스를 사용하는 것 같습니다. 바라보는 관점마다 차이가 있을 수 있으니 그 점 양해바라며 타격폼에 관한 이야기를 시작하겠습니다.
1-1. 하체 자세에 따른 타격 자세의 분류
일반 스탠스 (normal stance)
스퀘어 스탠스(square stance)라고도 합니다. 양발이 거의 일직선으로 정열하는 가장 기본적인 스탠스입니다. 양 발에 무게 중심을 균등하게 배분할 수 있어 타격 메커니즘 상 좋은 예로 손 꼽힙니다. 많은 선수들이 사용하고 있으며 대표적인 예로 클리브랜드 인디언스의 대한민국 대표 타자 추신수 선수가 아닐까합니다. 그의 타격 메너니즘은 보면 볼수록 정말 부드럽고 다이나믹합니다.
클로즈드 스탠스 (closed stance)
앞발이 뒷발보다 앞 쪽으로 향하는 스탠스입니다. 상체의 회전력이 크기 때문에 장타자들이 많이들 사용한다고 합니다. 일반 스텐스와 비교하여 많은 차이는 나지 않지만 일반 스텐스의 경우는 대부분 뒷발이 앞발보다 조금더 앞에 있지만 클로즈드 스텐스는 앞발이 뒷발보다 앞에 위치합니다. 대표적인 선수로는 지바 롯데 마린스의 김태균 선수가 아닐까합니다. 김동주, 이승엽 선수를 이어갈 대한민국 4번타자입니다.
오픈 스탠스 (open stance)
앞발이 뒷발보다 뒤 쪽으로 쭉 빠져있는 스탠스입니다. 상체의 회전력보다는 컨텍에 중심을 둔 단타자들이 많이 사용한다고 합니다. 대표적인 선수로는 기아 타이거즈 이용규 선수가 생각납니다. 이종욱, 정근우 선수와 함께 국가대표 테이블세터죠.
1-2. 스윙 궤적의 따른 타격 자세의 분류
다운 스윙 (down swing)
타자가 배트를 위에서 아래로 내려치는 타법을 말합니다. 일명 깍아치기라고도 하죠. 다운 스윙은 타격 메커니즘상 스윙 거리가 가깝기 때문에 가장 빠른 타이밍에 스윙을 할 수 있다고 합니다. 배트 스피드가 느린 노장 선수들이나 단타 위주의 타격을 하는 선수들이 종종 구사합니다. 최대 단점은 땅볼 타구가 많이 발생한다는 것입니다. 대표적인 선수로는 나이가 들어 배트 스피드가 느려진 기아 타이거즈 이종범 선수가 아닐까합니다. 기아 경기를 보다보면 다운 스윙을 자주 구사하는 이종범 선수를 볼 수 있습니다.
레벨 스윙 (level swing)
타자가 배트를 공의 궤적대로 치는 타법입니다. 타격 메커니즈상 가장 이상적인 스윙의 형태라고들 합니다. 확률적으로 가장 많은 안타를 칠 수 있는 스윙 방법이기도 합니다. 대부분의 선수들이 구사하는 스윙 방법이므로 많은 설명은 필요하지 않을 거 같습니다. 한 선수를 꼽자면 2009 시즌 타격왕 박용택 선수를 꼽고 싶습니다.
어퍼 스윙 (upper swing)
말 그대로 타자가 배트를 아래서 위로 올려치는 타법을 말합니다. 어퍼 스윙은 골프 스윙이라고도 하죠. 타격 메커니즘에선 플라이를 양산할 수 있으며 높은 볼에 약한 면을 보인다고 합니다. 하지만 어퍼 스윙을 칠 때 호쾌한 맛은 잊을 수가 없죠. 어퍼 스윙이 특징은 맞는 순간 넘어가는 걸 직감하게 되니까요. 대표적인 선수로 롯데 자이언츠의 가르시아 선수를 꼽고 싶습니다.
배팅의 종류와 독특한 타격자세를 가졌던 선수들 소개까지 해볼 건데요.
박정태 선수의 타격자세 특징
첫번째로는 다리를 들어 올리는 동작입니다. 이 동작은 투수와의 타이밍 싸움에서 우위를 점하기 위한 방법이에요.
두 번째로는 배트를 짧게 잡는다는 점입니다. 짧은 배트를 이용해서 공을 맞추기 쉽게 하는 거죠.
세 번째로는 하체를 왔다 갔다 하며 자신 만에 독특한 리듬으로 투수와의 타이밍 싸움을 한다는 것.
그리고 마지막 가장 중요한 투수와의 눈싸움
이치로선수의 시계추 타격자세
이 타격자세는 배트를 어깨높이로 잡고 투수 쪽으로 몸을 기울인 후 손목을 고정시킨 채 스윙을 하는 방식이에요. 이렇게 하면 공을 끝까지 보고 칠 수 있어서 정확도와 장타율이 높아집니다. 하지만 단점으로는 빠른 공 대처능력이 떨어지고 체력소모가 크다는 점이 있겠네요. 그래서 최근에는 타자들이 많이 하지 않는 타격자세라고 합니다.
실제 이치로 선수 말고는 이런 이론으론 잘 칠 수가 없을 거 같아요.
메이저리그 시절의 이치로 선수는 다 타와 출루위주로 타격 자세를 교정을 한 것이지 오릭스 시절의 이치로 선수는 모자란 파워를 시계추 타법으로 보완하여 홈런도 곧잘 치곤 했죠.
상체와 하체로 구분
하체 구분
레그킥
야구 경기를 보다 보면 타자들이 타격 사다리를 들었다 놨다 하는 모습을 종종 볼 수 있다. 이 동작을 ‘레그킥’이라 부르는데, 타자 입장에서는 공을 칠 때 뒤쪽으로 체중 이동하여 파워를 모았다가 타격 시 강한 타격을 할 수 있다는 장점이 있다.
다만 단점도 있는데 타격 시 타이밍을 맞추기 힘들어 빠른볼에 대처가 늦다는 지적도 있어 강정호 선수가 메이저 진출 시 레그킥과 관련하여 타격자세 수정을 해야 한다는 여론이 많았으나 강정호 선수는 스스로 노력으로 잘 대처한 케이스이다.
하체의 체중 이동을 이용해서 타격 시 파워있는 타격 시 장타 확률이 높아진다. 미국 메이저리그(MLB)에서도 레그킥을 적극 활용하는 선수들이 많다. 대표적인 선수가 전 다저스의 터너타임 저스틴 터너이고 뉴욕의 새로운 캡틴 뉴욕 양키스의 애런 저지다. 저지는 지난해 아메리칸리그 홈런왕과 MVP를 차지했다.
다리를 드는 타이밍은 언제
타자마다 조금씩 다르다. 대부분 테이크백(백스윙) 이후 자연스럽게 들어 올린다. 다만 너무 일찍 들어 올리면 중심이 흐트러질 수 있고, 반대로 너무 늦게 올리면 밸런스가 무너질 수 있다. 자신만의 리듬을 찾아 일정하게 올리는 게 좋다. MLB 공식 홈페이지인 MLB닷컴은 “선수별로 차이가 있지만 대체로 다운스윙 직전”이라고 설명한다.
노멀스텝
예를 들어 장타자 중 일부는 레그킥을 하지 않는다. 대신 몸통 회전을 빠르게 해 강한 타구를 만들어낸다. 그러나 이것만으로는 부족하다는 의견이 많다.
대신 레그킥을 하지 않음 으로써 공을 쫒는 시선이 상하로 그만큼 적게 움직이게 되고 이는 곧 변화구 대처에 도움이 된다.
예전 한화이글스 레전드 장종훈 선수는 레그킥을 하지 않고도 한국프로리그 최초로 40 홈런을 달성한 홈런왕이었으며 정선기 시절인 90~92년 사이는 타율, 홈런, 출루울, 등 모든 타격 지표 상단에 이름을 올렸을 정도로 파워와 정교함을 겸비했었다.
노스텝
타격 시 다리를 이동하지 않고 몸통 회전과 상체의 스윙 벨런스로도 유명한 선수도 있다. 최근까지 활동했었던 한화이글스의 김태균선수는 타격자세가 여러 번 수정되었지만 대부분 노스텝으로 타격하는 모습을 많이 보여줬었다.
김태균선수는 선수시절 내내 타율은 항상 상위 권이었고 홈런왕도 했을 정도로 한화 시절에 김태균선수는 가장 4번 타자 다운 선수였다.
하체의 구분은 크게 레그킥 노멀 노스텝으로 나누고 세부적으로는 오픈스텝, 크로스스텝, 또 스트라이드시 반대 또는 축이 되는 뒷발을 미리 돌려놔서 허리 회전을 용이하게 하여 배트 스피드를 늘리는 방법까지 너무 많다.
상체 구분
다운스윙
다운스윙은 요즘은 보기 힘든 스윙이지만 예전에 많이 유행했었다. 장점으로는 배트가 나오는 거리가 짧아 스윙시 배트스피드가 빠르다는 게 장점이지만 배트가 나오는 궤적이 공이 낙하를 하며 오는 공을 치는 것이 배트랑 공이 임팩 하는 스폿 구간이 너무 작다는 것이 요즘에 볼 수 없어진 이유다.
또 쉽게 땅볼이 되기 때문에 병살(더블 플에이)이 많이 나오기도 합니다.
어퍼스윙
어퍼스윙은 방망이를 아래에서 위로 올려치는 스윙입니다. 요즘 메이저 타자들이 공을 칠 때 주로 쓰는 스윙방법이죠. 이 스윙 방법은 장타를 치는데 유리하기 때문에 많은 타자들이 선호하는 스윙이에요. 홈런타자 이승엽 선수나 김태균 선수 등이 대표적인 어퍼스윙 타자고, 최근엔 김하성 선수도 어퍼스윙을 연습한다고 하네요. 어퍼스윙을 하는 선수 중 개인 적으로는 지금은 시카고 컵스로 이적했지만 내셔날리그 MVP출신 코디 벨린저 선수 스윙이 개인적으로는 부상 전에 엄청 화려하고 멋있었는데.. 다시 볼 수 있었으면 좋겠네요.
레벨스윙
레벨스윙은 수평으로 휘두르는 스윙이고, 장타를 노리진 않지만 정확한 타격을 원하고 또 선수 본인의 파워 레벨에 따라서 충분히 많은 양의 홈런을 때려낼 수 있는 가장 교과서 적인 스윙입니다. 대표적으로는 현역 레전드이며 메이저 슈퍼 스타인 마이크 트라웃 이 있습니다. 전형적인 5 툴 플레이어로서 어퍼스윙으로 교정하여 홈런과 타점으로 집중할 수도 있었을 텐데 레벨 스윙을 하며 중장거리 타구를 생산해 내고 자신의 빠른 발로 주루플레이를 하며 펜들의 사랑을 독차지하고 있는 선수죠.
자신에게 맞는 스윙 스타일을 찾아야
How to Swing a Baseball Bat: Six Phases of the Elite Swing
Grip
Stance
Load
Stride & Separation
Swing Path
Finish
If you are just starting out as a baseball player, chances are you are overwhelmed with the amount of information out there about how to swing a baseball bat. At The Hitting Vault we break down the swing into six simple steps that we call our SwingBuild Program. The SwingBuild Program is available to all members of The Hitting Vault that are looking to build a powerful baseball swing from the ground up.
Check out the six phases below of our SwingBuild program and learn how to swing a baseball bat.
Grip
There’s an outdated belief that no matter what, a hitter must have their “knocker knuckles” lined up when they grip the bat. While there are a good amount of elite hitters that do that, the vast majority do not line them up.
Instead they have the big knuckles of their bottom hand lined up with the “knocker” knuckles of their top hand (or somewhere between that and “knockers” lined up.) Not to say lining up the “knocker” knuckles is bad, but for most people that’s not comfortable.
The biggest “No-no” for gripping the bat is to have the big knuckles lined up. This tends to have the bat sitting too deep in the palms, and makes the hitter’s elbows stick out and be tense.
Stance
If you watch elite baseball and softball hitters, there is a wide range of starting stances;
Hands high vs hands low
Bat starting flat vs bat starting vertical
Upright torso vs angled over
Front foot open vs front foot straight vs starting slightly closed
The list goes on!
However, almost all elite hitters have these in common:
50-50 balance between their feet (even if they start open)
Front shoulder lower than their back shoulder
Eyes/Nose/Chin close to their front shoulder
At the Hitting Vault we encourage parents and coaches to “keep it simple” for youth baseball hitters. As they get older, getting more creative and finding out what works for them is great!
For hitters that aren’t quite at the stage for “getting creative” or adjusting to a more person specific starting stance this is what we recommend:
Feet shoulder width apart or wider
Hands just above their back shoulder
Bat around 45 degrees (So not completely flat and not completely vertical to start)
Bent knees
Some hip hinge (being angled over)
50-50 balance between their feet (even if they start open)
Front shoulder lower than their back shoulder
Eyes/Nose/Chin close to their front shoulder
The reason for this very simple starting stance, is that youth baseball hitters don’t have very much body control so being consistent with their movements is hard. Therefore, having less movement when a hitter is younger makes it easier for them to be consistent.
Load
We love to use the term “rock the baby.” The swing mechanics with the shoulders should be similar to if you were rocking a baby. The front shoulder works down, the back shoulder works up. What we also see with most elite hitters is that their barrel works more vertical in their load. Hence why we recommend a simple stance. Because how you start in your stance determines how you load. For example, if a hitter starts with their bat flat on their back shoulder then they will have a lot of vertical barrel movement in their load, versus someone who starts with it already at 45 degrees; they would have a just little bit.
The lower half we want to load into the back hip. While it’s hard to explain over text, basically you don’t want to shift your weight outside your back foot and instead we typically see hitters stay grounded in their back foot and hinge some into their back hip. Often the front knee “coils” in towards the catcher some as well with elite hitters. The head should stay pretty still in this movement, especially for younger hitters.
We recommend for young hitters to have a small leg pick up. The higher the leg kick, they may be able to generate more power, but their ability to control their tempo and be consistent with it is not common and can cause more problems later on in their swing.
If you have a young hitter who has a more wide starting stance, having them just pick up their front foot a couple inches is great!
Stride & Separation
After the load, the hitter will then stride forward. Keep in mind that how far they stride is dependent on their starting stance. For example, if they start more narrow they will need to stride further. If they start really wide, they may not have any forward movement.
The stride needs to be controlled and not rushed. It’s like they’re falling forward, while resisting the fall, which helps keep it controlled. Often hitters push off their back foot causing them to lunge and get too much weight on their front side.
When they have finished striding and get to their front heel hitting, we call this “launch position.” Launch position is very important for a young player because it sets up the body for the rest of the baseball swing.
Distance between your feet should be 50-60% of your height
Front shoulder lower than back shoulder
Knob to the catcher
Body weight centered (okay to be slightly on the backside)
Eyes, nose, chin lined up
Bend in your front knee
Front heel firm into the ground
Long back leg with some bend
Torso tilt/hip hinge
Hands close to your back shoulder, and above your back foot
Some of these areas vary depending on the hitter, but these are what the majority of elite hitters do:
Hips opened some (some hitter’s hips are closed)
Front toes open 30-50 degrees (some hitter’s toes are pointed toward home plate)
Striding in a straight line towards the pitcher (some hitter’s step open 3-4 inches, and some step closed 3-4 inches)
As you can see there’s a lot of little things in the launch position (when the heel hits). Having one or more aspects of it way off causes a ton of issues with the rest of the swing.
Swing Path
While there are multiple different swing paths. Some that are more flat (think Josh Donaldson), some that are more vertical (think Mike Trout), and some that are more steep to the ball (think Alex Bregman), most hitters are somewhere right in the middle of flat and vertical.
We like to use the term “see saw” with the elbows. The elbows work together in a see saw type movement, and the hitter starts to side bend. This side bending is similar to the idea of almost pinching the side, while maintaining balance and not collapsing backwards. We should see the bat work with the back shoulder in this movement, meaning the back shoulder is working down (because of the side bend) and the hands and bat work with it. If just the hands move and not the back shoulder it causes issues in the swing path.
At the same time as the elbows move and side bending happens, the lower half turns hard, that’s what ultimately takes the hands and bat towards the ball, not that the elbows and arms pushing it there. The head should stay fairly still during this time. If it were to move anywhere it would be slightly backwards, or slightly down if they’re going for a low pitch.
We have a ton of drills in the Vault that help hitters understand this path, increase bat speed and learn how to adjust to different pitch heights and locations. For example a pitch higher in the zone will have a flatter bat at contact than a pitch that is low in the zone. That one will have a more vertical bat at contact as compared to a sweet pitch just below the belt.
As the bat gets closer to contact, the front knee should firm up, this acts as the brakes. By “breaking” it allows the hands and bat to reach max bat speed right close to contact. Notice we say firm up, not lock out. Some hitters lock out their front knee, and some don’t, but it should be firm and not have their weight and head drifting forward. Hitters should feel like they are turning behind the ball after their front foot hits at launch.
Contact should have the head in line with the back knee if looking from the side, but from the front the head/spine should be tilted over. That’s due to the hip hinge at launch position. Ideally the hitter is on time, and therefore both elbows should have some bend to it. Palm up, palm down. The barrel should be lower than the hands unless the pitch is above the shoulders. The back foot should be weightless at contact, or near weightles.
Finish
The finish varies from hitter to hitter. Some hitters keep both hands on the bat, some don’t. The key is that the hitter stays on plane with the pitch. At the Hitting Vault many of our drills are focused on getting the hips to turn and feel like you show your back to home plate. Not all hitters do that, but practicing this movement helps hitters to get their lower half going.
As mentioned earlier, the front side acts as the breaks to the swing to allow the upper half to come through. Because you slam on the breaks, we should see what is similar to a “recoil” of the back foot. The back foot gets weightless as the force is going into the front side which firms up, and then it falls back. Too many hitters turn their back side and then finish balancing perfectly on their toe, similar to a golf swing. However the difference is the hitter’s feet are much wider than in a golf swing. The very end of the swing, the hitter will have weight on their back foot.
Introduction ~
Before the Bash Brothers, the following kind of swings were not seen in MLB, at least among well-known hitters: Alex Rodriguez, Prince Fielder, David Ortiz, Jose Bautista, Matt Kemp. In fact, their swings are result of "hitting revolution". However and Probably, that "revolution" does not depend on some kind of hitting theory. I think that is a result of "natural selection".
By the way, vestige of the revolution is seen in here and there. For example, warm up swing in on-deck circle was changed. In Ted Williams generation, many hitters had swung on level plane with somewhat emphasized shoulder rotation (0.03~). On the other hand, many part of today's hitters show downward swing, and their shoulder rotation tend to be reduced. In addition, as for today's hitters, they tend to release their top hand in follow thorough, but it is not matter now. I rather want to say that, their follow through is very characteristic and it had never seen in MLB before 1990's. For example, Carlos Lee, Carlos Gonzalez, and Mark Trumbo express that characteristics very well.
To change the subject, from the point of maximum view, trend of hitting mechanics has been changed from "linear" to "rotational" certainly. Of course, it should be a result of meeting the requirement of compactness that is necessary for adjustment to improved pitching skills. On the other hand, "yearning" for star players also makes a trend of hitting style.
For example, I have ever heard that on some video, that is, Reggie Jackson said that "I remodeled my hitting mechanics by modeling myself on Harmon Killebrew". And according to that video, he watched Killebrew's home run in the ball park when he was young, and that experience caused him to remodel his swing. And in fact, Reggie Jackson's swing is classified into the same type as Harmon Killebrew's swing. In addition, their swings' mechanics can be said as a "prototype" of today's new fashioned hitting mechanics. And I call it as "puncher type". On the other hand, I call the old fashioned hitting mechanics as "swinger type". For example, these swings (Jonny Gomes) (J. J. Hardy) show me the vestige of Harmon killebrew. And they can be classified as the puncher type clearly.
Harmon Killebrew (573HR)
Reggie Jackson (563HR)
In 1977's world series, Reggie Jackson hit three home runs at yankee stadium, and it was an opening ceremony of the hitting revolution. In fact, his hitting mechanics is almost same as today's sluggers. For example, if Sammy Sosa's swing is turned over from right to left, it will become almost same as Reggie Jackson's swing. In addition, I feel the vestige of Raggie Jackson's swing in following swings: Justin Morneau, Adrian Beltre, Martin Prado, Vernon Wells. Anyway, and Probably, Reggie Jackson affected upon many hitters. And as a result, he must have produced a lot of his followers through the TV. And in fact, Jose Canseco is also one of them.
According to Jose Canseco's autobiography, when he was a kid, he had yarned for Reggie Jackson. And he referred to Jackson's swing for making his own swing. Actually, Jose Canseco's hitting mechanics is almost same as Reggie Jackson's it. And then, golden age of athletics has come. As for that team, three key players were classified as the puncher type, namely, Jose Canseco, Mark McGwire, and Rickey Henderson. Their hitting mechanics was modernized extremely in those days, and many players must have watched their swings and learned from them through the TV. Because Oakland Athletics appeared in world series for three consecutive years from 1988 to 1990.
In 1994's, MLB was expanded from 28team to 30team. And in those days, many sluggers emerged suddenly. For example, Mike Piazza, Albert Bell, Ken Griffey Jr, Frank Thomas, Barry Bonds, Cecil Fielder, Juan Gonzalez, Mo Vanghn, Jeff Bagwell, Sammy Sosa, Andress Galarraga, etc. At that time, league's total home run number in single season was increased by above "new jackers". However, criticism about that home run rush is not always affirmative. And in my memory, the reason of negative criticism has two primary tendencies. Firstly, spread of anabolic steroids, and secondly, influx of minor league level pitchers as a result of MLB expansion. But from the point of my view, the most primary reason of that home run rush is in the hitting revolution. Because, in those days, puncher type was spread suddenly in MLB, and in particular, that spread was seen mainly among leading players, especially among power hitters. Anyway, home run rush in mid 1990's means beginning a new age of baseball.
In the late 1990's, hitting mechanics had changed considerably as compared with before 1990's. For example, Jeff Bagwell had had a characteristic hitting form that was never seen before 1990's. In addition, Mike Piazza showed epoch-making swing, and his swing caused me to have a doubt against former hitting theory. Because, he seemed to don't take a weight transfer and load, I mean he seemed to start his swing from batting stance directly. And Moises Alou also showed that kind of hitting style. Be that as it may, in the late1990's, the hitting revolution had completed already. In a sense, Home run derby of Sosa and McGwire in 1998 can be said as meaning the celebration for hitting revolution. Of course, Barry Bonds also appeared that celebration, and he crowned the final of it. For that matter, 1990's MLB looked like the age of dinosaurs, for good and bad.
Now, now is the "after revolution era". Regime was changed already, and various systems still have been constructed. On the other hand, swinger type is decreasing more and more. They are likely to go into under ground and organize a resistance army. Now is that sort of situation. In addition, I feel the changing of the era from today's young hitter's swing like below: Reid Brignac, Mark Trumbo, Peter Bourjos, Hank Conger, Freddie Freeman, Sean Rodriguez, Carlos Gonzalez. Be that as it may, Revolution was completed, but "change" still have continued.
~ An Overview ~
Hitting mechanics is classified into two types: swinger type and puncher type.
Swinger type
(Old fasioned: Traditional and classical swing of baseball)
~ Swinger Type in Todays MLB (Video Clips) ~
Joe mauer, Chipper Jones (L), Jarrod Dyson, Kousuke Fukudome
J. D. Drew, Johny Damon, Nick Punto, Nick Johnson,
Matt Wieters(L), Josh Hamilton, Lance Berkman (L), Jorge Posada (L)
Justin Smoak (L),
~ Mechanics of Swinger Type ~
Weight shift and hip rotation leads the arm swing. (like a hammer throw)
When you rotate your hip with relaxed arms, your arms will be accelerated automatically by the physical law. Following video clip expresses that mechanism and it is core essential mechanism of swinger type.
Principle of swinger type
Following clips are old time swinger type hitters.
Ted Williams
Babe Ruth
Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Fox
By the way, in the actual batting mechanics, hip rotation is led by weight transfer (or linear-translational motion). This mechanism can be confirmed with experiment below. That is, if you take a large linear-translational-motion from batting stance like Stan Musial and Ichiro, hip rotation will occur automatically. And of course, hip rotation causes arm swing automatically. In short, weight transfer produces all power for swing.
For that matter, some hitters take large weight transfer like George Brett and Willie Mays. On the other hand, some other hitters take small weight transfer like Ted Williams and Tony Gwynn. However, regardless of large or small weight transfer, if that swing is operated based on above experiment's mechanism, that swing should be classified as swinger type. And it is important that swinger type mechanics needs some kind of preparation motion for acceleration like a load, stride, or linear translational motion.
Almost all batter's appearing in this video are classified into the swinger type.
1976 World Series Cincinnati Reds vs New york Yankees
Typical swinger type hitters
Ted Williams, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Jimmie Foxx
George Brett, Eddie Murray, Darryl Strawberry, Cal Ripken Jr, Tony Gwynn
Dave Winfield, Julio Franco, Jesse, Barfield, Frank Robinson
Gary Sheffield, Eric Davis, Pete Rose,
Wade Boggs, Johnny Bench, Paul O'neill, Brett Boone, Tony Batista
Nick Johnson, Mark Grace, Rafael Palmeiro, Luis Gonzalez, Randall Simon
A typical swing of swinger type (Babe Ruth)
Puncher type
(New fashioned: It's just the literal New Jack Swing)
Puncher type of today's MLB
Justin Morneau, Freddie Freeman, Jonny Gomes, Martin Prado, B.J.Upton
Reid Brignac, Asdrubal Cabrera, Mark Trumbo, Andrew McCutchen
Matt Wieters (R), Chipper Jones (R), Jose Guillen, Aaron Hill
Franklin Gutierrez, Carlos Lee, Danny Espinoza, Sam Fuld
Hank Conger, Jacoby Ellsbury, Jack Cust, Colby Rasmus, Jason Giambi
Caros Gonzalz, Robinson Cano, Prince Fielder, Derek Jeter
Dan Uggla, Alex Rodriguez
Swing start from batting stance directly. ( Like a punch of boxing. ) You need to generate the power quickly and suddenly like an explosion. Linear translational motion and hip rotation occur automatically as a result of swing. In your conscious, you don't have to rotate your hip and move your body forward. And it is important that puncher type's mechanics don't need the preparation motion for acceleration.
Principle of puncher type
When you try to swing from batting stance directly, load and stride occur automatically.
Explain about above experiment
(1) In my consciousness, I try to accelerate my hands from set up position directly.
(2) As a result of (1), my lower body generate power and kick the ground automatically. As a result, ground reaction force carries my body forward. And my right hand is moved back by counteraction of weight transfer. For that matter, all of these motions occur automatically in unconsciousness.
(3) As a result of (2), my torso's muscles are stretched along diagonal line.
(4) My torso's muscles contract and it leads arm swing.
(5)~(6) forward swing and follow through.
Andruw Jones
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In the former sports science, puncher type mechanics have not been acknowledged as a correct hitting mechanics. The reason is next. In the common sense of sports science, arm swing is thought as a result of hip rotation and linear translational motion. (It means that arm swing is led by hip rotation and linear translational motion.) In addition, the "common sense" does not have knowledge about "system" that trying to accelerate the arm quickly causes linear translational motion and hip rotation automatically. As a result, former sports scientist couldn't explain the mechanics of puncher type. In other words, they can't explain the hitting mechanics without using the words "linear translational motion", "hip rotation" and "load". However and actually, trying to accelerate the bat causes these preparation motion automatically. And that's an essential mechanism of puncher type.
Almost all batter's appearing in this video are classified into the puncher type.
2011 NLCS ST. Louis Cardinals vs Milwaukee Brewers
Typical puncher type hitters
Harmon Killebrew, Reggie Jackson, Andre Dawson, Pedro Guerrero
Mark McGwire, Jose Canseco, Omar Linares, Mike Piazza
Barry Bonds, Ken Griffey Jr, Sammy Sosa Alex Rodriguez
Manny Ramirez, Derek Jeter, Albert pujols, Jason Giambi
Vladimir Guerrero, Michael Young, Joey Vott
A typical swing of puncher type (Barry Bonds)
By the way, difference between these two types becomes clear when you try to accelerate your bat with your maximum power like a home run derby. And above video's experiment teach us that these two types mechanics should not be combine. That is, You can accelerate your bat maximumly by adherence to one particular type. In other words, these two types have completely different mechanics. So you need to know which type is your hitting mechanics classified.
| Adherence to one side is the most important thing. |
By the way, the majority of today's MLB hitters are classified as puncher type. The reasons are compactness, stability and simplicity etc.
Basically, characteristics of swinger type's mechanics (that requires the preparation motion for acceleration) are more complexity than puncher type's it. In addition, swinger type needs more time before the swing than puncher type. And in most cases, these characteristics are not suitable for modern baseball.
By the way, difference between these two types is just due to ability to adapt to modern baseball. In other words, It does not mean superiority of mechanics itself. For example, lady who lives next door may be puncher type, and some swinger type hitters mark high batting average in today's MLB. However, I'm sure that learning the puncher type's mechanics makes you easy to succeed in today's baseball scene. And for the above reasons, following chapters describes the puncher type's mechanics mainly.
~ In Detail ~
~ Swinger type ~
Basically, swinger type mechanics uses weight transfer (stride) as an energy source. And in this scene, their hands moves back by counteraction of weight transfer. (figure1)
| Figure1 George Brett |
In addition, they stretches their bottom-hand-back-muscle and back-leg-adductor-muscle in their stride motion. (figure2)
| Figure2 sinnosuke abe |
Next, in the scene of landing, ground reaction force from front leg causes hip rotation. And muscle contraction of back-leg-adductor-muscle also causes hip rotation. (figure 3)
| figure 3 Hiromitsu Kadota (right) |
As a result of acceleration of hip rotation, bat head receives suspension-inertial-force. And this suspension-inertial-force has an effect on keeping bat head behind the hands. As a result, bottom-hand-back-muscle is stretched more again. (figure 4)
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In the scene of rotation, first, bottom-hand-back-muscle is stretched, and next, bottom-hand-back-muscle contracts by muscle reflex function, namely stretch reflex. (figure5) Incidentally, as for this function, it is easy to understand when you imagine a rubber band.
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| Figure5 |
| Figure6 |
| Figure7 |
| figure8 Hank Aaron |
| figure9 |
Additional notes
Swinger type mechanics can furthermore be classified into two types based on "stride mechanism". Put simply, it means small weight transfer type and large weight transfer type. Namely, it can be said as "rotational type" and "linear type". By the way, I have still not understood the "american hitting theory" enough. But at least, my main classification method (puncher type & swinger type) does not depend on size of weight transfer.
Examples of rotational type of swinger type
Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig, Carl Yastrzemski, Johnny Bench
Jim Rice, Willie Stargell, Carlton Fisk, Tony Gwynn, Joe Mauer, Kousuke Fukudome
Examples of linear type of swinger type
Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Stan Musial
Jimmie Foxx, George Brett, Will Clark, Randy Bass
Thus, transition of hitting mechanics in MlB can not be explained by only using the words: "rotational" and "linear". That is, their are linear type of puncher type and rotational type of swinger type. So, let I give some examples about these type hitters.
Examples of rotational type of swinger type.
Joe Mauer, Lance Berkman, Nick Johnson
Examples of linear type of puncher type.
Carlos Gonzarez, Andre Ethier
Refined reading about linear vs rotational.
~ Puncher Type ~
As for detail of puncher type mechanics, I write about it as a main theme in following chapter, so that, I want to write about it simply from the point of view of difference between swinger type and puncher type, especially as for in the acceleration phase.
Following sequence photograph is Alex Ramirez, and under of it is flipped horizontally photograph of Barry Bonds. These swings show almost same motion, and it means typical swing of puncher type.
Swing example based on my hitting theory (puncher type).
George Brett
At the first place, MLB players don't know this classification method. Therefore, they have not make their swing depend on this classification method. However, and Probably, they are recognizing their own type broadly by their sense or feeling. In fact, in the case of starter-level players of MLB, they always show the either mechanics of puncher or swinger constantly. And it means they have good skills. On the other hand, low-level players often show me too difficult mechanics to classify. Or rather, they must not be recognizing which type mechanics they are choosing. But in some time, they show me clear mechanics that can be classified easily. Because there are many factors that have effect on batting results beside the viewpoint of this classification.
Anyway, classification work does not so easy, and I still have been studying now. Incidentally, observation of many swings is the best way for understanding hitting mechanics, because it constructs the database in my brain. And it is more better way that watching as many swings as possible than watching one swing for a long time. However, for players, classification work is not so important. But if you are understanding about basic mechanics of each types, you will be able to do the classification work as for only in the clear case like Jose Canseco or Darryl Strawberry. That's enough. (If you are a player.)
So then, what makes classification difficult? There are so many factors, so that I can't explain all of these factors here. Instead, I give some examples of difficult cases for the classification work below.
