From time to time I get asked, is hitting an art or a science? It is actually both.

The Art portion of hitting falls under Style or techniques. All hitter develop their own style or their own technique. Whether it would be a ritual or something that helps them get relaxed or help them get focused. They all have what you would call a swagger to their approach.

The Science of hitting is the mechanics of the swing. The study of how a swing takes place. And we are going to talk about that in a minute. But before we start lets talk a little about the bat and reaction time.

The bat at its widest point is 3 1/2 inches in diameter and what they call the sweet spot is only about 3 inches in length. If you hit any other part of the barrel other than the sweet spot the bat will vibrate and this is what causes sting in your hands.

Some pitchers throw the ball upwards of 90 mph and the distance from the pitching rubber to the plate is 60 feet 6 inches. This mean the hitter has about two thirds of a second to get the barrel of the bat into the plain of the pitch with full power. Now keep in mind not all pitches come straight in many have movement; they dip, float, zip and curve.

A 90 mph fast ball should reach the plate in about .4 seconds after the pitcher releases the ball. That means the batter has a split second to pick up the pitch visually and “recognize ” it - decide whether it is a fast ball, a curve or a change up and where it is likely to be headed in relation to the strike zone.

There are actually two types of hitters; Linear and Rotational. You can tell the difference by how they use their body during the swing. Linear hitters will have a little body movement forward as they push their hips on rotation to get to their back toe. Rotational hitters will stay back and rotate on an axis. Both are very similar and effective. 

Hitters typically fall under three categories; Contact hitters otherwise known as base hitters, Line drive hitters or hitters that like to use the gaps for extra bases. And the last category would be Power Hitters. These are the guys that produce a lot of runs. Hitters that take the ball deep. The long bal

Learn more at www.bradyball.blog.com