Recently, I was watching the Phillies play the Braves on ESPN. Former major league player and manager Bobby Valentine and former player John Kruk emphatically pointed out that it is physically impossible to successfully hit with a level swing because, as Ted Williams pointed out years ago, a pitched ball is traveling down to the hitter.
A week later during a spring training telecast, Ralph Kiner, a Hall of Fame player and great hitter, said it was a pleasure to hear someone publically state the fallacy of swinging level. Hopefully, the belief in swinging down or level will go the way of: “The earth is flat,” and, “The moon is made of green cheese.”
Hey Mike,
ReplyDeleteI understand not wanting to swing level, but you do want to swing down right to create topspin?
Thanks in advance.
Mike!
ReplyDeleteOf course the swing is UP. Just don't teach UP! Charlie Lau delt with this by stressing the "swing down-and finish high" idea. A good approach because that will result in a slight upswing to meet the downward flight of the ball. If you teach "up" to a young hitter. you'll generally get an "upper-cutter".Watch all those on deck hitters in MLB--They exagerate swinging down. Aiming at an extreme because they know how deadly an uppercut can be; but they know that the natural process of the swing will not permit them to swing down once the ball is thrown. (Nellie Fox may have been an exception...??)
Kenny Myers was one of a kind! You and I both signed with LA in 1959 and we spent a lot of time with Kenny at Wrigly Field that Fall-Remember Home Run Derby...! Lovell Smith