Thread by @SteveEnglishbey

" or bat hitting below ball equator." I made a number of comments in reply to "Slay Jr." but I want to make a few more points using this quote.

https://twitter.com/ItDiscovers/status/1470152491656712192

If you look at the context here he is asking what I think is a good question--that of thinking about what one needs to do create better upward trajectories basically. Is hitting "below the equator" the answer? To which I say: Yes, no, it depends.

Meaning that a yes or no answer pretty much ENTIRELY depends on how one understands the movement dynamics involved in swinging a bat. Both poorly and at high level of competence.

Some context: For yrs. I have heard many [including hitting instructors] say that the best way to create "lift" is by swinging DOWNWARDLY so as to hit the lower half [get "south of the equator"] ...so as to get backspin.

So, from THIS perspective the answer of getting lift is obvious: Swing down/hit under the middle. And I mentioned in reply to Slay, indeed this is true....for fungo hitters.

But. In the context of trying to create consistent lift against an actual pitcher, this fungo hitter construct is wrong. Drastically wrong.

So. THIS answer to the hit "below the equator" is ...NO. This of course then suggests that the answer to this question is not so simple.

This further suggests that the answer of YES or NO really depends on how well one understands "how the body works" in the context of swinging a bat.[Understanding both really good and not so good swings].

Said another way: There are MANY [essentially infinite technically] ways to create movement to swing a bat. Thus, there are many ways to create movement that creates contact ..."south of the equator", e.g., fungo hitting as one ex.

Thus the question of or thinking about a solution of correcting flatter trajectories via hitting "south of the border" simply begs the question.

A much better question [more refined/astute] would be that of : How does one create movement of body/bat that results in substantially creating greater consistency of optimal trajectories?

THIS kind of question is, I think [obviously] MUCH more important and relevant than the simple construct of hitting "south of the border."

Why? Well, because it is at least implicitly understood in that question is that a good answer to hitting slightly under the ball necessarily entails some understanding of biomechanics, physiology, motor control, motor learning.

Why? Because in order to best understand how to create high level movement I think that some decent working understanding of these domains is necessary. In the specific context of either analyzing and/or teaching hitters.

Otherwise, you may be left with relatively superficial notions that I think have little "explanatory power" like: attack angles, launch angles, swinging down so as to get back spin, hitting "south of the equator" etc. [and I could go on with many such cues or vague concepts].

One final point here. In no manner am I trying to "be mean" or call out Slay. NO. He strikes me a young guy trying earnestly to understand this hitting stuff. Not at all my intention here.

But, simply put, his comments/questions "prompted me" [as I have said many times about similar such questions/comments on my website] to try to expand upon his words.

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