The following quote essentially about what's known as the "rate of force development" --quickness in a word --comes from trainer Dietrich Buchenholz--using Barry Bonds as the frame of reference:
"Watching a living immortal like Barry Bonds hit and you know what ,I'm talking about. The ball looks like it's almost past his front knee before he even thinks about swinging. The critical factor isn't his 95 mph bat speed- lots of guys do that..."
.."the critical factor is his ability to go from 0 to 95 quicker than most of us humans can blink an eyelash!" [And the blink of an eye reference is a good one in that this is LITERALLY all the time MLB hitters have to unload].
This is indeed correct.
This is indeed correct.
Swing quickness is related to but distinct from bat speed. I'll try to give the following example to make this case. Let's say hitter A can generate 100 mph bat speed, Hitter B can generate only 85 mph.
Obviously hitter A --using JUST these numbers ---is superior. But. Let's add the RATE at which the bat speed is generated. Let's use time as a frame of reference in combination with bat speed.
And since MLB hitters unload between .14 to .16 tenths of a second, let's use .15 tenths as the time frame. In this context let's say that hitter A and B have 100 and 85 MPH at .2.0 tenths of a second. But in using .15 tenths hitter A has 75 MPH and hitter B has 82...
hitter B is QUICKER. He will --in the context of hitting elite level pitching----be quicker that hitter A.
Hitter A --to repeat --DOES have better bat speed [100 vs 85] but NOT in the context of the TIME CONSTRAINTS inherent to hitting MLB pitching.
Hitter A --to repeat --DOES have better bat speed [100 vs 85] but NOT in the context of the TIME CONSTRAINTS inherent to hitting MLB pitching.
Hitter A is NOT as quick in terms of the rate of force development ---quickness.
If I am scouting these 2 hitters, all others things being equal, I am going to choose hitter B over hitter A.
If I am scouting these 2 hitters, all others things being equal, I am going to choose hitter B over hitter A.
Because I know that the quicker the hitter, the longer they can wait, such that they are beter able to be quick enough to handle an up and in fast ball, AND handle off speed pitches as well.
Simply put, quickness matters. ALOT!!
Simply put, quickness matters. ALOT!!
I will also add that all to many [hitters and instructors]are all too enamored with all the devices measuring bat speed. Many times at the cost of swing quickness,i.e,. there are numerous ways to create more bat speed; but many fewer ways yield greater bat speed AND quickness.
