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by **Psivage** » Mon Apr 23, 2012 3:53 pm

My nephew plays baseball, I don't watch it or know how to play. But I always thought you swing a bat level to hit the ball.

He is being taught to swing the bat in a "V" formation, down and up. He is upset because this isn't te way he was taught.

The coach says he has a certification to teach hitting from the major league, saying he could be a batting coach for the majors.

So basically how do you swing a bat?

by **Benderbrau** » Mon Apr 23, 2012 3:57 pm

That depends on where you want the ball to go. I didn't know it had a name but in my experience "V formation" as he calls it would be how I'd swing it if I wanted to pop the ball up. But that's not always the best strategy. Pop flies can create easy outs. Sometimes a grounder is the better choice.

by **DMM** » Mon Apr 23, 2012 3:59 pm

depends on where you want it to go. The main thing is to actually hit the ball.

by **GHERU** » Mon Apr 23, 2012 3:59 pm

it does depend on the goal of the hit
IMO, the V style (more of a U, IMO) is a good was to teach the basics

think about it, from the stance the bat is near enough to just over your shoulder, with no down motion the bat would only have a range of about eye level

by **Chesscub** » Mon Apr 23, 2012 4:00 pm

I hold it by the wings.

by **sdsichero** » Mon Apr 23, 2012 4:01 pm

I thought this was going to be a nieto joke.

by **Psivage** » Mon Apr 23, 2012 4:05 pm

sdsichero wrote:I thought this was going to be a nieto joke.

I think you get ban for that.

by **Psivage** » Mon Apr 23, 2012 4:06 pm

GHERU wrote:it does depend on the goal of the hit
IMO, the V style (more of a U, IMO) is a good was to teach the basics

think about it, from the stance the bat is near enough to just over your shoulder, with no down motion the bat would only have a range of about eye level

U is another way she describe it as well.

by **GHERU** » Mon Apr 23, 2012 4:06 pm

sdsichero wrote:I thought this was going to be a nieto joke.

one does not joke about Benevolent Overlord Neito and live to tale the tale

by **Psivage** » Mon Apr 23, 2012 4:07 pm

Thanks everyone. I get the sense he is in the know. That was my big concern.

by **GHERU** » Mon Apr 23, 2012 4:11 pm

I think, and I may be wrong here, that your nephew is taking the concept of the V too dramatically. It may be just a nominal change in elevation, not a drastic top of the head to below the knees motion.

a soft inverted arc might be another way to describe it so that he has a better understanding of what the coach is describing

by **mrorangesoda** » Mon Apr 23, 2012 4:13 pm

GHERU wrote:it does depend on the goal of the hit
IMO, the V style (more of a U, IMO) is a good was to teach the basics

think about it, from the stance the bat is near enough to just over your shoulder, with no down motion the bat would only have a range of about eye level

This. You're going down for 95% of pitches. The bottom of the U is where you're hitting the ball, not the top (which would cause the pop ups others have mentioned). The top would be the follow through.

by **Psivage** » Mon Apr 23, 2012 4:14 pm

GHERU wrote:I think, and I may be wrong here, that your nephew is taking the concept of the V too dramatically. It may be just a nominal change in elevation, not a drastic top of the head to below the knees motion.

a soft inverted arc might be another way to describe it so that he has a better understanding of what the coach is describing

Well his dad called the coach an idiot, so now my nephew thinks he is one. I think that's where the problem came from.