Exercising which muscles improves hitting ability in baseball?

[BigJ]

Originally posted by: GagHalfrunt
ROFL!! Do you guys even watch baseball? Watch a few games, you'll see dozens of guys who get fooled by curves or straight change-ups get on their front foot and lose almost all of their shoulder turn still hit the ball out with hands alone.

Yes I do, and that's because they still have the power generated from turning their hips and using their core muscles. They just lack the balance.

Have you actually ever played baseball?

 

[PlatinumGold]

Originally posted by: GagHalfrunt

Originally posted by: happybelly

Originally posted by: BigJ

Originally posted by: GagHalfrunt
If you want to hit more powerfully, work on your wrist/hands/forearms. The vast majority of the power in the swing comes from the release of the wrist cock and the hand rotation. The shoulders and lower body add very little. A guy with strong forearms can hit the ball out of the park flatfooted. A guy with weak forearms can't generate power no matter what his legs, chest, shoulders and upper arms do.

If you want to hit better train your eyes. It doesn't mater how strong you are if you're not making solid contact. What seperates bad hitters from good hitters isn't strength or bat speed, it's eye speed.

I'd like to see a guy with strong forearms hit the ball out of the park using just his upperbody.

Me too. It's not going to happen.

ROFL!! Do you guys even watch baseball? Watch a few games, you'll see dozens of guys who get fooled by curves or straight change-ups get on their front foot and lose almost all of their shoulder turn still hit the ball out with hands alone.

Regardless of what Major Leaguers are capable of doing. For the average person, power comes from the legs and hips. if you don't rotate the hips and drive with the legs you will have no power.

major leaguers are a bit better than the average person and can do things with wrists and arms that most of us will never do in our lives.

 

[Landroval]

Originally posted by: PlatinumGold

Originally posted by: GagHalfrunt

Originally posted by: happybelly

Originally posted by: BigJ

Originally posted by: GagHalfrunt
If you want to hit more powerfully, work on your wrist/hands/forearms. The vast majority of the power in the swing comes from the release of the wrist cock and the hand rotation. The shoulders and lower body add very little. A guy with strong forearms can hit the ball out of the park flatfooted. A guy with weak forearms can't generate power no matter what his legs, chest, shoulders and upper arms do.

If you want to hit better train your eyes. It doesn't mater how strong you are if you're not making solid contact. What seperates bad hitters from good hitters isn't strength or bat speed, it's eye speed.

I'd like to see a guy with strong forearms hit the ball out of the park using just his upperbody.

Me too. It's not going to happen.

ROFL!! Do you guys even watch baseball? Watch a few games, you'll see dozens of guys who get fooled by curves or straight change-ups get on their front foot and lose almost all of their shoulder turn still hit the ball out with hands alone.

Regardless of what Major Leaguers are capable of doing. For the average person, power comes from the legs and hips. if you don't rotate the hips and drive with the legs you will have no power.

major leaguers are a bit better than the average person and can do things with wrists and arms that most of us will never do in our lives.

I have to agree with this. Same for throwing. I am sure the comments about forearms and wrists are valid as well, so take both into account.

 

[minime72706]

Squeeze a tennis ball everytime your doing nothing(watching TV, neffing etc.)

Legs do help but for better bat speed wrists are the most important. A good snap will send the ball a lot farther then your legs can. Jeff Bagwell is all upperbody- If you watch his swing his feet are closer together after he steps then before.

Doing this will hit with more power, to improve ability the only thing you can do is practice-taking swings with only one hand helps a lot.

 

[Nebor]

If you're interested in switch hitting, shoot me a PM, I have advise.

 

[Nebor]

Originally posted by: Nebor
If you're interested in switch hitting, shoot me a PM, I have advise.

PM from Phokus:

switch hitting? you mean hitting both leftie and rightie? Whatever advice i can get on better hitting, i'm all for it!

:Q

 

[skace]

Originally posted by: BigJ

Originally posted by: GagHalfrunt
If you want to hit more powerfully, work on your wrist/hands/forearms. The vast majority of the power in the swing comes from the release of the wrist cock and the hand rotation. The shoulders and lower body add very little. A guy with strong forearms can hit the ball out of the park flatfooted. A guy with weak forearms can't generate power no matter what his legs, chest, shoulders and upper arms do.

If you want to hit better train your eyes. It doesn't mater how strong you are if you're not making solid contact. What seperates bad hitters from good hitters isn't strength or bat speed, it's eye speed.

I'd like to see a guy with strong forearms hit the ball out of the park using just his upperbody.

He'd have to hit it out while sitting in a chair, that would be hillarious.

 

[edro]

Nobody saying anything about your back? You need shoulders, forearms, stomach, chest, back and legs... So... basically everything.

 

[shilala]

Resistance exercises increase bat speed. They make a couple products that you can put on your bat to help gain bat speed. One is a parachute, one is a big "fan".
Both work on the same principle, they force you to "push" the bat, effectively giving you more bat speed and increased power.
A good mechanical swing is key. If you have a lousy swing, the sheer mechanics of it will keep you from getting the speed and power you need to hit the ball out of the park.
Slowpitch softball hitters have to keep their hands very low, so low that it's uncomfortable for me, almost at the belt line. It feels weird but puts the bat's trajectory on the right plane to send the ball over the fence. A very short stride and compact motion are other important parts of the swing.
I've got 14-15 year old girls on the team I coach who can hit the ball 300 feet using that approach. It's pretty amazing.

 

[ThePresence]

It's all about hand/eye coordination.

 

[Savij]

I don't know about you guys, but I see an entire body in motion when a ball gets hit.

 

[Phokus]

Originally posted by: shilala
Resistance exercises increase bat speed. They make a couple products that you can put on your bat to help gain bat speed. One is a parachute, one is a big "fan".
Both work on the same principle, they force you to "push" the bat, effectively giving you more bat speed and increased power.
A good mechanical swing is key. If you have a lousy swing, the sheer mechanics of it will keep you from getting the speed and power you need to hit the ball out of the park.
Slowpitch softball hitters have to keep their hands very low, so low that it's uncomfortable for me, almost at the belt line. It feels weird but puts the bat's trajectory on the right plane to send the ball over the fence. A very short stride and compact motion are other important parts of the swing.
I've got 14-15 year old girls on the team I coach who can hit the ball 300 feet using that approach. It's pretty amazing.

So in softball i should keep my hands to the belt instead of around my neck? That'd be kinda hard to hit wouldn't it? (pitchers in our 'league' really arc the ball up high).

 

[RedRooster]

Originally posted by: ThePresence
It's all about hand/eye coordination.

I agree.
150lb shortstops can hit homers all day in batting practice, so the issue of strength really is a moot point. Having the skill to hit is the most important, some people have it and most people don't. Simple as that.
The only point where strength really becomes an issue is when you start facing high quality pitching, with drastic speed changes and quality pitches. Then, lack of timing or balance can be slightly made up for by having arms and wrists the size of tree trunks.
I'm a fairly small guy, but my bat speed is way higher than the bigger guys on my team and I'd like to say I have a small amount of hitting skill. Hence, I lead the team in run production via the El Dingero.

 

[Chunkee]

triceps, delts and forearms

jC

 

[PingSpike]

Wrists? Aside from the fact that there are no muscles on the wrists in the first place and the ones on the forearms are only responsible for finger and hand movement...all muscles in your arms are pathetically weak in comparison to you legs and back. If you want power, in anything, you use your lower body.

I don't know anything about baseball, but I feel pretty confident in saying that the power from hitting does not come from your god damn wrists.

 

[shilala]

Originally posted by: Phokus

Originally posted by: shilala
Resistance exercises increase bat speed. They make a couple products that you can put on your bat to help gain bat speed. One is a parachute, one is a big "fan".
Both work on the same principle, they force you to "push" the bat, effectively giving you more bat speed and increased power.
A good mechanical swing is key. If you have a lousy swing, the sheer mechanics of it will keep you from getting the speed and power you need to hit the ball out of the park.
Slowpitch softball hitters have to keep their hands very low, so low that it's uncomfortable for me, almost at the belt line. It feels weird but puts the bat's trajectory on the right plane to send the ball over the fence. A very short stride and compact motion are other important parts of the swing.
I've got 14-15 year old girls on the team I coach who can hit the ball 300 feet using that approach. It's pretty amazing.

So in softball i should keep my hands to the belt instead of around my neck? That'd be kinda hard to hit wouldn't it? (pitchers in our 'league' really arc the ball up high).

Yup, absolutely.
When your hands are up high, you'll continuously hit hot grounders to short. You might get lucky and drop a few in behind short until the other team catches on.
Get your hands down and swing flat. That's your power. The ball will jump and you'll be a hero.
The next big problem is that guys "Open up to the pitcher". That means they watch the ball through the arc. By the time the ball gets there, they are leaning back with their chin up. They hit the ball and it goes straight up in the air.
I tell my girls "clear the mechanism". That's a movie reference that tells them to quit thinking. That's paramount.
Get used to waiting for the ball. If you're thinking it in, you'll continually swing early fouling to left.
I straighten out new girls by telling them "Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait". You have to swing when you really think it's too late.
Last but not least...
The harder you try, the more fvcked up your swing will get. Take a breath and clear the mechanism.
Let me know how you do.

 

[Kelemvor]

Originally posted by: dadeef
dont forget wrists too

I'm sure he has at least one wrist that's very strong...