physics

Hitting mechanics

Hitting mechanics is a physics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Hitting mechanics rather than just read about it. In short: In baseball, hitting mechanics studies the biomechanical motion that governs the swing of a baseball player. The goal of biomechanics in hitting during baseball training is to study and improve upon the physics involved in hitting.

Key takeaways

Hitting mechanics belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Hitting mechanics to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Hitting mechanics from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

In baseball, hitting mechanics studies the biomechanical motion that governs the swing of a baseball player. The goal of biomechanics in hitting during baseball training is to study and improve upon the physics involved in hitting. This includes optimizing a player's swing for either maximizing their "bat speed" or time for plate coverage. There is a wide range of batting stances and mechanics that are developed through individual preferences. However, when comparing among experienced baseball players, their batting mechanics approach are almost similar.

Hitting analysis Hitters have a wide variation of swings, but in the end staying balanced and having stable posture is the most important aspect of hitting a baseball. If the hitter becomes unbalanced throughout the swing the chance of making solid contact with the baseball is very slim. Once balanced throughout the swing, bat speed comes into the next most important aspect of the baseball swing. The faster the bat speed, the faster the ball will come off the bat. Furthermore, researchers have long established that home run hits are dependent on swing speed. Most notably, one can logically assume that a faster swing will result in the ball traveling farther. A 3-6% increase in bat speed can significantly affect the distance a ball travels after contact in competition (7). In terms of simple physics and mathematics, the conservation of momentum (E1) and a kinematic equation (E2) also reinforces this idea.

(E1): (Mass1*Velocity1 = Mass2*Velocity2) (E2): (distance = Velocity (initial) *time + 0.5 *acceleration *time^2) A study used an intensive mathematical program (finite element analysis software) to confirm that ball exit velocity is indeed dependent on linear bat velocity. These findings and observations confirm that a faster swing will be beneficial to a baseball player. In a research done by Welsh and et al. for the Journal of Orthopaedic and Sport Physical Therapy, they found that every baseball player goes through three critical phases during their swing. The three phases are foot off, foot down, and ball contact. In addition, they found that maximum hip rotation (around 714 degrees per second) happens right after foot down and maximum bat velocity (around 31 meters per second) before ball contact. These are significant markers since the hips generate the power needed for the bat speed which determines the distance the ball travels. Most biomechanics research hypothesis involving baseball takes those parameters as key values that can determine the success of a hitter. Furthermore, a hitter's mechanics will also includes an initial short “windup” motion and a final follow through phase that completes the motion.

Biomechanic description of hitting From the anatomic position, a common baseball player batting from the right side will exhibit these movements before the pitch. The hitter will start with both knees, ankles, and elbows in flexion and adducted. In addition, the shoulder will be slightly elevated, hand medially rotated, right arm abducted, left arm adducted, fingers full flexed around the bat, and neck externally rotated towards the pitcher. During the pitcher's windup, the hitter will continue to flex his/her left knee and extend their left ankle off the ground while rotating their hips away from the pitcher. After the pitch is thrown, the hitter will then fully extend their elbows, left knee, and left ankle while rotating their hips towards the pitcher. After perceived ball contact, the hips continue to rotate along with continue extension towards hyperextension of the elbow.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Hitting mechanics: Sequence of events occurring in a baseball swing in relation to ball contact. Events: I) foot off, 2) maximum hip rotation, 3) maximum shoulder rotation, 4) maximum arm rotation, 5) foot down, 6) maximum hip rotational velocity, 7) maximum shoulder and arm rotational velocity, 8) maximum Y and Z components of bat linear velocity, 9) bat lag maximum rotational velocity, 10) maximum bat linear velocity and maximum right elbow extension velocity, 11 ) maximum X component of bat linear velocity, 12) ball contact, and 13) maximum left elbow extension velocity. — Sequence of events occurring in a baseball swing in relation to ball contact. Events: I) foot off, 2) maximum hip rotation, 3) maximum shoulder rotation, 4) maximum arm rotation, 5) foot down, 6) maximum hip rotational velocity, 7) maximum shoulder and arm rotational velocity, 8) maximum Y and Z components of bat linear velocity, 9) bat lag maximum rotational velocity, 10) maximum bat linear velocity and maximum right elbow extension velocity, 11 ) maximum X component of bat linear velocity, 12) ball contact, and 13) maximum left elbow extension velocity.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Hitting mechanics

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Hitting mechanics claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Hitting mechanics before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Hitting mechanics ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Hitting mechanics

In research: Hitting mechanics appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Hitting mechanics in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Hitting mechanics is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Batting (baseball), Biomechanics, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Hitting mechanics outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Hitting mechanics in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Hitting mechanics means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Hitting mechanics out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Hitting mechanics in simple terms?

Why does Hitting mechanics matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Hitting mechanics?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Hitting mechanics.