Weird Bat Action

[NewbieBBDad]

I swear he really was swinging the bat forward!

ZackI _1__0001.jpg

Look at the crazy curvature on the bat! I went back over the videos and found two other kids whose bats were similarly whipped forward.

Unless there's another physics explanation it looks to me like we have some severe bat handle deceleration prior to contact causing the bat head to continue forward due to momentum.

What do you guys think?

[NewbieBBDad]

More pics:

Zack Kiwanis.jpg ZackE _1__0001.jpg

[Jake Patterson]

It's not weird its what high drop metal bats do. One of the reasons why there is a movement to go back to wood. I have a white paper on the above clips that I'll try t find this evening and send to you.
Jake

[NewbieBBDad]

It's not weird its what high drop metal bats do. One of the reasons why there is a movement to go back to wood. I have a white paper on the above clips that I'll try t find this evening and send to you.
Jake

Thanks Jake, I'd be interested to read it.

P.S. The bat used above is -7.

[NewbieBBDad]

Power V.jpg
Power V after contact. Hehe, I just like this pic.

9.jpg
Tracking his swing arc with a crappy graphics program.

2nd scrimmage game his first hit is an inside the park homer. Next hit was going to be the same but it rolled under the fence LOL! Ah Little League baseball...

[Go Cardinals]

http://www.baseballamerica.com/image...rdon450300.jpg




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[LAball]

It seems to me that this curve is only with the 2 piece bats?
Also I believe the pictures are post contact

[Go Cardinals]

It seems to me that this curve is only with the 2 piece bats?

I've seen a picture somewhere on the internet (can't find it) where A-rod's bat is bent... however, it is more common and more dramatic w/ the 2 piece bats.

Also I believe the pictures are post contact

What about this? is it before or after?

http://athletics.uwa.edu/Baseball/Bent%20Bat.JPG

[philphys]

What about this? is it before or after?

http://athletics.uwa.edu/Baseball/Bent%20Bat.JPG

From the angle of the bat, locations of the bat & the ball, looks to me like it is after the contact. Otherwise it would be a high foul ball into the left infield spectator's seats.

Makes sense that if the bat bends, it would first bend backward from the impact with the ball before it bends forward from the restoring force -- gotta come back to straight and then momentum bends the barrel forward, in other words, the bat is in a brief oscillation mode.

Physics dictates that the period, i.e. the time it takes for the bat to bend forward (actually twice the time), gets shorter as the bat is more rigid and lighter, longer the other way around. For something like an aluminum bat, the time could measure in tens of milliseconds.

Would be great if someone has a movie clip of the bending bat action and look at it frame-by-frame. If I am right, they should look like:

1. Pre-contact: Bat remains straight.
2. At or right after the contact: Bat bends backwards from the ball's impact.
3. A couple frames (or maybe just one?) later: Bat bends forwards from the restoring force of the bat.
4. Yet a couple frames later: Bat back to straight.

What do you guys think? Anybody has movie clips to prove me right or wrong?

[LAball]

What about this? is it before or after?

http://athletics.uwa.edu/Baseball/Bent%20Bat.JPG

That would be before the contact. See the fuzziness on the ball, thats where the ball is coming from.

[NewbieBBDad]

The pics of my kid are all pre contact from a movie vid. And it's a one piece heavy aluminum bat -7. Two other kids on his team have the same issue.

Here is a frame by frame before and at contact:

Banana1.jpg Banana2.jpg
(P.S. The pic above is a two-piece composite bat.)

[LAball]

I have real no good answer except for this. You ever do the trick with the pencil between you finger and gently wave the pencil up and down and it looks like the pencil is wiggling..:crossfingers:

[wogdoggy]

I have real no good answer except for this. You ever do the trick with the pencil between you finger and gently wave the pencil up and down and it looks like the pencil is wiggling..:crossfingers:

that one and pulling a quarter out of my ear..lol

[Chris O'Leary]

From the angle of the bat, locations of the bat & the ball, looks to me like it is after the contact. Otherwise it would be a high foul ball into the left infield spectator's seats.

Makes sense that if the bat bends, it would first bend backward from the impact with the ball before it bends forward from the restoring force -- gotta come back to straight and then momentum bends the barrel forward, in other words, the bat is in a brief oscillation mode.

I agree.

There's no way the force of the swing alone could produce that much deflection (unless maybe the bat is a 2-piece).

[Jake Patterson]

I agree.

There's no way the force of the swing alone could produce that much deflection (unless maybe the bat is a 2-piece).

Most important - and the item many youth coaches, especially dads try to avoid is how these high deflection, high trampoline effect bats allow young players to be successful (perceived) with poor disconnected swings. Short term success that causes long term (potential) failure.

Looking at the bat above how can the design of the bat NOT affect the distance and speed in which the ball exits the bat. Higher exits speeds camouflage flaws.