No Spin

[rodk]

My kid got a hit to the opposite field, and I could see the ball had no spin whatever when it exited his bat. Should I take that as being a good sign that he got so much bat on the pitch that it stopped the rotation, or does it not prove anything?

thanks.

[Jake Patterson]

My kid got a hit to the opposite field, and I could see the ball had no spin whatever when it exited his bat. Should I take that as being a good sign that he got so much bat on the pitch that it stopped the rotation, or does it not prove anything?

thanks.

One of our members is a physicist... Let's see what he says. I don't feel it's good or bad... The difference between that and the next hit is milimeters...

[jbooth]

My kid got a hit to the opposite field, and I could see the ball had no spin whatever when it exited his bat. Should I take that as being a good sign that he got so much bat on the pitch that it stopped the rotation, or does it not prove anything?

thanks.

It's simply a very rare occurrence that once in a great while the bat and ball meet in such a way that the ball leaves the bat with no spin. It means nothing in regard to the quality of the swing.

As far as the ball's action, it travels farther with spin, particularly with backspin.

[songtitle]

He hit it dead center, resulting in a 'knuckleball'.

This picture isn't technically 100% correct, but it's close enough to start this discussion.


Someone here had a great picture that shows how the force of the bat impact drives through the center of the ball, which is more accurate than the above depiction.

[jbolt_2000]

I would put this under the category of "don't worry about the things you can't control."

There may be positives or negatives to rotation off of the bat (or lack thereof), but I don't its realistic to ask a batter to swing in a manner that forces a certain rotation from the ball. You can try - but I think there are too many variables just from the pitcher (e.g. velocity, type of pitch, location, etc...), let alone variables in the actual batter (e.g. imperfect mechanics, varying bat speed, fatigue, etc...).

[jbolt_2000]

It's simply a very rare occurrence that once in a great while the bat and ball meet in such a way that the ball leaves the bat with no spin. It means nothing in regard to the quality of the swing.

As far as the ball's action, it travels farther with spin, particularly with backspin.

I second this response ^

[songtitle]

I would put this under the category of "don't worry about the things you can't control."

I hear this all the time regarding this topic, but I don't think that's totally accurate.

If you swing mostly 'down' (I know... what is down?), then you will mostly create top spin. If you swing from your knees upward, you will create lots of popups, etc.

At one point, when I was playing around using linear hitting in old man's slow pitch softball, I would knuckle 50% of the balls.

So, I think your swing path can greatly effect the tendency to generate top/back spin.

[jbolt_2000]

He hit it dead center, resulting in a 'knuckleball'.

This picture isn't technically 100% correct, but it's close enough for this discussion.

I ask my players to work on hitting just below center (as noted in the "Optimal" line) as this will produce line drives.
I stay away from talking about swinging for rotation as I don't feel its realistic to ask they try to spin the ball. However, I do explain the physics behind rotation and how the ball travels with or without it.

[jbolt_2000]

I hear this all the time regarding this topic, but I don't think that's totally accurate.

If you swing mostly 'down' (I know... what is down?), then you will mostly create top spin. If you swing from your knees upward, you will create lots of popups, etc.

At one point, when I was playing around using linear hitting in old man's slow pitch softball, I would knuckle 50% of the balls.

So, I think your swing path can greatly effect the tendency to generate top/back spin.

Makes sense - but do you think the top/back spin causes the grounder or pop fly or is it just the location of where the bat met the ball? Or both?
I see where rotation affects the path of the ball, but is it fair to the batter to get this detailed in their swing? Are we over thinking it? Or maybe I am over thinking its simplicity??? :headbeat:

[azmatsfan]

Swinging down may create more top spin, but the force of the bat on ball will be diminished. What little you gain from the top spin, you've lost much more by not hitting the ball squarely, nor swinging on plane with the pitch.

[Swing Coach]

Rodk,

Do you have video of this amazing strike by your son? I will post it on my amazing baseball hits website. Did you actually see his bat stop the spin of the ball in person, or was that the story that got spread around?

[Jake Patterson]

Rodk,
Do you have video of this amazing strike by your son? I will post it on my amazing baseball hits website. Did you actually see his bat stop the spin of the ball in person, or was that the story that got spread around?

Swing,
Are you questioning that this can happen??? Any one who has played or coached has seen plenty of knuckling line drives. Very difficult to catch...

[Chris O'Leary]

My kid got a hit to the opposite field, and I could see the ball had no spin whatever when it exited his bat. Should I take that as being a good sign that he got so much bat on the pitch that it stopped the rotation, or does it not prove anything?

thanks.

I have documented this in my piece on The Myth of Backspin in Hitting

[Stampede]

Does his bat slow down or nearly stop at contact? I have seen "no spin" happen alot when kids do this.

[Jake Patterson]

Does his bat slow down or nearly stop at contact? I have seen "no spin" happen alot when kids do this.

How does this explain it at the HS and College level??