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Originally Posted by tsteele316
if you have stronger forearms and stronger wrists, you will generate more bat speed, and will likely swing a heavier bat.
all you have to do is look at the builds of the big time home run hitters in MLB. Sosa, Bonds, Giambi. Even Vlad Guerro is pretty big. A-Rod is the only guy that smacks dingers pretty well that isnt huge. McGuire was huge. Seems like a pretty common trend..
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McGwire hit 49 HRs as a tall, skinny rookie. Bonds was a consistent 30/30 guy...
Trust me TSteele, muscle mass does not generate bat speed. As DiHard said, hips are the key.
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Average hitters rotate (or clear out) the shoulders primarily to give the arms a platform to swing from (extend from would be more accurate). This is why average hitters believe that to have power - they must have those powerful arms. This is not the case with great hitters. I can't stress the following point strong enough: DO NOT RELY ON THE MUSCELS OF THE ARMS TO ACCELERATE THE HANDS. --- With Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and hitters of their caliber, the role of the hands are to impart the bat with torque (get the bat to rotate about a point between the two hands). Any attempt to force the hands forward ahead of rotation impedes the natural arc and timing of bat head acceleration.
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When the burden of overcoming the bats inertia falls on smaller muscles (like those of the arms) the swing will have that tense and jerky look. The huge rotational force generated by the large muscle groups (legs, torso and back) can overwhelm the smaller ones if not supported. --- The smooth, loose, powerful swing of a great hitter is the result of allowing the body's rotation against the lead arm and the bats reaction to torque to accelerate the hands.
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If muscle mass equated to great hitters and incredible bat speed, Gold's Gym would dominate the league every year.
BTW, Bonds uses a 32 oz bat....not exactly heavy