Page 1

"The baseball swing consists of three main phases: 1) the loading phase, 2) the launching phase

and 3) the follow through." (Van such, 2013, p.2) "Each player has their own unique style and

may sometimes make adjustments to their swing depending on the game situation, the type of

pitch, or other factors." (Van such, 2013, p.2)"However, before any of these phases are

performed, getting into the proper stance is required. Therefore, lets first identify the basic

stance position." (Van such, 2013, p.2)

The baseball swing starts by getting into a solid stance. Everything about a stance is based off of

personal preference and comfort. The position of "...the feet and hand positions vary from

player to player." (Van such, 2013, p.2)"A firm grip of the bat is usually preferred and the height

of the hands, as well as a distance they are in front of the body, is based on preference." (Van

such, 2013, p.2) The player's "...shoulders and hips are level in the stance position" (Van such,

2013, p.2) for balance. The stance a batter takes has to them "feel comfortable, confident and

alert in the box [so] [they] are ready to swing the bat."(Van such, 2013, p.2)

The first phase of a swing is the load and "it consist[s] of five noticeable movements."(Van

such,2013,p.3) Van such(2013) described the backwards movement of the shoulders and arms:

The first noticeable movement that takes place during the loading phase is the

backward movement of the shoulders and arms toward the catcher. This action helps

to load or stretch different muscles in each shoulder that will be released or contracted

later during the swing. (p.5)

Vansuch (2013) described the backwards rotation of the spine:

Page 2

Picking up where we left off in the last section, where the shoulders and arms were

moving backward, we also have at the same time muscles contracting along the spine

to help turn and rotate it, which includes the chest, abdomen and upper body, in the

same direction.(p.11)

After these two movements, the batter "immediately ...begins to rotate back toward the

catcher,[and] a short timing step with the front left leg begins to occur". (Van such, 2013, p.14)

As they slightly shift back they start "...creating valuable momentum". (Van such, 2013, p.15)

The fourth main movement is the cocking of their hips. This "...refers to the backward rotation

of the hips away from the pitcher and toward the catcher".(Van such, 2013, p.19) "The cocking

of the hips is driven by the momentum created by the backward movement of the shoulders

and arms, the backward rotation of the spine, and a shift in weight to the back leg".(Van

such,2013,p.19) Cocking of the hips put everything onto their backside so the batter can

transfer as much energy into their swing as possible. The last main movement of the load and

the beginning of the launching phase, is "the cocking of the wrists".(Van such,2013,p.24) "Its

purpose is to break inertia, or prevent the bat from coming to a dead stop, so as to facilitate a

rapid recoiling effect with the bat-head at the end of the players furthest backswing". (Van

such,2013,p.24) As the batter steps forward, this movement starts. This creates hip to shoulder

separation which transfers to a quick whipping swing. These movements are just suggestions

and may vary from each player.

Another important aspect of a swing is timing. Timing is "...when to initiate the transition from

the loading phase into the launching phase." (Van such, 2013, p.30) The beginning of the
Page 3

timing, starts during "...the cocking of the wrists". (Van such, 2013, p.30) When "... the wrists

are cocking, or still loading, other parts of the body must have started, or entered, the

launching phase". (Van such, 2013, p.30) As the batter's stride starts to move forward their

hands should be at the farthest position. The start of the launching phase begins when "...the

hips and legs have just begun their explosive rotation back toward the pitcher". (Van such,

2013, p.30)"...The body is undergoing maximum stretch, or where the upper body is turned

farthest away from the lower body" (Van such, 2013, p.32) creating as much energy as possible.

All of these things may change due to "game situations, pitch type, or other factors". (Van such,

2013,p.2)

The second and most important phase is the launching process. The launching phase starts

when "the front leg is raised off the ground and the players weight is momentarily rocked onto

the back leg". (Van such, 2013, p.35) The front foot strike "triggers the initiation of the swing".

(Van such, 2013, p.35) Once the batter's front foot has landed, the hips begin "opening ...

toward the pitcher" (Van such, 2013, p.39) while keeping their hands back. "This turning, or

opening, of the back right hip toward the pitcher is caused by powerful contractions in the

External Hip Rotators" (Van such, 2013, p.40). "...The players front left leg is stiffening and the

knee starts to extend or straighten out..."(Van such, 2013, p.45) "This stiffening and

straightening of the left knee and leg produces a force in the left hip acting in the opposite

direction as the right hip..." (Van such, 2013, p.45) "As a result, a short, compact and explosive

pivoting action across the players pelvis is created that carries up the spine". (Van such, 2013,

p.45) Think of it as the back knee is collapsing towards their front leg. "...The left arm and
Page 4

shoulder will pull on the bat-handle throughout the swing", (Van such, 2013, p.49) and "...the

right arm and shoulder will push on the bat- handle ...throughout the swing". (Van such, 2013,

p.50) This whipping action causes bat lag, which allows the bat to stay on plane with the ball for

a longer period of time. This results into more hits!

The last and most underrated phase is the follow-through. It "...takes us from the contact point

with the ball to the natural ending of the swing". (Van such, 2013, p.62) The batter's hips "...are

visible, or open, to the pitcher"(Van such, 2013, p.62) and the "players chest is completely

turned and rotated around to the point where it is now facing down the third base line and

cannot go any further". (Van such, 2013, p.65) Their left hand's "...pulling action continues on

after contact all the way through to the end of the swing" (Van such, 2013, p.66) while their

right arm's "...pushing action continues on after contact". (Van such, 2013, p.67) Eventually, the

batter's "...wrists and forearms [will] rollover after contact" (Van such, 2013, p.68) into a

"...pronated position at the end of the swing" (Van such, 2013, p.68) which will help slow and

stop the bat.

These are the three main movements to create an ideal swing. These steps are only

recommendations and may be different based off of each player.

Baseball has been one of the most technology resistant sports over the years. Now, the MLB

has greatly increased the amount of technology used. Since 2014, the MLB has used instant
Page 5

replay to decrease the number of umpire mistakes. So far, it has been a great success! 89% of

all plays are now reviewable. If either a manager or a player argues with the umpire over strikes

and balls, which are not reviewable, they are susceptible to getting ejected from the game. It

happens quite often. Another advancement in technology use is the creation of Statcast.

Statcast is state-of-the-art technology that can measure pretty much anything that happens on

the diamond at any given time. The technology has been installed in all 30 major league fields

and can track the movements of the ball or a player. Now coaches, scouts, and players can go

deeper into the metrics of hitting and pitching. Swing trackers have developed greatly in the

past couple years. Now they can be placed over the knob of your bat to gather the metrics of

your swing, such as exit velocity, bat speed, and launch angle. The information is sent wirelessly

to an app thats downloaded onto your tablet or smartphone. The goal of the swing trackers is

to help players at any level adjust their swing. These trackers are also quite affordable for many

people. The trackers range from $110-$250.

There are many of advantages of technology use in baseball however, there are also some

disadvantages. The main advantage is that there will be fewer umpiring mistakes. If an umpire

makes a mistake on a call it can be overturned depending on if the opposing team challenges

the call. However, instant replay will lengthen the game time. Previously on average, a

ballgame would last 3 hours but now with instant replay it's become much longer. Due to this,

the MLB has found ways to speed up the game. Some examples would be a shorter

pitching/infield warmup, and by limiting the number of mound conferences per pitcher. The

calls made by umpires are all judgement plays. Not every call is correct or going to be in your
Page 6

favour. It's the nature of the game. Technology also helps players get better. They can watch

video of themselves and find small hidden flaws that might not be found by the naked eye at

game speed. The problem with this technology is that it is very expensive. Not everyone can

afford equipment like this to get better. Some rely on hard work and lots of repetition. The

players that can afford the gear have a bigger advantage over the ones who can't. Nowadays

technology is so advanced, baseball games can be streamed online to your phone. Social media

also plays a big role in the increase of technology use in baseball. Fans and players can display

their opinions to the public.

Bibliography

Buschek, K. (2016, April 22). 6 Technological Advances That Are Changing Major League
Baseball. Retrieved from Bleacher Reports:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2629255-6-technological-advances-that-are-
changing-major-league-baseball
Depta, L. (2013, October 21). The Top Five Technological Advancements in MLB History.
Retrieved from Sport Techie: https://www.sporttechie.com/mlbtopfivetech/
Mochari, I. (2015, April 23). Major League Baseball Initiates a New Era of Analytics: Major
League Baseball Initiates a New Era of Analytics. Retrieved from Inc .
https://www.inc.com/ilan-mochari/mlb-analytics.html
Nolony, J. (2008, July 18). Scouts weigh pros, cons of technology. Retrieved from MLB.com:
http://m.mlb.com/news/article/2822361//
Normandin, M. (2013, August 15). MLB to implement manager challenges, broader instant
replay in 2014. Retrieved from Sbnation:
https://www.sbnation.com/mlb/2013/8/15/4625180/mlb-manager-challenges-instant-
replay-2014
Page 7

Wolfersberger, J. (2015, May 27). The Future of Baseball Technology, Part One: The Internet of
Things. Retrieved from The Hardball Times: https://www.fangraphs.com/tht/the-future-
of-baseball-technology-part-one-the-internet-of-things/
Vansuch, L. (2013). Baseball Swing Mechanics. Retrieved from:
http://www.baseballswingmechanics.com/files/baseballswingmechanics.pdf