Josh Hamilton?

[Mike Thomas (sunmart)]

Can we as golfers learn anything from his action last nite in the homerun derby? It was truly incredible! Brian, take a look at some of the slow motion of his swing last nite. Incredible opening of hips and VJ Singh hand impact hand action.

 

[grs]

110 MPH Batspeed :O

 

[timm]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=9ACpEO8BxNw

 

[puttmad]

Baseball swing (the long hitters) is slightly different, in that reverse pressure is also applied by the left hand through impact....Center of rotation is under the left thumb....

 

[niblick1]

Look at the very end of the video in the slow motion shot. Left hip clears and stops just before impact.

 

[Jim Kobylinski]

Funny that you made this thread as i was going to when i had a minute, almost everything i see in his swing (even do the hand action and the rolling of the forearms through the ball) is nothing more than a long hitting golfing swing with a shorter stick swung on a different plane.

 

[bendet3]

All I could think of was "Wow, look at that lag" when you saw the slo-mo of his hitting stroke.

 

[birdie_man]

Just victims of the in house drive by...............

 

[dashfan87]

lefties rule, ladies.

 

[Kevin Shields]

Just notice how the hands go back as the lead leg steps down.

 

[cmartingolf]

I get a kick out of the golfer that has a poor golf swing and blames it on a life of baseball. I always tell them, if they swung like they had a bat, they'd be much better off! Baseball players aren't trying to help the ball off the ground.

 

[birdie_man]

Baseball players do have to generate speed.....

...but........

"Baseball players don't have to control the clubface...!!"

-Brian Manzella

 

[niblick1]

I get a kick out of the golfer that has a poor golf swing and blames it on a life of baseball. I always tell them, if they swung like they had a bat, they'd be much better off! Baseball players aren't trying to help the ball off the ground.

I agree. I'll bet half the longest hitters I've ever played golf with used to be baseball players. In the past month, I try to think I'm hitting a baseball that's on the ground.

I've become too mechanical working on everything in my swing and in order to create a better motion I've been thinking about baseball when I play golf. ...Starting back with the step on the right foot, starting the lower body forward while arms still swinging back, bat-arm all in line just after impact and forget about the ball on the ground. Ken Griffey Jr. is who i think about in the practice swing.

 

[Rick Dandy]

Josh could be the poster child for BManz's Rock'em Sock'em Robots. Throws the Italian Drunk into the Home Dugout.

 

[niblick1]

When I was a kid, I got to caddie in a Pro-Am for a foursome that included Mickey Mantle. Talk about power. And no clubface or clubpath concept. I think he managed to hit the ball deep into the driving range from three different tees on the course.

 

[Jim Kobylinski]

I don't know if any of you remember Mark McGuire's little stint at trying to play golf but i believe his driver clubhead speed was in mid 130mph range.

Like like Brian says, you don't have to worry about the clubface or for that matter a rotating sweetspot in baseball.

 

[braveheart]

I get a kick out of the golfer that has a poor golf swing and blames it on a life of baseball. I always tell them, if they swung like they had a bat, they'd be much better off! Baseball players aren't trying to help the ball off the ground.

Hitting a driver they are better off. Not often the case I see when hitting irons. Drivers flatter plane puts the baseball player closer to the one they are used to. Hockey players that I have seen are the excellent iron players. More upright swing plane is closer to what they are used to.

I played baseball for a long time and yes many of the things mentioned do make the transition easier but still it can be tough cause that front foot stays in one spot and the ball stays in one spot in golf. Swinging to right field in a closed stance has your hits dropping into right field, in golf it helps you hit a draw if you are lucky or have worked it enough. Open stance helps you get around to pull something into left field in baseball, in golf it helps you fade or slice. Where you make the connection bat to ball in baseball dramatically varies making timing altogether different.