The title of this research paper, published in 2020, is “Sequential order of swing phase initiation in baseball” By lead author Ethan Stewart, now the lead sports scientist for the Oakland A’s.
Starting with a summary, the purpose of this study was to examine the difference between start times for the swing phases. Those swing phases are shifting, stepping, landing and swinging. Shifting is the movement before lifting the stride foot, stepping is the forward movement or the stride, landing is when the front foot lands, and swinging starts when the hands begin downward movement to the ball. Currently active collegiate baseball athletes (average age 23.67) were measured utilizing motion capture, surface electromyography (EMG), and force platforms while hitting 5 trials off a tee. The results showed a distinct and statistically significant sequence of four swing phases. Optimizing sequential order can help players to both regulate timing and generate power. Understanding when and how the sequence of the swing happens can help coaches guide instruction with athletes.
In the INTRODUCTION, two main points stood out:
The first might seem obvious but it is popping up repeatedly in different studies and if you’re a hitting coach there’s no doubt you’ve told your players at some point to get started earlier - Starting the swing earlier allows hitters to complete the swing effectively even as response time decreases (when pitch speed increases)…controlling timing of the load is important !
The second point is more skilled players show significantly EARLIER start of the shifting, stepping, and landing phases, followed by significantly LATER initiation of the swinging phase compared to less skilled players (Nakata et al., 2013). Higher skill players start the pre-swing movements earlier but are still able delay the forward commitment of the hands in the swing
Now, the results of this study showed a statistically significant sequential order of the start times of swing phases.
The authors went on to discuss these points:
1. Hitters have more preparation time when starting the shifting phase significantly EARLIER. More time is then available to generate power and optimize the kinetic chain to produce higher bat speeds. Again, controlling the pre-swing movement is very important!
2. Starting the swing phase (when the bat moves forward) LATER allows the hitter to see the ball. This is the benefit of power (shorter time to contact and bat speed) - there’s an opportunity to see the ball longer and improve both swing decisions and contact.
3. Decreased time to contact for successful hitting gives insight into differences between different skill levels or between success and failure.
4. Suggested future research is to measure the timing differences of the swing sequences in different levels of competition in order to understand the transition between levels and guide the player development progression.
Practically speaking, a statistically significant sequential order is evident in the swing phases of these college hitters and understanding this process can help coaches with both analysis and prescription of coaching methods with players.
Please keep this in mind - we are dealing with MILLISECONDS! That means .001 seconds and those minute differences can be the difference between success and failure when it comes to hitting a baseball. Understanding the swing timing and sequence can help us with very small adjustments that have the potential to make a significant difference.
In conclusion, increased time to produce power in the swing can potentially improve bat speed and skill level for baseball players. Starting swing phases in sequence gives hitters more preparation time, more time to generate power and greater opportunity for contact.
Stewart, E., Stewart, M., Simpson, J., Knight, A., Chander, H., & Shapiro, R. (2020). Sequential order of swing phase initiation in baseball. Journal of Sports Analytics, 6(3), 199-204.
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