Swing Question: Rotation or Weight Transfer

I frequently am asked questions about the all time great hitter, Ted Williams and Charlie Lau. Williams is thought of as being a pure rotational hitter, while Lau was a pure weight transfer teacher. Both are misconceptions and misrepresenting the swing.

Percentage wise, Ted teaches more rotation but if you look at his old videos and still shots, you clearly see his weight going from back to center which is weight transfer. Lau embraced a pure weight shift philosophy and many of his still shots in his book do show hitters on top of their front leg, however, that isn’t what happened to those same hitters in real game action swings.

If any of you have Ted William’s book, The Science of Hitting, turn to the very last page and you will see a perfect swing. However, look closely. Ted has gone to the center position, with his back heel in the air, and his toe – NOT the ball of his foot – on the ground. This clearly shows you the weight has transferred to the center position therefore, it is not a pure rotational swing. A pure rotational swing that would involve no weight transfer, would consist of the weight spinning on the ball of the back foot. It is clear cut, he is definitely not spinning.

The swing is definitely a combination of both rotation and weight shift however, there are vary-ing degrees of this combination. Speaking in mathematical terms, look at it as a matter of the percent used of each. Some hitters will use a greater percentage of rotation, while others will use a greater percentage of weight shift. Ideally the swing should be 50/50. Fifty percent rota-tional, fifty percent weight transfer. Most great Major League hitters are at 50/50 – Palmeiro, A-Rod, and Giambi – just to name a few.

Results of having a pure rotational approach are that the hitter will be guaranteed to have a less effective, more inconsistent circular hand path. When taking a circular hand path through the zone, the barrel of the bat stays on the contact plane for a very short time. This leads not only to an improper hand path but also to inconsistent contact. In addition to that, these hitters will have a greater likelihood of rolling over the ball with their top hand which in turn leads to more weak ground balls being hit.

Contrast that to a hitter using a strict weight transfer or linear path. Despite the fact that he will stay on the ball longer, he will in fact have more of a chopping type swing. That is why a com-bination of the two is what leads to the most success. The proper hand path will start out linear, or straight to the ball and on the finish or follow through, the swing becomes more circular. In other words, the swing is more linear on the approach to the ball, and more circular on the fol-low through. Remember to keep it simple because this truly isn’t a difficult concept, people make it much harder then what it is.

Why Step-by-Step Professional Hitting Advice Is Better Than a Part-Time Coach’s Advice

I’m a father, who has worked with not only my own son, but also many kids in little league. I have the greatest admiration for parents and volunteer coaches, however it frustrates me to see the wrong information they are teaching these kids. It’s a sad reality that most young players never discover the proper techniques for successful hitting. Unfortunately, the coaching your son has had up to this point may have taught them techniques that will prevent them from ever reaching their full potential. While coaches may have the best of intentions, the bad habits and improper swing techniques your player is establishing now will be harder to break the longer they train their mind and body to perform them incorrectly. Over 90% of what these well meaning people are teaching today’s players about hitting is “DEAD WRONG” and is destroying thousands of kids chances to have more fun, get more hits – or more importantly, to get college scholarships.

I get asked all the time – “Dave, my kid’s just 8 years old does he really need this kind of instruction? I just want him to go out there and have fun – I don’t think we’re ready to be thinking about a college scholarship – YET!” Here’s my advice to those parents- ask yourself these questions: When does a kid have the most fun playing Little League? When he strikes or flies out? When he gets on base, and scores a run? What would it be worth – if your kid could have more fun and get more hits every time he played? Would you want your child practicing the WRONG techniques year after year? It takes just as much effort for a kid to practice the WRONG techniques as it does for them to practice the RIGHT ones, so with all the other benefits – why not do it the right way from the start? It’s a lot more fun talking to your kids about how to improve their game when you really know how to do it.