Expert: John Priest - 3/13/2008

Question
Did Babe Ruth have normal mechanics? if yes or no please explain how he hit

Answer
Mitchell,
         I have never really studied Babe Ruth's hitting mechanics.  After looking into it for a few days.  Ruth does have some similarities to todays hitters.  His load is down to up and back ending at shoulder/chest height.  This shoulder to chest height is the norm for today players.  Ruth did have a load with the hands that did reach back.  I would say that this load is a little to far causing an earlier separation of the hands into the swing.  Ruth does show some linear mechanics with a forward movement during the step.  Upon the step completing the from side becomes firm and he leads with the hips and finishes with the hands, which shows some rotational mechanics.  I wouldn't model your swing after Ruth.  Ruth was a great hitter of him time, but I don't believe he would make it in todays game.  His swing has too many flaws.  He seems to have balance issues with his feet and he sometimes creates a long swing.   
         If you look at the MLB players you will see that a number of them has different stances.  The stance a hitter has is his own style.  Once the step and load starts most hitters are identical.  Most hitter load the hands to chest to shoulder height, weight balanced and on the balls of the feet, rotating from the hips with a vertical and stationary axis of rotation, and rotate the hands around the axis to the contact point, staying behind the baseball.  Let me know if you want me to go into greater detail on this, I just don't want to get off track on your question.  Ruth did have the hitting mechanics of his time, but as with everything else things evolve.  Things have changed from Babe Ruth to a more rotational style of Ted Williams, then Charlie Lau's style of linear mechanics became popular, and now it is back to a more rotational style of the hands leading the hips.  Out of all the "old time" baseball players, I believe that Ted Williams was ahead of his time.  

Thank You,
John Priest
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