Good points Anonymousssss ;) Swing Smarter agrees the barrel should stay above the hands until contact, at which point the "through" portion of the top hand takes over...this is the shortest path to the ball. This can be seen with Albert Pujols and Lance Berkman...you see them chop down to the ball (cutting the ball off) and carrying the barrel through.
If this is in fact true the Clapbat teaches this, then this aid may be better than I thought...I'd have to get one in my hands to know otherwise.
As for the question about getting to a low and inside/outside pitch, because they ARE different monsters...low and inside, the barrel dropping below the hands would have to start a wee sooner than contact because it wouldn't feel natural to the swing path around the hitter's center axis; because we have to make contact so much further out front than we would a pitch down the middle.
Low and outside...the body has to do something different on this type of pitch, look at any film on Hammering Hank Aaron with his approach to an outside pitch and you see his upper body drift forward a tad in order to get through the ball because the pitch is so far away from the center axis of the body. And yes, again, the barrel would have to drop below the hands a little sooner than contact because of the natural swing path.
Now, is the ClapBat going to be the end-all-be-all of swing existence? Most certainly not, however, if it can develop a short to the ball mentality where we keep the barrel up until right before contact, then this device most certainly can help a long swing.
I hope this info. clears some things up, I don't want us to fight about swing theology here, if the bat gets results, then great! I'm not sure if the "Science" post was from the creator, but if it is, then thank you for the extra info. and for NOT being so salesy...we truly appreciate the rebuttal too. That's what we love about our readers, a little spunk! ;)
Mar 18, 2010 Rating
From the creator?? by: Anonymous
Most likely, but then I will ask you this. You say the the puck shifts optimally "at contact". Which basically means that the only time the barrel should drop below the hands is at contact. So what do you do with a low inside or outside pitch? How could you get to those pitches? Just wondering what the science says about that.
Mar 16, 2010 Rating
The science behind the CLAPBAT by: Anonymous
Although the audio feedback mechanism is an obvious feature of the CLAPBAT, it is not the most beneficial aspect. The CLAPBAT is designed to hold the ten ounce puck at the bats center of gravity as long as the barrel remains above the hands keeping the extra weight from effecting the bats balance or altering the batters swing. When the barrel drops to the level of the hands ( optimally at contact) the puck will slide to the bats sweet spot. This change in weight distribution constitutes a dramatic 25-33% shift in the bats balance and results in a considerable momentum increase when swung correctly making the bat very easy to swing. When swung incorrectly, the shift occurs prematurely and the weight distribution ( end heavy) causes the bat to become extremely difficult to swing. This sensory feedback mechanism is what helps young hitters build muscle memory and create good habits. Although not visually recognized, the science behind this patented technology is more than an expensive hockey puck.
