Fresno, CA - Joey Myers of the Hitting Performance Lab was quoted as saying,"The addition of forward momentum, or a longer stride length, will contribute to more bat speed because this gives the hitter a "head start", making the body feel lighter while moving."
Troy Tulowitzki was recently traded to the Toronto Blue Jays, formerly with the Colorado Rockies. His high offensive output will continue away from the thin air of Coors Field because he follows one vital human movement rule that's validated by science, forward momentum.
Olympic Throwers & Shot Putters use it...ML Lacrosse players too...Olympic Divers, gymnasts, and Circuis Acrobats as well.
Joey Myers at the Hitting Performance Lab did a swing experiment using the Zepp Baseball app. He took 100 swings with a "wide little to no stride", and another 100 swings with a "long stride".
The results?
- Apex of bell curve for NO-stride swings ranged from 77 mph to 83 mph.
- With a longer stride, you'll see the bell curve shifted, 81 mph to 85 mph.
- Three more 90 mph+ swings using a longer stride, in addition to increasing top out bat speed by 2-mph.
Tulo had a wider stance during the 2013 season, but converted to a more narrow stance in 2014. He played about 30 less games in 2014, but still hit 21 home runs, only 4 less than the year before despite playing in 30 less games. And his average was also higher in 2014 (.312 in 2013 & .340 in 2014).
My name is Joey Myers and I'm the founder of HittingPerformanceLab.com.
I'm a member of the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA), the International Youth & Conditioning Association (IYCA), and Society for American Baseball Research (SABR). I'm also partnered with the Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA).
I played four years of Division-1 college baseball at Fresno State, I've spent the last decade in corrective fitness, and have a passionate curiosity to help baseball and softball players follow human movement rules validated by science.