Ask the Coach
A Youth player asks:
I am hearing a lot of things about torque. Can you explain to me what torque is and the spots it can be applied to in your swing?
Coach Swift answers:
Torque really is just another word for bat speed. We create torque by getting our hips turned out of the way and our back elbow tucked in, along with keeping our lead arm straight and behind our hip turn. Then at the point of contact we turn our wrists over, which creates the snap that is needed to hit the ball hard.
No matter what they look like, all swings must have three things in common:
- A step toward the pitcher
- The opening up of the hips parallel to the ball
- A swing with the hands in front of the bat pulling it through the strike zone (not pushing it) and the wrist snap.
To create torque on any good swing the steps have to occur in that order.
Step – Turn – Swing
All of these things are done quickly, and you can’t be slow with any one of them or your bat speed is diminished.
