In the late Summer of 2017, before the guys returned to the campus and the Fall season started, I met with the head coach of HSSU, the team I was helping out. We went over his plans for the upcoming year and then talked hitting, in general.

He asked me a question that is relevant to the topic of Deceleration in hitting that is so often — and increasingly — discussed.

And that, in my opinion, so many get wrong.

"What hand is the power hand?"

Although I didn't recognize it as such at the time, that was a conversation about Deceleration in Hitting, a topic people are interested in.

Deceleration in Hitting

Does Deceleration play a role in Hitting?

In both Baseball and Fast Pitch Softball?

Yes.

How else are you going to transfer energy from the Body to the Barrel?

However, I think people are focused on the wrong thing.

Aledmys Diaz
Demonstrating
Deceleration in Hitting

You can see Deceleration in this clip of Aledmys Diaz hitting a home run into Big Mac Land in St. Louis.

But where's the Kick Back?

Where's the Scissors Move?

They're not there.

Because Deceleration has little to nothing to do with the Back Foot. Not in a good swing, at least.

The Problem

The problem with conversations about Deceleration is that, in the vast majority cases, they don't get right...

• WHAT is Decelerated
• And BY WHAT

Instead conversations about Deceleration fixate on the Scissors Move, which is merely a reaction to a closed front foot.

David Freese (2012)
Demonstrating
Deceleration in Hitting

And they ignore the Deceleration that is so obvious in this clip of David Freese, which is the clip that helped me see it.