Zachary Clark

9/21/09

This summer I played softball with a group of friends and could never seem to hit any homeruns. While many other people found it easy, I struggled trying to hit one over the fence. I wondered why I was having such a hard time and decided to find out why

How do you hit a homerun?

What role does angle play in your ball’s flight

Does the ball size make a difference?

How much energy is required to hit a homerun?

5.5.1 -Make precise and varied measurements and specify the appropriate units

5.3.6 -Demonstrate that things on or near the Earth are pulled toward it by the Earth's gravity

5.3.13 -Demonstrate that the Earth's gravity pulls any object toward it without touching it

The “sweet spot” is :“the location which produces least vibrational

sensation (sting) in the batter's hands”

“the location which produces maximum batted ball speed”

“the location where maximum energy is transferred to the ball”

http://paws.kettering.edu/~drussell/bats-new/sweetspot.html

How to find the Sweet SpotHold bat loosely by the knob of

the bat with the barrel facing down

Have a friend tap the bat with a hammer starting at the fat end and moving upward

You should feel a vibration in your fingers except when the “sweet spot” is hit

http://www.exploratorium.edu/baseball/sweetspot.html

                 

The Sweet Spot is more technically known as the center of percussionThe least amount of vibrations sent from the

bat to the batters arms.Allows for maximum distance and

performance from the bat and batter

Sweet Spot

http://paws.kettering.edu/~drussell/bats-new/cop.html

Energy required A great amount of energy is required to hit a

softball a long way. Two ways to increase the energy you generate is by

1. Increasing mass (mass of the bat)2. Increasing velocity (speed of the bat)

Because these two elements are hard to combine and make accurate contact with a ball, many players find it difficult to hit homeruns

http://www.worsleyschool.net/science/files/homerun/homerun.html

ConclusionWith my research done and more information

learned about how to hit a softball I found that I had been doing many things wrong

I had my timing wrong and was not hitting the ball with the right part of the bat

I was not swinging with the right angle or with enough speed to hit the ball farther

Try to hit a homerun yourself!

http://dc.doe.in.gov/Standards/AcademicStandards/StandardSearch.aspx

http://paws.kettering.edu/~drussell/bats-new/sweetspot.html

http://www.exploratorium.edu/baseball/sweetspot.html

http://paws.kettering.edu/~drussell/bats-new/cop.html

http://www.worsleyschool.net/science/files/homerun/homerun.html