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Online now: 1 member: TABLE SETTER 11; 92 anonymousDiscussion: Why does the ball knuckle
| Posted | Discussion |
| Aug. 8, 2009 seniorsbfart 44 posts | Why does the ball knuckle You ball & bat gurus. Why does a hard hit line drive sometimes move like a knuckle ball while in the air. Seems to only happen with hard it line drives. |
| Aug. 8, 2009 taits Men's 65 4548 posts | lazy? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knuckleball Actually refers to BB but applies in SB. |
| Aug. 8, 2009 seniorsbfart 44 posts | so the hit ball is the same as a knuckle ball pitch ? the ball is hit so hard that it does not rotate ? |
| Aug. 8, 2009 taits Men's 65 4548 posts | I'd venture to say they do rotate but very little & definitely with side ways moment as well. Line drives yes, but I've seen high ones over that are just like that. I throw them quite a bit. Great pitches and if hit square or dead center, they still fly. Just smack the crap out of them, you'll be ok. |
| Aug. 8, 2009 mad dog Men's 65 4191 posts | a ball hit dead center and hard will knuckle,for spin you need to hit the ball a little off center,1/4" is all that is needed.hi of center for topspin,lo of center for backspin. |
| Aug. 9, 2009 Dirty Men's 50 1371 posts | mad dog speaks the truth. This is the only reason balls knuckle. |
| Aug. 9, 2009 slomo 47 posts | I've watched this phenomenon since the late 60's. My observations have led me to conclude that it occurs when really strongh men or really hot bats or a combination of both meet up with a round object. Once bat meets ball the ball loses its round shape, as does the bat. Of course this happens in a split second but if you could slow down the action you would see major distortion in both. A round ball tends to fly thru the air in a predictable arc. A distorted ball flys thru the air in a haphazard manner as it attempts to return to its original round shape. In general these balls will not travel as far (rockets,bullets etc have round noses) but they are a bitch to catch. That's why I have great respect for today's infielders,most especially pitchers. IMO this knuckling effect is a relatively new thing (40 years or so). As a kid playing BB I don't ever remember it. But with the switch to Metal bats and the size of the players increasing it has become commonplace. At the ISA world last week a really big strong hitter sent me to the fence only to have the ball drop 20-30 feet in front of me. The ball wiggled all the way till it hit the ground. I know I'm getting old but there's no way I should have misjudged that ball that badly. As I came into the dugout I told all who would listen about the above theory. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!!! |
| Aug. 9, 2009 Dirty Men's 50 1371 posts | slomo, just curious. What "really hot bats" were you watching in the late 60s? |
| Aug. 9, 2009 seniorsbfart 44 posts | If you remember the 60's man, like you were'nt really there.... |
| Aug. 9, 2009 seniorsbfart 44 posts | Thanks for the info guys. We have some hard hitters in our league and one guy that hits super hard. This helps understand why we see the ball kuckle when he hits (those that say in the park). |
