Posted by: Jack Mankin (MrBatspeed@aol.com) on Fri Feb 25 12:54:18 2011

>>> I have it in my head that at contact, the ball is in contact with the bat for 1/2000 of a second which lasts over a distance of about 3/4" of bat travel.

I know there are a lot of factors that could affect these numbers (speed of pitch, baseball v softball, etc)but I was wondering where those numbers came from.

I think I saw them on this website but was wondering where they originated from. Adair maybe? I'd like to find out more about this.
thanks! <<<

Hi Bob

If I remember correctly, Adair's book (The Physics of Baseball) does mention the bat/ball collisions figures you state. I have also read bat/ball collision test results from different bat manufactures that supports numbers in that range. Dr. Drussell has written a number of papers on this topic. I will place below a link to one of his reports that addresses the short duration of the bat/ball collision time and its effect on grip tension. -- His conclusion states, "Final batted-ball speed does NOT matter how you grip the bat"

Bat/ball collision Test

Jack Mankin