I hear people talk about short swings. Rave about Utley's short swing. What is meant by short wing? Is it s ahort load? Utley looks like he loads typically. Is it a short follow thru? Any help would be appreciated

A short swing is when the swing of the bat is swung downward directly toward the ball and then outward toward the field of play. This is often refered to as 'inside out swing' when the hands of the batter lead the bat head. These are the hardest hitters to get out since they can easily turn on an inside pitch and then take an outside pitch to the opposite side. Jeter is a good 'inside out' hitter. Guys who have a short, compact, inside out swing are harder to fool on the off speed stuff because they can keep their hands back longer thus not committing to the pitch too early.

A long swing is when the batter drops the barrel of the bat downward followed by the swing. This type of swing creates a 'long swing' which guys who throw heat like cause they can throw it right past 'em. These batters often recognize they are not catching up with the pitches and begin their swing early making them susceptible to missing the off-speed stuff like a curveball.

A pitcher would still need to be careful because he would not want to speed up a 'long swing' bat by throwing something he could catch up with and hit hard like a hanging change over the middle of the plate. Or even a hanging slider...which is the hardest hit ball in baseball.

any other example of players with short swings vs long or video to examine, thanks

Long swings:
Ken Griffey Jr.
Ryan Howard
Adam LaRoche

Does not mean they cannot hit the ball a long way, but will strike out a lot because of the swing.

One key mechanical piece that points out a long swing is a high back elbow and the hands far back from the body. The tendancy is to drop the top hand parallel to the plate, creating a long swing.

If you watch Chase Utley take his practice swings, his hands are not terribly far back and his top hand stays more vertical as it comes straight toward the ball, creating the bat whip. He very rarely swings around the ball, meaning letting the ball get between his hands and his body.

I don't want to start storm that gets everyone crazy BUT...

a short swing with most young players is a much better way to see success using wood than a long swing. Long swings seem to get more forgiveness with the metal.

Just tying in w another current string???"

Eddie Gaedel had a short swing.