Flat-Snap Hitting

Contrary to popular opinion, you should not roll your hands or wrists at contact of the bat with the ball. Rolling your wrists at contact will reduce the hitter’s ability to power through the ball. Another version of this is to look down at the V (made by your arms) at contact. Instead, wrists should roll after contact. The hitter's palms should be flat at contact (one up and one down). The hands "flat snap" through the ball and then the wrists roll. Wrist roll and full extension of the arms with locked elbows ideally occurs when the bat is pointing straight at the pitcher (during the follow through after contact with the ball).

A related problem is the hitter who stiffens and locks his top arm before beginning his swing. This makes it hard to get a flat snap into the ball. This also slows the bat down because the hands are too far from the body during the initial part of the swing. Ted Williams has argued that swinging a bat should be like swinging an ax. You will have a tough time cutting down a tree if your wrists roll on the ax at contact.