Globe iconLogin iconRecap iconSearch iconTickets icon

Warm up this winter and work on your baseball skills with Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth

There is a wretched band of cold weather that has passed over the United States, with freezing temperatures and the first snow of the winter reaching New York over the weekend. Even Los Angeles dipped into the low 40s. What better way to warm yourself up than through baseball calisthenics? And what better teacher than Hall of Famers Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Walter Johnson and Dazzy Vance, who came together to make the above instructional video in the 1920s? 
Cobb, who was born on this date 130 years ago, picked up an astounding 4,189 hits with a .366 average. Somehow he pulled it off while even using this split grip: 

Want to hit like Cobb? Then start swinging like this: 

Of course, while that lunging, frankly awkward-looking swing helped Cobb get on base, it's not going to net you many dingers. And everyone wants dingers.
Instead, you'll want to swing a bit more like the sultan of swat himself, Babe Ruth. Look at how his swing is too ferocious for his foot to stay on the ground.  

While the result appears to be a harmless popup, that's probably just a trick of the light. From what I've gathered, every time Babe Ruth hit the ball it was an 800-foot home run. 
But if you aren't much for swinging lumber and making contact with flying orbs, perhaps you should emulate Johnson's gorgeous mechanics:<o:p>

After watching the video at the top, grab a mirror, practice your motion and, with the help of a time machine, you could be a big league star in the 1920s, too. 

BarberJordan
beephero
AP_702417634020
NYC