Cupping--does it really work, or just mental

[TallPaul]

I suspect cupping merely functions to give you a shorter effective bat. What would be the difference in a 33 inch bat that is cupped and a 32.5 inch bat? I suspect very little. Weight would be about the same. Sweet spot woudl be about the same distance from the knob because the cupping would change the weight distb and so move the sweet spot in toward the knob a little bit. I think this whole cupping thing is so much baloney.

[Coach 10025]

It moves the center of mass of the bat closer to the hands. That makes it easier to accelerate the bat, so you swing more quickly and control the bat better.

You can get the same acceleration effect by choking up (moving your hands closer to the center of mass), although of course that effectively shortens the bat. That's why your coach tells you to choke up when you've got two strikes.