<h2>What do two people who are active in different dimensions have in common?</h2>
<p>Heroes know heroes &#8211; and heroes know heroes. Aaron Judge, 32, the Yankees&#8217; MVP this season, praised the Dodgers&#8217; Shohei Ohtani, 30, on the official &#8220;X&#8221; of the Players Association on October 27 (Japan time).</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> He&#8217;s a special player. He can play both starting pitcher and fielder. He amazes me every day.</span></p>
<div data-friday-ad-slot="AD_inArticle"></div>
<p>Otani and Judge are two of the best hitters in the majors. Both won the double crown for home runs (Otani 54, Judge 58) and runs batted in (130 and 144), and both led their teams to the World Series.</p>
<p>This magazine asked Professor Takashi Kawamura of Tsukuba University, an expert in the field, to analyze the hitting form of these two players who are performing on a different level. What are the similarities and differences between the two players?　We will look at a series of photos and listen to Kawamura&#8217;s commentary.</p>
<div class="expapp-no-provided-scope expapp-no-provided-scope-yahoo-only-start"></div>
<h3><span class="strongInContent"> Dodgers: Shohei Ohtani</span></h3>
<div class="expapp-no-provided-scope expapp-no-provided-scope-end"></div>
<figure id="attachment_397510" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 966px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-397510"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="c40e0bbd"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/10/7d2a74522e678507408142aedd111c3c.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-397510" class="wp-caption-text">Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers, has a stable, almost unshakeable head position at the start of his pitch. He can see the trajectory of the ball very well.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_397511" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 962px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-397511"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="52ecefd6"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/10/4cd5e3f93d13cdb5b0c8a06d93607a66.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-397511" class="wp-caption-text">With his left elbow inside his body, he moves the head of the bat to the tip of the bat.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_397512" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1228px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-397512"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="7b5a6276"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/10/c5bc56559145744b2ef0d442092f3873.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-397512" class="wp-caption-text">The fact that both shoulders, both elbows, and the grip form a neat pentagon is evidence of a strong torso.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_397513" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 972px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-397513"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="8c26538f"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/10/91cb860899a82ef69c5a51754a5974c2.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-397513" class="wp-caption-text">Holding the grip as if covering the upper hand accelerates the bat and makes the bat head run.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_397514" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1016px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-397514"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="3aad728d"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/10/1c231edc91e61643c349c041106a9a4b.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-397514" class="wp-caption-text">He swings dynamically until the bat is behind his back on the follow-through.</figcaption></figure>
<div data-friday-ad-slot="AD_inArticle"></div>
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead="Judge's form is..."></div>
<div class="expapp-no-provided-scope expapp-no-provided-scope-yahoo-only-start"></div>
<h3><span class="strongInContent">◉ Aaron Judge, Yankees</span></h3>
<div class="expapp-no-provided-scope expapp-no-provided-scope-end"></div>
<figure id="attachment_397505" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 967px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-397505"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="63f2cd89"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/10/64c75ed5fa1b3675ec7e30f77dbd8c3e.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-397505" class="wp-caption-text">Steady head position is common with Ohtani. It&#8217;s a prerequisite for being able to spot the ball.</figcaption></figure>
<div data-friday-ad-slot="AD_inArticle"></div>
<figure id="attachment_397506" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1226px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-397506"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="d56b6bb9"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/10/9a849183e6903a3194aa19a7b8a86eec.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-397506" class="wp-caption-text">He swings the bat with his body in a contorted position. This is due to the strength of his back and buttocks muscles.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_397507" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 966px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-397507"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="d9587171"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/10/718c0d37a8fc814ec175f5ed586f0267.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-397507" class="wp-caption-text">Like Otani, he has a pentagonal shape. The power is efficiently transmitted to the ball at impact.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_397508" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 969px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-397508"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="212f1f19"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/10/ac119c063984f49aa854181a720ba113.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-397508" class="wp-caption-text">The basic form, from the start of the swing to the way he holds his grip, remains the same. Contact-oriented form</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_397509" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 969px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-397509"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="7fd6e54c"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/10/55baaa475490be95955fd613242d8f05.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-397509" class="wp-caption-text">The bat is positioned above the head at the finish. Compared to Ohtani&#8217;s, the impression is more compact.</figcaption></figure>
<div data-friday-ad-slot="AD_inArticle"></div>
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead="Explanation of similarities and differences"></div>
<p><span class="strongInContent">The starting point of (1) is common. The head position is stable with little or no movement. The trajectory of the ball is well observed.&#8221;</span></p>
<p>The difference begins with (2).</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> Ohtani puts his left elbow inside his body and tries to move the head of the bat a lot. He is trying to accelerate his swing speed, catch the ball when the tip of the bat is running the fastest, and make it fly farther. Judge, on the other hand, uses his strong back muscles to bend his body and swing the bat down in a straightforward manner. Rather than a heady approach, he uses his power to make solid contact with the ball. It is a form that seeks certainty rather than speed in the swing.</span></p>
<div data-friday-ad-slot="AD_inArticle"></div>
<p>The commonalities come out again in (3). Both shoulders, elbows, and grips form a pentagon.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> Normally, the arms would be fully extended, but the two players are able to effectively impact the ball without breaking the pentagonal shape. This is because their shoulder blades and rib cage are firm.</span></p>
<p>The finishing movements in (4) through (5) are very different between the two players.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> The first is to make the ball go farther by using the head more aggressively. He moves his grip widely and the bat is swung behind his back in the follow-through. Judges who try to reliably catch the ball with the core (shin) of the bat have a compact swing and almost no change in the shape of the grip. He also finishes his swing with his head above his head.</span></p>
<p>When you realize how superior their one-of-a-kind hitting form is, it&#8217;s easy to see why the two are able to dominate major league pitchers.</p>
<div class="expapp-no-provided-scope expapp-no-provided-scope-start"></div>
<p>The book is a permanent compilation of Shohei Ohtani&#8217;s successes this season.<br>
<a href="https://amzn.asia/d/8fjdMXF"><span class="strongInContent"> Shohei Ohtani: Ao no Jidai ~Towards the Top of Hitting~&#8221; is now on sale!</span></a> is now on sale!</p>
<p><a href="#" data-ident_hash="06f14135"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/10/9d33f2fee7b26235c0d39cea7e2fa64a.jpg" alt=""></a></p>
<div class="expapp-no-provided-scope expapp-no-provided-scope-end"></div>
<p>From the November 15, 2024 issue of FRIDAY</p>
<div data-friday-ad-slot="AD_inArticle"></div>


 Arifumi Taguchi

 Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge led the Dodgers and Yankees to the World Series. What are the similarities and differences between these two players who have taken their careers to another dimension? An expert in motion analysis thoroughly compares their hitting forms!

Expert Compares Ohtani and Judge’s Exceptional Hitting

Access Ranking