Practicing the Point of Contact

Imagine someone driving a rod through your shoulder, through your back leg, and through the knee.  The line should be straight through your body with your back heel up.  You will either end up on the top of the toe, or just turning a bit on the ball of the foot.  I prefer that you get up onto the back toe to make sure your weight is in the center position at the point of contact.  After contact, and during your follow through, your weight will be balanced.  The key here is to go from back to center.

All good hitters are in the same position when contact is made.  Starting from the ground up, note the contact position of the majority of major league hitters:

• A solid base, wider than shoulder
• Their front foot closed at 45 degrees
• The proper heel toe sequence
• A firm front leg for maximum leverage
• Are up on their back toe, heel pointing to the sky
• Back leg at 90 degrees
• Their head in line with their back knee
• A good head position down on the ball
• Flex in their elbows at contact
• Their top hand palm up at and through contact
• They have taken a short path to the ball
• They have a slight tilt toward the plate with their upper body

Contagious Success

“Hey Walter, I just wanted to update you on Jackson’s season so far.  It is his first year of kid pitching and he’s hitting .370.  He made the statement after one game that the other kids look nervous and they need to talk to you.  I can see him take a few deep breaths before he gets into the batter’s box.  I am also the head coach and our record is 8-1.  I teach and use your methods at every practice and game.  The thing that I am most proud of is we are winning the right way.  Coaches are not hollering at the kids, but patiently teaching them, and coaches and players are having a lot of fun.

There has not been one player cry on the bench when they strike out or make a fielding error.  That is a huge accomplishment with 9 and 10 year olds.  Thanks, and I hope that all is well with you and your family.”  Alton   Thanks Alton!!  What a breath of fresh air.  Coaches and players having fun and winning?  If I am not mistaken, this was Mr. Doubleday’s intent when he invented the game.  He would obviously be pleased with this testimonial.  Head Games continues to set coaches and players free from negativity, misery and  sub-par performances.

Instructions for the Walk Up Drill

This drill is designed to get the hands of the hitter working and to get into a strong position of power.

• Two steps behind the tee.
• Step first with the lead foot.
• Plant the lead foot in what would be your standard position in the box.
• When the stride foot lands, you should be in a good position of power.
• Now hit through the ball with a good finish.

Using Proper Breathing Techniques

A focus on breath connects and harmonizes the mind and body, while relaxing both.   This centering puts the mind in the zone or right hemisphere of the mind, which allows for greater performance efficiency.  When ready for play, then the centering or focusing is on the ball or on the target which keeps you in the zone.  One of the Head Games is RELAXATION  through abdominal breathing.  Begin by exhaling  to a slow count of four while forcing all air out of the lungs by sucking in the belly.

Then, breath in slowly to the count of three, allowing your belly to balloon out.  This completely fills the lungs and moves up to ten times more oxygen than the way most normally breath.  Use this powerful Head Game and it will serve you well on and off the field.

Being the Best Player You Can Be

This post was written for baseball players, however you will find that it can be used for many life situations.  Becoming a student of the game.  Many young kids think they are a student of the game but they haven’t even walked in the club-house. I say this as I am just finishing up another Instructional League. Here we have the cream of the crop, the best young talent in the nation. Most of these kids don’t have a clue as to what their swing consists of, let alone the mental toughness to make the necessary changes. I don’t speak for all, I do however speak for most. One thing I want to instill in you is the fact that there is so much to this game, don’t hurt your chances to improve yourself by thinking you know it all. I deal with plenty of know it alls day in and day out. Guess what, most of them don’t make it. Why? Since they know it all, they don’t need anyone to teach them.

Unfortunately in their mind, there is nothing more for them to learn. Always be ready to learn. I spoke to Rudy Jaramillo, Hitting Coach for the Texas Rangers, and he told me that Rafael Palmeiro just learned two years ago what it took to be a consistent Major League hitter. This was not in the minor leagues, nor was it his rookie year, this was after 10 years in the big leagues!

I recently received an e-mail from a customer. He has been solicited by a recruiting service to help his son get a scholarship. The recruiter told this dad that college coaches don’t care much about a kid’s swing, they can teach a kid to hit – all they are looking for is a good arm and glove. I was taken back by this advice. That is just another example of mediocrity and miscon-ceptions that circulate in this game. First of all everyone in professional baseball knows that the guys that hit – play – the gloves come in for late innings if necessary. Secondly you better not wait till college to learn how to hit because it will be too late. Don’t fall for it. Don’t let anyone, or anything take you away from becoming the best you can be. Not everyone will make it to the big leagues. However, having a solid work ethic, having the ability to make adjustments, not being afraid to fail, and becoming a student of the game are all qualities to take you as far as your abilities will take you, but more importantly, they will allow you to make it in the real big leagues – life.

Why Can’t You Have a Long Swing?

It is very important to take a proper and consistent angle to the ball, the lower half of your body is what allows you to take this angle.  If the feet and hips are not working correctly, the hands and arms will not be able to take the correct path to the ball.  Also mentally the hitter must not be thinking home run or have these types of thoughts in his mind.  These thought will throw off the proper swing rhythm and sequence of the swing.  The approach must be fundamentally sound from the ground up or somewhere along the line you will reach your ceiling and improvement will stop.  This is why it is so vital that these mechanics are learned as soon as possible, the more time that lapses, the more difficult it becomes to overcome.

A Long Swing can be the result of:

• Using too heavy a bat
• Having used an aluminum bat which has such a large sweet spot that gives the appearance of a good swing which can be deceptive until you face good pitching
• Trying to hit the ball too far and over swinging