3 Keys to Success

Once you do have your hitting fundamentally correct, to set yourself above your competition, not merely resting on your laurels and thinking that your current success will be enough, you need to concentrate on the other factors, here are three of the most important below:

Work ethic

What is your work ethic like? Are you the first to come and the last to leave? If you are not doing more than your coach asks, it’s not enough.

Ability to make adjustments

Don’t wait 2 weeks to make an adjustment. Adjustments should be made game to game – at bat to at bat-pitch to pitch. I used Jordan’s at bats as an example. Learn to make the adjustments necessary to get you past your present difficulties. Believe me, the difficulties will come. The sooner you make the adjustment the shorter the duration and severity of the difficulty.

Not being afraid to fail

Sorry but I have to jump to another sport to illustrate this point. Tiger Woods will possibly go down in history as the greatest golfer ever. What did he do after he had so much success including winning the Masters at his young age, something no one had ever done before? He changed his swing. His critics thought he was crazy. Having had so much success, why would he change? We frequently hear the saying, “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.” I disagree. Just because it’s not broken, doesn’t mean you can’t make it better. Tiger obviously agrees. He wasn’t afraid to change – to make himself better. He wasn’t afraid to fail. The results speak for themselves. You will only improve when change takes place. You’ve heard me say this before, you either will get better or worse, you won’t stay the same.

Why Step-by-Step Professional Hitting Advice Is Better Than a Part-Time Coach’s Advice

I’m a father, who has worked with not only my own son, but also many kids in little league. I have the greatest admiration for parents and volunteer coaches, however it frustrates me to see the wrong information they are teaching these kids. It’s a sad reality that most young players never discover the proper techniques for successful hitting. Unfortunately, the coaching your son has had up to this point may have taught them techniques that will prevent them from ever reaching their full potential. While coaches may have the best of intentions, the bad habits and improper swing techniques your player is establishing now will be harder to break the longer they train their mind and body to perform them incorrectly. Over 90% of what these well meaning people are teaching today’s players about hitting is “DEAD WRONG” and is destroying thousands of kids chances to have more fun, get more hits – or more importantly, to get college scholarships.

I get asked all the time – “Dave, my kid’s just 8 years old does he really need this kind of instruction? I just want him to go out there and have fun – I don’t think we’re ready to be thinking about a college scholarship – YET!” Here’s my advice to those parents- ask yourself these questions: When does a kid have the most fun playing Little League? When he strikes or flies out? When he gets on base, and scores a run? What would it be worth – if your kid could have more fun and get more hits every time he played? Would you want your child practicing the WRONG techniques year after year? It takes just as much effort for a kid to practice the WRONG techniques as it does for them to practice the RIGHT ones, so with all the other benefits – why not do it the right way from the start? It’s a lot more fun talking to your kids about how to improve their game when you really know how to do it.

Learn Where to Stand in the Box

Have you ever watched hitters on TV or at the ball park and wonder why one stands forward in the box and another stands deep in the box? Why one is close and the other far from the plate? There are various places to stand in the box. One of the most important concepts to realize when choosing where you are going to stand in the box, is that you must have good plate coverage. You need to be able to cover the outside corner of the plate, however you do not want to stand too close to the plate. So where is the ideal place for a hitter to stand? Part of the answer to this question has to do with the length of the bat you use and also the length of your arms.

To determine how far to stand from the plate:

• Place the end of the bat on the outside corner of the plate.
• Lay the bat down, placing the knob of the bat on the ground.
• Put your front foot where the knob of the bat starts.
• Put your back foot slightly wider than shoulder width apart.
• Lastly pick up the bat and see if you can touch the outside corner.

How to Fix Pulling Off the Ball

Question:

My sons have a pulling off the ball problem. We think opposite field all the time but as soon as we swing hard in a game situation we pull off. The only thing that seems to help is to concentrate on starting the bat with the hands and not the upper body but to do that they both seem to push more with the top hand than what your literature calls for. We don’t roll over until after contact but we seem to generate a little more bat speed and barrell direction if we concentrate on the top hand. My guess would be that we were pulling with the lower arm and really getting nothing out of the top hand. We are confused about the role of the top hand. Without it our bats seem lazy and without direction. With it we wonder if we’re doing things incorrectly but we get better results.

Answer:
As long as the top hand is not rolling too soon, it is ok to think, be more aggressive with the top had as long as the top hand is staying in the proper position and getting through the ball. If the kids are staying inside and through the ball you are ok.

What hitters mentally say to themselves is different depending on the hitter, if your sons seem to get their hands going better when they think top hand, then this is probably getting their hands going.

As far as pulling off the ball, make sure their effort level is not too high, hitters with a high effort level tend to pull of of the ball more often. They should feel like they have something let with their body when the complete their swing, also, if they are staying on balance throughout the swing, then their effort level is ok. Their effort level in batting practice and drills should be the same as their game swings, once this starts happening they will become more consistence.

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.

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

Details on the Swing

Many people ask me to explain how the hands start the bat instead of the upper body. I always teach for the hitter to pull his/her hands through with the bat head back.  But several players have said that when they pull their hands through it seems as though it is done with my front shoulder and front forearm and this pulls me off the ball.

So I wanted to post this to make it 100% clear, the hitter must think hands, otherwise the front side will take over, pulling off of the ball. I also have hitters think about the backside pushing through the front side. The bat head must stay behind the hands until the knob of the bat becomes even with where the front hip was. It’s critical that the hands stay inside the ball, in doing so, will allow the hitter to be short and accurate to the ball. Good luck.

Hitting with Full Extension

There are many coaches that teach contact occurs at extension.  Video has disproven this statement.  Making contact just before extension allows the hitter the ability to hit through the ball.  If all the mechanics are done correctly, you will have the proper extension.  With the proper extension the hitter will:

• Stay balanced after contact and through extension
• Keep his top hand palm up as long as possible through extension
• Have a “V” in his arms at maximum extension out front
• Keep his head position down through extension
• Think about driving the ball back through the middle

If you are not getting good extension generally it is due to a flaw in the swing.

Hitting With the Proper Swing Path

Question:

I have a 9 year old with a wild upper cut swing. Most of the time he swings under the ball. Any drills that can correct him of this habit?

Answer:

You need to start your swing in a strong position of power, with your top hand on the bat at shoulder level, and your hands over or behind your back foot, weight back on your back foot. This is critical. Hands up, weight back.

Take a short stride with your stride foot toes pointing to home plate, with your weight still back. When the hands come forward, they need to come down at about a 45 degree angle to meet the ball in the contact zone. The bat head needs to stay above the hands. Your back foot needs to rotate up to the toe, to open the hips.  The key is repetition. Muscle memory.

Next Page »