Could Aristotle Have Been a Great Athlete?

This genius believed that the mind’s only function was to be a cooling mechanism for the circulatory system.  Bet you know someone like that.  Well, according to humorist Will Rogers, everyone is ignorant, just on different subjects, and Mr. Aristotle was at least deficient in one area.  However, had he been right, at least that would have eliminated the problem of TOO MUCH THINKING, which is usually an athlete’s Achilles heel.  I am constantly amazed and dismayed at those in any sport who teach  mechanics excessively and little or nothing on the mental aspect.  The number one theory seems to be If there is a problem, it’s got to be mechanics, right?

If  that were  true, then each and every athlete that I work with, even by telephone, would not be making immediate improvement.  I know mechanics, but by telephone I do not have the luxury of analyzing and advising in this area.   I am not minimizing the necessity of teaching sound mechanics, which requires thinking, but once the skill(s) are learned, right brain play, which eliminates thinking, is absolutely essential.  Proper breathing and focusing solves the problems of  worry, doubts and fears and allows for peak performance.

Positive Communication Will Enhance Performance

The University of  California, L. A., in an extensive study,  came to the following conclusions regarding believability of communication:

1. Tone of voice & facial expressions account for 38%.

2. Body language, 55%.

3. The words, only 7%.  (Facial expressions are also body language, so the 55% should be even higher.)

It is only when all three are synchronized, or in harmony, will a person believe the words.   This study is another confirmation that regardless of the verbal message, if the body language conflicts, the person will believe the non verbal.  So, managers, coaches and parents, please be careful in the way you communicate with their athletes so as not to adversely affect performance.  Keep your total language positive, for maximum benefit on and off the field.

Swing Question: Rotation or Weight Transfer

I frequently am asked questions about the all time great hitter, Ted Williams and Charlie Lau. Williams is thought of as being a pure rotational hitter, while Lau was a pure weight transfer teacher. Both are misconceptions and misrepresenting the swing.

Percentage wise, Ted teaches more rotation but if you look at his old videos and still shots, you clearly see his weight going from back to center which is weight transfer. Lau embraced a pure weight shift philosophy and many of his still shots in his book do show hitters on top of their front leg, however, that isn’t what happened to those same hitters in real game action swings.

If any of you have Ted William’s book, The Science of Hitting, turn to the very last page and you will see a perfect swing. However, look closely. Ted has gone to the center position, with his back heel in the air, and his toe – NOT the ball of his foot – on the ground. This clearly shows you the weight has transferred to the center position therefore, it is not a pure rotational swing. A pure rotational swing that would involve no weight transfer, would consist of the weight spinning on the ball of the back foot. It is clear cut, he is definitely not spinning.

The swing is definitely a combination of both rotation and weight shift however, there are vary-ing degrees of this combination. Speaking in mathematical terms, look at it as a matter of the percent used of each. Some hitters will use a greater percentage of rotation, while others will use a greater percentage of weight shift. Ideally the swing should be 50/50. Fifty percent rota-tional, fifty percent weight transfer. Most great Major League hitters are at 50/50 – Palmeiro, A-Rod, and Giambi – just to name a few.

Results of having a pure rotational approach are that the hitter will be guaranteed to have a less effective, more inconsistent circular hand path. When taking a circular hand path through the zone, the barrel of the bat stays on the contact plane for a very short time. This leads not only to an improper hand path but also to inconsistent contact. In addition to that, these hitters will have a greater likelihood of rolling over the ball with their top hand which in turn leads to more weak ground balls being hit.

Contrast that to a hitter using a strict weight transfer or linear path. Despite the fact that he will stay on the ball longer, he will in fact have more of a chopping type swing. That is why a com-bination of the two is what leads to the most success. The proper hand path will start out linear, or straight to the ball and on the finish or follow through, the swing becomes more circular. In other words, the swing is more linear on the approach to the ball, and more circular on the fol-low through. Remember to keep it simple because this truly isn’t a difficult concept, people make it much harder then what it is.

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.

Don’t Have a Loser’s Limp

A mentally weak individual makes excuses for his or her actions instead of owning up to their mistakes.  I once called a player into my office after a game to find out why he had botched a routine pop-up to the infield.  Before I spoke a word, he said, “Did you see the wind take that ball?”  This sounds like a good reason for missing a pop-up, however, the wind didn’t just start blowing right before the ball was hit – the wind fooled him because he hadn’t anticipated before – hand what effect the wind might have on a ball hit in the air.  This was a lack of preparation on his part which he didn’t handle properly.  His appropriate response should have been, “I messed up the play because I wasn’t prepared for what the wind was going to do.”  I would have replied, “Good, you learned something.”  The End.  I wasn’t upset at him for the error, I was disturbed at his loser’s limp.  One of the keys to improving your game is to take responsibility for your actions – learn from them and then move on.

In order to be successful in life as well as in athletics, you must develop mental toughness.  Learning to persevere through the difficult circumstances, to control your emotions despite what occurs around you, and not making excuses for your actions are vital components to achieving your goals.  Anyway you look at it, life is a battle.  Don’t fall short and become a casualty or worse – a fatality.  The players who don’t make it to the next level, yet should, are fatalities.  Don’t add your name to the list.

Getting in the Right Mindset at the Plate

The HEAD GAMES methodology is exceedingly simple and fun to use.  This simplicity is an  absolute requirement if an athlete aspires to attain the “seventh heaven” of Baseball Excellence.  If there are those who desire or have tried complex theories, which are doomed to failure, I hope that they would follow the advice and testimonial of an athlete and businessman that I worked with, who has a PhD in chemistry.   This great guy was a  skeptic as to the power of the right brain in  performance, until he tried it, and the results were astounding, both as a pitcher and as an engineer.  Make this your best season ever.  Playing relaxed and focused guarantees right brain play and success.

ADJUSTMENT FROM THE PEN TO THE MOUND–Among others at major league spring training camp this year, I worked with a pitcher who had been having location problems.  I watched him at a distance while warming up; not a single pitch was above the knees–phenomenal location, with quality pitches.  He pitched his scheduled four innings, while making mostly excellent pitches, but he gave up two earned runs by getting several pitches up in the zone.  Other observers came to the conclusion that the problem was mechanical.  During dinner that evening I gave him the solution.  Going from an almost flat mound in the bullpen to a higher elevation requires an adjustment mentally and physically.  Unless the mind dictates to the body the necessity for a new release point, the body will usually take the path of least resistance and the ball will be up.   It’s just easier not to bend the back a little more to insure a lower release point.  We see this often by pitchers late in games after they tire.  Release point determines location, but only a consistent follow through will insure accurate and consistent location.  The body will do the bidding of the mind if given proper instruction.  The aforementioned pitcher’s  called me after after his next start and was elated.  He threw five innings, giving up no runs with only four hits.  He made the adjustment and kept the ball down consistently.  Mind over matter.  HEAD GAMES will also work for you!

Having a Simple Approach at the Plate

I get numerous requests from those who want me to analyze mental performance methodologies with which they are experimenting with or plan to try.  In all cases, thus far, they require thinking during performance, which is diametrically opposed to the HEAD GAMES approach.

I am not familiar with everything that’s out there, but I do know that you need look no further than HEAD GAMES relative to successful MENTAL methods.  The techniques are unprecedented and unparallel and  are proven over and over by a multitude of testimonials.  Simplicity must be a prerequisite if success is to be expected.

If You Can Do One, You Can Do the Other

This season, I worked with a Double Aoutfielder who was hitting just over .200.  He was depressed and wondered if he would ever be able to hit for average, but his defense had always been good.  He bought into HEAD GAMES and the same day he had three hits, including a two run home run.  He called me a few days later after that breakout performance and was elated to tell me that during a two week stretch that he hit over .350.

I have numerous success stories from players who became convinced that it was only logical that the same ability used to  perform one skill could be utilized for another.  This player uses the book and the c.d., but the HEAD GAME that he felt helped him more than anything else was abdominal breathing.  This technique is extremely powerful in effecting maximum performance. Proper breathing and centering on the skill at hand can deliver remarkable results in the field or at the plate.

Learn How to Have a Winning Attitude

Approach attitudes include a player’s plan (what he is going to do) and his approach (how he is going to do it).  Players have approach attitudes about everything that they do in the game.  These attitudes can change from pitch to pitch, just as their job and the situation in the game changes.  Approach attitudes direct the player; they are his guidance system.

The words hope, need, not, and won’t are negative.  Keep them out of your self talk vocabulary.

As a starting point, examine your attitudes concerning the following:

• Seeing the ball
• Where the best point of contact is for pitches inside, middle, outside, etc.
• Hitting pitches to the opposite field, up the middle and to the pull field
• Bunting for a hit, sacrifice and squeeze
• Hit and run
• Hitting mechanics
• Your strike zone

Back Leg Position

Question:

When I transfer my weight back at the beginning of my swing, my back leg seems to bend a lot (almost want to collapse). Is this because too much weight is going back, or my leg is not strong enough, or what?

Answer:

I am assuming the way you found out that your back leg was collapsing was by watching video of your swings. If not, then make sure to have someone record you swinging in batting practice, doing side toss, and in games. The reason you should look at these different stages is because you may be swinging too hard. Perhaps you are too far back on your leg, but usually a hitter’s back leg collapses when they are trying to hit the ball too far and hard. So make sure to see those three different shots, because if you are swinging too hard in the games, you probably are easier in your side toss drills when you are relaxed. This would just tell you whether you have an effort level problem, or a mechanical problem. If it is effort level, then you might just need to relax, and not try to do too much with the ball. And if it is mechanical, then you probably should take a little weight off the back leg when you start your swing. Hope everything goes well.

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