My daughter’s batting average increased from .423 in the first 10 games of the season to .580 in the last 10 games. Everyone has taken notice of how well she is hitting the ball. She is in post season play now and continuing to work hard.  My question is that she seems to tend to rotate her hands too quickly (too close to impact) on occasion (perhaps when she’s trying too hard), hitting the top of the ball, resulting in bouncy ground balls. Does this seem to be a likely reason for bouncy ground balls? How do we correct this?

Answer:

Good job with your daughter, it sounds like she is doing great.   As you know you don’t want the hands to roll over until well after contact. That being said, be sure your daughter is staying inside the ball and she is not casting her top had too soon.

The answer may also be in a lack of strength at this time. Work on staying inside the ball and not rolling the top hand, but this habit may eliminate itself with swing strength.  I would have her do fence drills and one-handed drills if she is strong enough to do so. Concentrating on not rolling the top hand too soon. Another drill you can do is a top hand release drill. Have her swing the bat and after contact and before she rolls her top hand have her release her top hand, keeping her top hand palm up, do not allow the top hand to roll over at all. This will help her to feel the top hand palm up, have her perform this drill off of the tee or in soft toss. It will feel a little strange, and this is only a drill, have her take her regular swing in the game, not thinking about any of these drills.

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

You shouldn’t be afraid to try new things, but at the same time you should not be changing your stance everyday.  Find a stance that is comfortable and workable and stick with it.  When something is no longer working for you, make and adjustment!

Individual examples: Several players who exemplify this philosophy in action are: Jason Giambi, Barry Bonds, Jim Thome, Bernie Williams, Manny Ramirez, and Eric Chavez; the list goes on and on.  Recognize the fact that these hitters are also among the top ten in base on balls.  Look at this list of hitters and ask yourself if you think they go up to the plate looking for a walk… of course not.  The walk is a by-product of having a good strike zone and not giving in to the pitcher by swinging at his pitch.  Unfortunately, most littler league and high school coaches think walks show a lack of aggressiveness.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  It is not that any of these individuals (or teams, for that matter) are not aggressive; these are some of the most aggressive hitters in the league but also the most disciplined.

Hitters that consistently swing and make outs early in the count are actually fearful hitters.  They fear striking out.  They’ll hit the first thing close that they see.  Contrast this to the confident hitters who do not fear getting deep in the count and making the pitcher work.  This philosophy gives you the best of both worlds, that is, if you’re disciplined enough and mentally tough enough to use it.

“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.

If players are told that they are okay, but body language conflicts with that statement, they will believe the latter.  An athlete’s confidence can be seriously impaired with no words spoken, with non-verbal assaults.  Negative facial expressions, hands on hips, kicking the dirt, cursing under the breath, the silent treatment, etc., are ways of showing rejection.  Coaches, parents and fans, do you want your athlete(s) to perform to the best of their abilities?  Then support them, accept them unconditionally, encourage them to have fun, and you will witness not only happier, but more  productive sports participants.  With no need for a long list of imposed rules and regulations, just make it simple–treat them as you would have others treat you!  Unconditional support cannot belegislated, it must come from the heart.

HEAD GAMES is a holistic approach to sports and life generally, that inspires and motivates athletes and coaches to excel on and off the field.  Based upon positive feedback from athletes, coaches and parents from across the nation, the results continue to amaze.

I recently read in Mike Schmidt’s book that his favorite drill for hitters is “pepper”. What are your thoughts on playing “pepper” as a way to develop the hands, bat control, etc.?

Answer:

Pepper will develop bat control if played the correct way. Use no more than three fielders and one hitter at a time. Have the hitter hit one hoppers to each fielder, do not allow them to use more than one ball. If the hitter hits the ball past the fielder the hitter must go get the ball. This is an incentive for the hitter to have good bat control. Of course if the fielder makes the error he must retrieve the ball.

As they become proficient at the short pepper move two of the fielders back to about twenty yards and have one of the fielders throw to the hitter at the regular short distance, the hitter must now hit long pepper to each of the fielders. This helps them to develop bat control along with the proper bat angle. We have our hitters play pepper on a daily basis.

Your eyes tell your brain how to react, if your eyes aren’t seeing the ball well, you are not going to be able to react properly to the ball.  Since you only have four-tenths of second to recognize, react and execute the swing on an average fastball, you need to learn how to track the ball.

For young hitters is very important to learn how to handle the pitch on the outside part of the plate.  If you are handling this pitch your mechanics are sound.  Many times a hitter can pull off driving the outside pitch to the opposite field he is staying on the ball with his front side and letting the ball travel, these are two things that are difficult for young hitters because most want to go out and get the ball as oppose to letting the ball come to them.

It is the most efficient way to get the bat through the zone.  Since this is hard to see you may either use the mirror drill or have a coach help you with this.  The reason why I don’t recommend a 90 degree bat angle is because in order to hi, you must first get the bat into a 45 degree bat angle.  If you start at 90 degrees, you will cause unnecessary movement to get the 45 degree angle that is necessary to swing from.