3 Attributes of a Great Hitter

How to Hit the Ball to the Opposite 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.

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.

Proper Baserunning Tips

Baserunning is one of the most overlooked areas in the game. Players religiously work on their hitting and defense but more often than not once they get on the bases this seems to be an area often neglected. It is the responsibility of the coach not only to teach the fundamentals of baserunning but to also make certain the player concentrates once he gets on base.

Unlike hitting and defense which are both subject to slumps, bad calls, and pressure situations, baserunning is unique in that it is an area in which a player can exercise total command. He has control over his jumps, his reads, the decisions that he makes, and how hard he runs.

Although you always want to have the mindset of being aggressive on the bases, you want this aggressiveness to be under control. You can relate this to hitting. As a hitter I have taught you to be selectively aggressive. As a baserunner, you want to be aggressive under control.

In hitting, you want to think, “swing” at every pitch until you recognize that it is not your pitch. In baserunning, you want to think, “take advantage of every mistake the fielders make and be ready to capitalize on it.” You need to know when to be aggressive, when to force plays, and when to play it safe.

This requires the discipline of both players and coaches. The coach must always remind a player of the following:
•    When he is making mistakes
•    When he has a good read
•    When he has a bad read

There are two appropriate times for a coach to teach the whole team::
•    When a mistake has been made
•    When somebody capitalizes on a defensive mistake

Each player should run as hard as he is capable of in every situation. By running hard you put yourself in the situation to take advantage of a defensive lapse or a mistake. Players should always be anticipating the defense making a mistake. You can take extra bases without pos-sessing great speed. Good baserunners take extra bases on the defense. The baserunner:
•    Should never drop his head until the play is finished.
•    Should always be aware of where the ball is.
•    Should know the situation of the game – the outs, the score, field conditions, any defensive weaknesses such as a weak throwing arm in the outfield.
•    Should anticipate these situations before they happen and always be ready to take advantage.

Each player must take pride in his game if he plans to improve as a baserunner. He should have the attitude that he is going to take advantage of every mistake the defense makes.

Many games can be won and lost in this overlooked area and you can add many games to your team’s win column with intelligent baserunning.

It is the coach’s responsibility to meet with his club before each game to go over the playing environment. These conditions will change during the course of the game. Coaches need to constantly be reminding players of the changing conditions.
•    Wind
•    Sun
•    Fence
•    Ground
•    Layout of the field

Pre-Game and Dugout

Always watch your opponent take outfield & infield practice. Observe:
•    Strength of the outfielders arms
•    How well they charge the ball
•    How quickly they get rid of the ball

If an outfielder lays back on a ball in practice, he might do the same thing in the game. If he does lay back on the ball, take an extra base on him. This way you are letting the other team know that you will take advantage of every mistake they make, and every weakness they have.

When reading the throw from an outfielder, get in the habit of reading the first 30 feet of the throw to determine the height of the throw. Many times if the throw misses the cutoff man you can take an extra base. Every extra base you take is one base closer to scoring a run, and every time you take an extra base on a team because of their lack of intensity or a fundamental mis-take they will be demoralized.

When watching infield practice note certain habits of the infielders:
•    How do the middle infielders turn the double play?
•    How well does the catcher throw?
•    Does the first baseman move well?
•    Who has the strong and weak arms in the infield?
•    How accurate are their relay throws?

Coaches, make sure you have your team watch infield practice everyday. Your players should have a good idea of what you expect out of them, they should know when you like to hit and run, bunt, steal, etc. Meet with your club and let them know what you except concerning baserunning and how all of you need to work together in order to be successful.

During the game

As you walk to home plate for your at bat:
•    Check the defense, how are they playing you?
•    Is the first or third baseman in or back?
•    Does the pitcher have any patterns?
•    When does he like to throw his offspeed pitches?
•    Does he like to throw to first base?
•    How quick is he to first and to home?
•    What type of fielder is he?
•    Find a key off the pitcher so you can get the best jump possible

When the first runner of the game gets on base:
•    Force a throw from the pitcher
•    Watch the move
•    Everyone on the bench should be yelling, “back”

Hitting with the Proper Effort Level

Question:

My 15 year old is playing freshmen ball, excelling behind the plate but struggling with the bat. He has problems tracking the ball, recognizing location, getting out in front of the plate. I’m telling him to use the pitches he calls for as a catcher as an aid in tracking ball rotation and spin. He’s short to the ball with his hands but sometimes is slow getting them there. Too often he’s fighting off the ball as it gets into the plate too deep. The ball’s hitting the bat as opposed to the opposite happening. He’s now ripping his hands through the zone quicker but if the bat head isn’t meeting the ball out in front, hand speed is being negated. Using Vision Training drills in trying to help the ball tracking, using Harvey D’s book to keep his head straight in fighting through what he perceives to be a slump. And in this case, he needs success FIRST before he gets the confidence. We need help in Boston, can you simplify my approach in helping him?

Answer:

When kids start to struggle they start trying harder, this leads to jumping at the ball and all kinds of mechanical breakdowns, as well as visual problems because of excessive head movement. Before you overhaul his swing check his effort level, his hands should be at 100% but throughout his swing he should be able to stay on balance. Keep doing the vision training drills, it will only help his tracking and reaction.

You mention in another post a spinning around the front foot. It sounds like he is casting his hands and spinning off the ball, make sure his weight transfer is correct and he is getting his weight from back to center, have him try to drive the ball right back through the middle while staying inside the ball.