Priorities in hitting

As we go through the basics of hitting, we have to keep reminding ourselves and our players that our first goal is simply to hit the ball. It is neither to hit a home run nor even to get on base. And all we may need to win a game sometimes is a ground ball to the right side.


But like most things we have to teach; we must begin with the foundation and build upon it.

Some of us already do some things well and some things not. But all of us can benefit from understanding why we fail and why we succeed, how to "think" like a hitter, and how to make adjustments.

So, even though your players are already good hitters, do you think that they understand hitting? Even though your hitters are the best in your league, would they be the best in a stronger league?

There is more to hitting than the mechanics of the swing. You look at most of your young players and, at first glance, you can see they are athletes, have a good stance, and have a balanced powerful swing--yet are not getting the job done. And so you put him on a batting tee or try him with the pitching machine.

He fails at both, but at least you have an answer to that. The batter is trying to solve a mental problem with a mechanics solution.

The batting problem can then resolve into a matter of thinking like a hitter. It is a good thought, only it doesn't work. There is more to hitting than the mechanics of the swing.


I once had a hitter who was a star on my high school team. She had a very powerful swing, but she pulled everything--a fact that went unnoticed or escaped the high school pitchers who didn't have the skills to exploit it.

In college ball, the hitter was ahead of everything. Foul ball after foul ball was driven to the left side until the hitter struck out. The solution? Hours on the tee, perfecting the swing. But the tee, while a great tool for repairing mechanics and balance, did nothing to solve the problem.

The problem was not mechanical, at least not directly. Neither was it a matter of balance. The hitter was hitting the ball hard. But ... remember vision and timing? The hitter was seeing the ball fine, hitting the ball hard, but always just ahead of the pitch!

The hitter's problem was timing. The inability to adjust to different speeds, especially slower speeds, produced foul balls and, eventually, strikeouts.

The batter lasted one year in college ball and now plays slow pitch, where she probably hits towering home runs. The ball is always slow, the hitter requires no adjustments. In college ball, the pitchers deliver fast-balls up and in, or way outside before changing speeds.

BEING IN POSITION TO SUCCEED:

This merely means doing everything correctly before swinging the bat--doing the things that will help you see and time the ball well.

Preparing to swing a bat is as important as actually swinging one. If the hitter is having problems timing the ball--whether it's fast pitch or change of speed--the answer lies in standing in the box properly or changing the size of the bat.

If you are having problems hitting the rise, curve or drop, the problem may be in your focus, movement of your head or where you are holding your hands.

It could be that you're simply not comfortable. Some well-meaning coach may have altered your stance, trying to fit you into a cookie cutter style of hitting.

Instead of helping, they have made you uncomfortable. And an uncomfortable hitter will not be thinking about hitting, but about how uncomfortable he or she is.

Obviously every hitter, even bad ones, takes whatever stance is comfortable to them. If that stance is limiting them and changes are necessary, the changes will at first cause discomfort. That is where practice and repetition come in. So, even if changes are called for, you may not be getting enough reps to make them second nature.

Being willing to change is what being coachable and a great athlete is all about.

Before you can worry about the mental part of hitting, you have to be sure that you understand the "truths" of hitting mechanically. As we have said, there is no perfect stance, just things that make sense.

The major leaguer who faces the pitcher and then turns as the pitch is coming may be called a "big leaguer" ... but we'd never instruct our team of tee ballers to stand that way.

The major leaguer has very quick hands and quick feet. Since he certainly is standing in a manner that allows him to see the ball better, the issue becomes one of timing ... Can he turn fast enough to hit the ball with any power? He can. You and I probably couldn't hit from that stance.

THE PERFECT STANCE?

Feet. Everything athletic begins with the feet. That is simply the place where all of us feel strongest, most balanced, and quick. It's the same position your feet will be in when preparing to jump, guard someone in basketball, fight, or receive a volley in tennis.

All of these things are your "athletic position." If you take a stride, do it into this position, not out of it. Many players will be in their strong position and then stride into a position that will make it difficult for the opponent to pivot, thus reducing their speed and power.

Your athletic position should maximize your power and speed when you pivot. A good starting point might be with your feet just outside your shoulders with your toes pointed in toward the plate.

Hands. Where you hold the bat matters. Ideally and logically you should hold the bat no higher than the strike zone. Why hold it higher if you're going to have to drop your hands to get to the strike zone? The bat should be no farther back than your back shoulder. We hit the ball in front of the plate.

Holding the bat farther back will only increase the distance that the bat has to travel to hit the ball. Since you'll be quicker if you are tension free, you should hold the bat firmly, but without squeezing it.

The bat should be in your fingers not deep in the palms, for the same reason we are told not to palm a basketball--it limits our control (of the bat or the ball).

Most of us have heard the term "good hitters see the ball long". All that means is that good hitters can wait longer to decide whether to swing or not. And they can do that because they are quick to the ball. Anything that limits this quickness is bad.

You should also keep your hands close to your body. It will enable you to keep control of all your movements both offensively and defensively.

Hold a bat with your arms fully extended and you will see how illogical and awkward it is.

Choose your weapon. The lighter the bat, the better. That is all that needs to be said about that. Since you can obviously control and swing a light bat faster, the reasons are obvious.

Stance. Closed or open? Toes pointed where? Since we watch TV with our bodies square and both eyes straight ahead, we should do the same when we are trying to hit a ball.

Still, the "square" body will limit our ability to hit a ball with any kind of power. We could not develop any kind of bat speed.

But it is important to understand that we have two eyes and one is dominant. If we do not use both eyes and are not using our dominant eye, we are certainly not doing all we can to hit the ball as well as we're capable of.

Ideally, our stance should be neither open nor closed, and we should not be too deep in the box. Both feet should be equal distance from the plate and pointed toward it. If our toes are out, we are making the trip to the pivot longer and limiting our power.

Being open or closed creates a weakness in plate coverage. And being too deep in the box makes movement pitches more effective. Our goal as hitters is to show the pitcher no weakness.

Without getting into mechanics too much, we should note that our swing begins from the ground up. Also understand that we are strongest when we are balanced, so our weight should remain centered throughout the swing.

THINKING LIKE A HITTER:

Facing a pitcher is like playing poker. You are trying to hide your weaknesses and strengths. A pitcher not only wants to know what pitch you cannot handle and which you handle well. You are playing the odds. With a fast runner at first in a close game, it is unlikely that the pitcher is going to deliver a change-up.

If the count is 0-2, the odds are that the pitcher will not throw a strike.

And if the count is 3-0, you can be pretty sure that the next pitch will be a good one.

All of this changes with the score, the inning, the umpire, who's on base, who bats next.

Early in the game, the pitcher may throw a strike with an 0-2 count, especially if he is dominating and you and the batter are overmatched.

With a 3-0 count and the bases empty with two outs, the pitcher may throw another ball if you hit homers your last two times at bat and the next hitter has struck out twice.

If the umpire is calling high strikes, the pitcher may be staying away from low balls, or if the corners are strikes he may be trying to extend the strike zone, knowing you (batter) will have trouble reaching it.

A lesson all of us eventually learn is that winning is about adjusting.

Knowing all of that and changing as the game changes are what being a hitter is all about. It is not about who can hit the ball the furthest or who is strongest.

Putting the ball in play with consistency is what wins games.

By Gill Arzola, Assistant Coach, Valparaiso (IN) University