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Key to Hitting is Seeing the Ball!

In order for a hitter to be successful he must have confidence and have the ability to focus or concentrate.  Confidence is a product of thorough preparation through practice, game results & feedback.  Confidence increases as the hitter's concentration level improves through visual training.

The hitter's concentration at the plate is dependent upon his ability to visualize his swing, track the pitch and center on the ball.  Visualization is the vital component of concentration.  Visualizing is the hitter seeing the action of his perfect swing taking place. It's like rehearsing the action or intended result in the hitter's mind.  Visualizing has been proven to increase a hitter's success by higher batting average, creating better contact to strike out ratio and increased bat speed.

The hitter must be in his "visual channel" when he is on the bench, in the on-deck circle and at the plate.  The hitter should follow or perform a prescribed routine every at bat.  Such preparation will enhance the hitter's concentration level.

The visual sequence while on the bench should be:  (1) Review last AB visually.  Where was the location of the pitch that I hit?  Was it in or out of strike zone?  What was the pitch?  Fastball, slider, curve, etc.  Did I swing at my pitch or pitcher's pitch?  (2) Visualize your good swing and see a positive outcome in your mind.

When in the on-deck circle, the visual sequence should be:  (1) Visualize a perfect swing; (2) Visualize a positive outcome.  (3) Track the pitches to the hitter in the box and notice the pitcher's location and control. (4) Determine a soft and fine center. (5) Warm up with a lighter bat rather than a weighted bat!

By Dr. Coop Derenne, Professor of Kenesiology University of Hawaii, former professional player & collegiate baseball coach

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Have A Plan For Hitting

Some may argue, but most will agree, hitting a baseball is the most difficult challenge in sports! However, having a plan when going to the plate will increase your chances for success. Check the follow for two basic approaches to improved hitting,

There are basically two solid approaches to hitting:

1.  You can choose the velocity you want to hit, for instance4 you can "Hunt the Fast Ball" or sit on off-speed until you get two strikes.

2.  The second approach is to "Shrink Your Strike Zone".   It's near impossible to cover the entire strike zone effectively.. The plate is 7 balls wide but the "Zone" is 8 balls wide and 10 balls high. So, shrink your zone to maybe a 3 ball x 3 ball zone and look for a pitch in your "Happy Zone".  Box it up, as coaches and teammates like to say.

Your best chance for success is to have a Plan when you go to the plate.  Work at it!

Coach Bob Harris

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Tee Drill

Attention Hitters:

One of the major draw backs to tee work is that the player doesn’t have to make a decision prior to swinging, and they are often working on swinging at just one pitch, the pitch right down the middle. Here's a drill you can do to make your tee work more productive, and more game-like:

Inside/Outside with Take: Set up a tee on the inside of the plate off the front foot, and one on the outside of the plate off the middle of the body. When the hitter begins his stride and load phase, their partner will either say “inside,” “outside,” or “take.” If they say “inside’ or “outside” the hitter will hit the corresponding ball. If they say “take” the hitter will freeze in their hitting position. Make sure the partner giving the direction does so with enough time that they can process and swing at the proper ball.

It is amazing how making just a few changes to tee work can make it much more productive and more likely to translate into games. Coach Kyle Nelson, Cornerstone Coaching Academy

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Stealing Second Base

Juan Pierre is  number 21 on the all time stolen base list.   In this post is 3 tips from Juan on how to steal bases.

He is known around the league as one of the best and hardest working base runners around.  But though he has been blessed with tremendous speed, Juan will be the first to say that is not enough to be a great baserunner and base stealer. You need to be smart and work on this skill often.
I have the tremendous opportunity to work out with Juan in the off season and pick his brain about baserunning.  He talks about three things that he does when stealing second base.
Aggressive Mindset.  Before we dive into this a little more, the first thing we need before stealing a base is confidence and an aggressive mind set.  It doesn’t matter how much speed you have, if you are not 100% committed to stealing a bag.  If you aren’t fully committed then you will be too conservative and not get the proper jump you need.  Having an aggressive mind set is very important in all aspects of the game but equally important in stealing bases.  These are three tips that Juan Pierre shared with me on stealing second base off a right handed pitcher.

How to Steal Bases – Tip #1.  The first thing Pierre knows before he even gets to first base is how fast the pitcher is in the stretch to home plate.  All baserunners should have a particular benchmark that will help you in your decision to go or not go.

You need to know how long it takes you to get to second base from your lead at first.  Once you know that, you can factor that an average game throw from a catcher takes 2.0 seconds (from the time the ball touches his glove to when the middle infielder catcher the baseball).  Take the difference in your speed and 2.0 and you have a time.  For example, I go from my lead at 1st base to 2nd base in 3.3 seconds.  So I subtract 2.0 from 3.30 and that’s my number.  I will look to steal a base if the pitcher is a 1.30 or higher to the plate.
In other words, if Pitcher’s Time + Catcher’s Time = More than your time, then you can look to steal.
 
How to Steal Bases, Tip #2.  Focus in on a spot on the pitcher that needs to move every time in order for him to throw home.  Some baseball players look at the front shoulder, front knee, or even the whole picture. Juan likes to look at the pitchers front heel. Obviously his front foot has to come up to throw home.  The spot of focus is different for everyone, so it’s important to find what is comfortable to you and what you can read quickly to help you get the best jump possible.

How to Steal Bases, Tip #3.  Juan stays as low as possible when taking his first few steps. When you start your move you create a certain amount of momentum, and it’s very common for players to lift higher on a first move.  This slows you down.  You want to get as much ground as possible to second base.  When you can take your first few steps and stay low you are using that momentum as efficiently as possible by driving towards second base. When stealing a base, the first two or three steps are most important.  Try to think of getting up to top speed in the least amount of steps.
I hope these tips for how to steal bases will help you as a base runner. You may have heard them before or maybe they are new to you but it’s cool to know that this is the recipe for stealing bases for one of the best base stealers of all time.

Nicholas Harris, 2017 senior shortstop Spring Arbor University

Mental Imagery

Mental imagery is a very powerful tool. It is the kind of device that when learned and practiced, can raise the level of a pitcher's performance.

Teach your pitchers (and hitters) to visualize and then verbalize. They see the pitch hitting the target in their mind's eye; then they say to themselves something like..."at the knees on the outside corner" or "up and in" and especially-"Hit The Glove." Then they make the pitch. It is a human quality that you must see yourself performing a skill before the actual act can be achieved.

Salespeople have known that for years. When a car salesman says
"Where are you going to take your first trip in your new car?" he knows you will have to mentally put yourself in the car- simple mental ownership; a demonstration of imagery at work.

Before game day a pitcher can actually pitch the entire game mentally. He can find a quiet place, relax, close his eyes and throw a no-hitter. He can visualize each pitch and see the swing and miss or see the hitter weakly ground out on his change up. He can see himself in total control.

This technique is not something a pitcher can do once in a while. Like any other skill it has to be practiced. He should not expect immediate results either. It takes time for mental imagery to become effective. Don't try it just once and if it doesn't work for you give it up. Keep at it.

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