Hitting and Hitters Discussion The formula for great hitting

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Swing your bat multiple times per week.

Hitting is a "rehearsed reaction"....REHEARSED How many times have you rehearsed/practiced your swing? I am amazed how many players and parents think that a lesson every once in awhile to get "tuned up" is all that is needed to hit well. Elite pitchers work at their craft several times a week to improve their spin rates and velocity and even learn new pitches. To hit their new pitches and follow their great spins you should work at hitting several times a week. The bat in your hands, hitting front toss, side toss or off a T should be done several times per week. The actual number of swings and days per week is a personal thing: How great do you want to be?

If mom or dad do not feel qualified to analyze mechanics and teach a good swing then by all means find a good instructor. But that is a small part of the equation, instructors instruct...the student needs to rehearse.

Jack Jenkins
Workhouse Fastpitch

 

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Hitters should be working on their swing as much as pitchers pitch. It is really that simple.

At least 4 days per week a hitter should be hitting 100+ balls off a tee. Do that and you will be amazed the effect.

My DD will hit 200+ in a work out. We will put the ball on a tee in the 4 corners of the square and get to work.

 

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Well said Jack

Roger Riggs

 

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Well said indeed....we were at Workhouse with the Vipers! Too bad Westerville is so far from us!!

 

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"What good is a $250 bat going to do you, if you don't have a $15 tee?"

 

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The more a kid practices on their own, not just with the team or instructor, the better they will be. It is that simple

 

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These are some great follow up points. One of the things I tell my students is that the real, deep in your gut confidence that allows you to perform under pressure is created when you are by yourself working on your swing, not in the gym with me telling you exactly what to do.

 

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You mean simply buying the newest, greatest, hottest bat doesn't guarantee success?

 

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Wait are you implying to be a great hitter you need to work hard at it? Hmmmm I wonder if that will apply to other things in life, more important things?

-Chalk up another reason children should play youth sports lol.

 

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Dang...I thought just buying the hottest new bats would deliver the bombs. Great comparison between pitchers working on honing their crafts and hitters doing the same. This proves that the kids who make the effort to go to indoor facilities to hit balls off tees, soft toss and pitching machines will progress at a faster rate than those who don't. In Ohio this truly makes the case for the need for indoor training facilities in areas where lots of players live. Hmmmmmmm. Might be more to come about that soon.

Great Post Jack as well as all others who commented. It's the old joke...how do you get to Carnegie Hall?
Practice.

 

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See ball, hit ball, it is that simple.

 

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Formula for hitting has two basic parts:

1) Work on perfecting your swing mechanics
2) Work on actually hitting "pitches" which simulate game situations.

You cannot do one without the other. And a $300 bat is no substitute for hard work, although that is often the case...

 

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Good hitting coach as a must + practice on your own every chance you get. When a player can go to the plate at game time with the same confidence she has at her hitting lessons staying relaxed and focus, success will happen. Never stop perfecting your swing.

hitting coach + practice + confidence at plate = success

 

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This may sound like a stupid question, but how do you practice hitting a fastpitch with speed other than at the batting cages (if you are lucky to have one with fast enough fast pitches)? -- And- if you shouldn't use your bat at the batting cage, how are they really going to get real game like experience if they never swing their game bat against a fast pitch?

 

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This may sound like a stupid question, but how do you practice hitting a fastpitch with speed other than at the batting cages (if you are lucky to have one with fast enough fast pitches)? -- And- if you shouldn't use your bat at the batting cage, how are they really going to get real game like experience if they never swing their game bat against a fast pitch?

. Use a Baseball hitting cage not a softball. After making contact Take a step towards the machine, make contact and repeat until its either to fast to hit or comes in to high. Moving in the cage you never see the same pitch twice, always different speeds and planes. After you have gone as forward as far as you can go back to the beginning, then your seeing much slower pitching. The drill is called the Barry Bonds drill and it is the only time I use a pitching machine. I have found it to make a large difference in the kids I teach to recognize different speeds and when to pull the trigger.

Tim

 

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You don't have to swing at game speed to learn good mechanics tee work, tee work and more tee work and possibly a little soft toss!!! Once masted repeat.

 

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If you do the same old same old "it will become old"! Especially at the younger ages!
We would always make it fun (that resulted in a ton of swings).

Like Tim said; we would do the BB drill at the cage then turn around and do it left handed. Same with tee work, soft toss or when we would go out to a field and throw it up and see how far we could crush it.
This keeps the practices fresh adds a degree of difficulty, in our case it got DD to see different angles of a pitch and she liked the competition vs. the old man.

When using cages challenge yourself! Especially at 14 and above. Nothing like stepping in the 90mph cage and out hitting the boys.

We also would play bunt and slapping games from both sides just to keep it fresh. Homerun derby or place hitting is also good work. We also would work in a little weights/plyo with the back yard drills. At 10U let them swing from second base. 12u pitchers mound then home plate 14 and above builds a ton of cofidence as they his balls over then move back.


Keep it fresh and do a variety of drills, go outside the box and try new things.
Keep the drills you like drop the ones you dont. And remember...It is NEVER too young to start. DD first step in the cages was at 3 in the 35mph baseball..
As far as swinging different bats for games or practice we never did. DDs game bats is what she used in all practices. If it broke the spare was broke in and ready to go and like Boldersdad said use baseballs in the cage it challenges the hitter among other things. Last but not least do not over critique every swing! They know when they missed one.

 

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The BB drill sounds like a blast! Thanks!

 

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I like that choice of words " rehearsal " .

 

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Formula for hitting has two basic parts:

1) Work on perfecting your swing mechanics
2) Work on actually hitting "pitches" which simulate game situations.

You cannot do one without the other. And a $300 bat is no substitute for hard work, although that is often the case...

I have a similar view, which recognizes "hitting" in two distinct aspects:

1. Timing
2. Mechanics

Notice that I placed Timing above mechanics, and there is a reason for it. As great mechanics are useless without a sense of timing, I've also seen some above average hitters that just lacked good mechanics.

Split those responsibilities with your players, so that each party has a stake in their success. Players are to put in the time on their own to work on their mechanics, static hitting, tee work, etc., while team practices will provide more opportunities to develop their sense of timing.