Be Ready…… - Jul 07
On the way back to Lakeland after a suspended game versus Clearwater. The Flying Tigers are on the road for 6 more games. Three in Dunedin starting tomorrow and then on to Viera to face Brevard County for three. It has been a long day. This morning, I did some private hitting instruction with some students of mine in Oviedo. I have been working with these kids for a couple of years now and they needed a tune up before their All Star tournament this coming weekend. I don’t usually do lessons during the season but at times I make some exceptions. It was interesting to see the common mistakes hitters make at all ages. We spend so much time working with our minor league players on hitting. We look for their flaws and work to correct them. I do the same when I do private instruction and today, I found myself making the same corrections I do, day in and day out with professional hitters. I try not to tinker with hitter’s mechanics too much when they are competing. The last thing you want to think about in the batter’s box is correcting a mechanical issue. However, there are some absolutes of hitting that need to be addressed when you are in the heat of the battle. And, when these absolutes are recognized and executed, hitting becomes a tad bit easier! Here they are: Number one: GET READY ON TIME. Number two: SEE THE BALL. And number three: USE YOUR SWING TO GET THE BARREL OF THE BAT TO THE BALL. Sound simple? It does, but every hard to execute, day in day out, pitch by pitch. Of course, we can talk mechanics of the swing all day long, but most of the time, youth aged players who are All Stars have good swings, and professional players do as well, or they would never had been given a contract. However, hitters get caught up in results and thus forget the process of executing the absolutes. Guess what? If you have a flawless mechanical swing and are not ready on time, don’t see the ball, and fail to make a conscious effort to center it on the barrel, you are not going to hit squat! Let’s put it in football terms. If my team is on the one yard line going in, we are thinking touchdown. However, if we fail to execute a good snap, handoff, miss a block, etc. We may not score. Hitters need to focus more on execution than results. Man of third base, infield in. What are you thinking? I asked that question today. The answer I received is probably one I would have given at the same age. “I am thinking, Get a hit!” Not a bad thought, but how are going to get that hit? You better sure you are ready, with your hands and legs loaded when the ball is on the way. Your eyes need to see that ball out of the pitchers hand and stay focused on it as it travels to the plate. Then, using the swing you have worked on in the cage, time and time again, you try to meet that ball with the barrel of the bat as it enters the strike zone. Focus on the process, the execution of these three simple absolutes. The linebacker might still come up and make a great play to stop the touchdown, but at least you gave yourself the best chance possible to score. Results are great, we all want them. Strive for perfection in the execution of the former mentioned absolutes. That will give the best chance possible for success at the plate. Until next time………