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Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Mental Aspects of Hitting
Western Arkansas, AR
Becoming a successful hitter requires skill, confidence, discipline, experience, sound technique and practice, practice and more p
Some experts believe that one of the most difficult tasks to do in all of sport is to hit squarely a round ball ,moving 80-100 mph toward you, with a rounded bat.
Becoming a successful hitter requires skill, confidence, discipline, experience, sound technique and practice, practice and more practice.
Great hitters have a high baseball IQ. That means, over years of experience, through hard work and with good coaching, successful hitters learn not only the physical, but also themental aspects of hitting — particularly how to make the necessary adjustments at the plate to adapt to every pitcher and umpire.
LEARN, UNDERSTAND, AND ADJUST TO THE STRIKE ZONE
Have you ever noticed that in the big leagues there are very few “bad ball hitters?”
To get that far, a baseball player has to learn, understand, and adjust to the strike zone. Regardless of what level of baseball you play, home plate is always 17-inches wide. Add the 3-inch diameter of a baseball to each side of the plate and you have the potential for a strike zone 23-inches wide!
The height of the strike zone varies from batter to batter and umpire to umpire (each umpire having his own “signature” strike zone). Therefore, it is critical for a hitter to understand each umpire’s tendencies to have either a liberal or tight strike zone, which could even change during the course of a game. A sound hitter, consequently, recognizes how important it is every game to pay careful attention to the size of (and, from one inning to the next, any adjustments in) the strike zone as he and his teammates, as well as his opponents, go to the plate throughout the game.
KNOWING YOUR HITTING STYLE ANDSTRENGTHS
On average it takes a player drafted out of high school five years/2,500 at bats in the minor leagues before he is ready to hit in the big leagues. Obviously, then, there is no substitute for experience. Still, experience has to be built on practice, proper coaching, and hitting discernment. By “discernment,” I mean knowing your weaknesses, strengths, and what type of hitting style best fits your body type and athleticability.
It’s no secret that all amateur hitters have a hole (or holes) in their swing. That means they have trouble adjusting to certain types of pitches and the location of those pitches. Every hitter also has certain spots (inside, outside, high, low, down the middle) where he especially hits the ball well.
What’s more, individual hitting styles can range from a “bat handler (the player who can bunt, make contact to put the ball in play, doesn’t strike out and has a good “on base percentage,”but who might not have great power) to the traditional “power hitter” (whose strength is his “gap” hitting and “home run” power). Every team needs a range of hitters from guys who can get on base and score runs, to those whose job itis to drive runs in.
Learn to recognize your God-given physical strengths and limitations (you can rely on a good coach for help with this) and then practice hard to develop good hitting technique. If you do, then you can begin to achieve your hitting potential so that you can be a contributor to your team’s success.
Coach John Luedtke is thedirector of the Health, Physical Education, and Intramural Sports Programs and NorthWest Arkansas Community College. He previously has coached baseball at the University of Arkansas, Mississippi State, and Lamar University, and has worked as a scouting supervisor for the Cincinnati Reds baseball team. John offers individual, as well as small group/team hitting and pitching lessons. For more information, please contact him at www.jflpitch.netfirms.com or jflpitch@hotmail.com.
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