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Thursday, May 1, 2008
How To... Hit For The Team
Western Arkansas, AR
By: John Ubert, VYPE
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Photo(s) By: Kyle Danztler/MyActionPortraits.com
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You need to train yourself to get the most out of every trip to the batter’s box. Your purpose at the plate can and will change with each pitch, position of the runners, strike zone, strike count and how the pitcher is pitching to you.
You need to know what pitch and what location is best for you drive the ball hard. For most players it’s a fast ball, letter-high down to the belt and out over the plate. This is the “box” that you want to be looking for pitches in until the pitcher gets even or ahead in the count.
With an even count, or behind in the count with less then two strikes, you must widen the “box” to letters to mid-thigh in height and the black part of the plate, pending the umpire’s strike zone. Behind in the count with two strikes, the batter needs to open the zone to the top of the letter-high to just below the knee in height and black part of the plate plus five inches in or out, pending the umpire’s zone.
Strikeouts are the worst thing you can do at the plate. If you put the ball on the ground in play, three things usually have to happen to get you out. A player has to stop it, he then has to throw it on target and someone else has to catch it.
Your job is to have an at bat where the team gets something out of it. When good hitters fail 6 out of 10 times at the plate, it amounts to most hitters getting put out two out of three times at the plate. How do you bat for the team? An old coach once told me to “Play for the name on the front of the jersey not your name that’s on the back.”
Giving to the team during your at bat includes little things like being hit by a pitch, putting a bunt down (putting the bunt down is a sacrifice, but not getting it down will put you in a big 0-2 hole with an at bat that will count against your average), hitting behind the runner to advance him, sacrifice flies, protecting the runner and stealing can be as simple as running up the starter’s pitch count by fouling off numerous pitches.
Go into the at bat with the mindset of hitting the glove off of one of the infielder’s hands. Never try to hit a homerun at the plate. It won’t work and you’ll bat about .260 for the year with a lot of fly outs. Even in Major League Baseball, few players can pull this off and be successful as a power hitter.
Practice, practice, practice with a purpose. Be the first to practice and the last to leave. It takes over two weeks to get your muscles to remember that good swing form, but only a few bad practice rounds can create bad habits.
Know your going to get it done at the plate. Confidence is the key to a good hitter. You will fail sometimes, but learn from your mistakes so you can improve. This is one of the greatest one on one challenges in sports; the dual between a pitcher and batter. WIN THE BATTLE!
John Ubert
23 years of coaching at all levels
NAIA coach for a Wichita college team
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