Input on teaching hitter how to read pitches

[kgertie]

I am pleased mechanically with DD's hitting.

I am now seeking input on how to help DD read pitches and/or pick up spin for different pitches in games.

Any videos of the different spins, grips and hand/arm motions would be helpful.

Looking forward to the input.

Thanks.

 

[cshilt]

The best way to do this is to do front toss with a net. Learn the grips and spins and sit on a bucket in front of the hitter. You don't have to be a good pitcher to do this from 10-15 feet away if you're using a good net for protection. Just make sure that you get behind it quick. You can tell the hitter what pitch is coming at first, but you eventually you want to have them call out the pitches as they're leaving your hand and before they hit the pitch. It helps on a couple of levels.

 

[Jim]

Recognizing location as well as the pitch is key. Make sure she is planning on hitting the ball in a specific portion of the strike zone depending on what the pitcher is capable of throwing.

Also a drill that you can do with front toss is hold the ball with the seams on some tosses and against the seams on other tosses. Have her tell you if it was a "four seam" or "two seam" pitch after she hits it. This helps with intensely focusing on the ball.

 

[Greenmonsters]

A hitter doesn't have time to consciously think and react while a pitch is on its way. There's only time to see and react so I'd focus on the following to enhance the database in the brain.

1. Track the ball, hit the ball
2. Repeat Step 1 10,000 times
3. Go back to Step 1

 

[cshilt]

I would disagree with that statement, every swing is a decsion. At the most basic level the decision is yes/no. The database can be uploaded with all sorts of information to help that decision making process. Bill Hillhouse will pitch batting practice to hitters to help them pick up on cues. He says that the elite men will read the grip on the ball from the muscles that are engaged on the pitcher's forearm. Dave Paetkau is another that teaches how to read pitches.

 

[Greenmonsters]

I would disagree with that statement, every swing is a decsion. At the most basic level the decision is yes/no. The database can be uploaded with all sorts of information to help that decision making process. Bill Hillhouse will pitch batting practice to hitters to help them pick up on cues. He says that the elite men will read the grip on the ball from the muscles that are engaged on the pitcher's forearm. Dave Paetkau is another that teaches how to read pitches.

Absolutely, every swing involves a decision - either Go, Go, GO... or... Go, Go, NO depending on the criteria in place for that 1 pitch. Other than that though, do you believe there's time to think during the pitch?

 

[Cannonball]

Why not have your dd grab a helmet and bat and stand at the plate where the pitcher is doing their pitching workout? They can see the spin of whatever pitch the pitcher is working on and have pleanty of repetitions doing so. Also, they can see arm action, etc. My hitters used to love to do this. Some of my dd's teammates used to want to come to her pitching practice lessons. It enabled my dd to work on spin with a batter standing up there so both players benefited.

 

[Greenmonsters]

Why not have your dd grab a helmet and bat and stand at the plate where the pitcher is doing their pitching workout? They can see the spin of whatever pitch the pitcher is working on and have pleanty of repetitions doing so. Also, they can see arm action, etc. My hitters used to love to do this. Some of my dd's teammates used to want to come to her pitching practice lessons. It enabled my dd to work on spin with a batter standing up there so both players benefited.

Good advice. I rarely see a poor-hitting catcher, IMO, a big part of it is that they see so many more pitches (albeit from a receiving position) than other position players.

 

[cshilt]

Absolutely, every swing involves a decision - either Go, Go, GO... or... Go, Go, NO depending on the criteria in place for that 1 pitch. Other than that though, do you believe there's time to think during the pitch?

I suppose it depends on what your definition of "thinking" is. Can they assess multiple criteria (speed, spin, angle, location) and make a quick decision? My opinion is yes and that they can train to become better at it.

 

[RubberBiscuit]

I think the ability to read pitches is 25% repetition and 75% intuitive.

Mostly pitchers but catchers too seem to have a slight edge in general over other players in recognizing pitch-types. But this edge I see in this group that sees a bunch of pitches is marginal I think (comparing a good hitting pitcher to say a good hitting SS). In our HS conference there are many good hitting pitchers and catchers showing this edge (in regards to pitch recognition). But then there are those other position players where the bigger intuitive part takes over for them because they have those special god-given talents.

In any case teaching special batting skills, with some of those well-known tactics to produce a better change-up swing, is beneficial for any batters.

But there is a reason why so many pitchers are also good batters.