Keep your eyes on the ball?

[Softball scholar]

And I think you are missing the point. What do you think George Brett is focusing on in that pitcure? Contact?

"There is often an abrupt change in the ball's trajectory
just before the player hits it: the baseball breaks and the
tennis ball bounces. Like batting instructors, tennis
coaches teach beginners to use the strategy with the
anticipatory saccade in order to see the ball hit the racket;
this strategy is probably only useful as a learning tool.
Therefore, we suggest that neither baseball players nor
tennis players keep their eyes on the ball. The success
of the good players is due to faster smooth-pursuit eye
movements, a good ability to suppress the vestibuloocular
reflex, and the occasional use of an anticipatory
saccade.
Sometimes our subjects used the strategy of tracking
with head and eyes and falling behind in the last 5 ft,
and sometimes they used the strategy of tracking with
head and eyes but also using an anticipatory saccade. It
has been speculated (L. Matin, pers. com.) that athletes
might use the latter strategy when they are learning the
trajectory of a new pitch and the former strategy when
hitting home runs."

(A. Terry Bahill Tom LaRitz)

There are so many other research studies on the subject and they all come to the same conclusions regardless of the sport (tennis, cricket, baseball).

Dude,

Did you ever think that the jump saccade and the anticaptory saccade are the same thing? Did you ever think Roger Federer is also focusing on the same point at contact. Its the same thing? He's using the fast smooth eye pursuit and then the jump saccade/ anticpatory saccade as a focal point. But he's not seeing the millisesecond contact point of a tennis ball moving 100 MPH and a tennis racquet moving at 90MPH. Do you think he's magically looking at the back of his racquet and surprise the ball makes contact.

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

Question asked of a golf pro: "Do you focus your eyes behind the ball, on the ball, or in front of the ball?"

Golf pro's answer: "I look at the ball, but I don't see it. My mind is in my body (feeling what I want to do) and target."

p.s.

Don't overlook the importance of practicing an open focus. You might be surprised what a softer more open focus approach will do for your hitting. Contrast that to having a hard focus and small visual field.

 

[Perfect Circle]

Work on your photography.... have fun learning sharp pinpoint focus on the subject, blurring out the background with your aperture settings... the parallels are endless.

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

Work on your photography.... have fun learning sharp pinpoint focus on the subject, blurring out the background with your aperture settings... the parallels are endless.

Or you might consider the opposite.

 

[Eugene Stryke]

I like that there are different forums for practical hitting and technical. All of the guys who like to talk about "saccade" and all of the technical jargon can go on endlessly. I have a feeling that some of the time they aren't even talking about the same thing or are theorizing above their own level of understanding.

Technical hitting advice is only useful when it transitions into practical knowledge. Otherwise it is useless and possibly counterproductive (although still possibly true). I coached a 10U team this summer and I had a few girls who were swinging through everything. I tried different adjustments, but I heard another coach reminding his girls to keep their eye on the ball. I hadn't been emphasizing it but when I did, it was like magic for a couple girls.

This might be good advice at the lower levels because often times when girls are learning to hit they are focusing on other things and forget to watch the ball as far as possible. They pull their heads off when they swing is another way of saying it.

Someone earlier made a point about the danger of extreme slow-mo video analysis. I think that is spot-on. One could end up drawing some counterproductive conclusions that reveal a disparity between theoretically what should be good advice and what in actuality produces the desired result.

 

[GunnerShotgun]

I like that there are different forums for practical hitting and technical. All of the guys who like to talk about "saccade" and all of the technical jargon can go on endlessly. I have a feeling that some of the time they aren't even talking about the same thing or are theorizing above their own level of understanding.

Technical hitting advice is only useful when it transitions into practical knowledge. Otherwise it is useless and possibly counterproductive (although still possibly true). I coached a 10U team this summer and I had a few girls who were swinging through everything. I tried different adjustments, but I heard another coach reminding his girls to keep their eye on the ball. I hadn't been emphasizing it but when I did, it was like magic for a couple girls.

This might be good advice at the lower levels because often times when girls are learning to hit they are focusing on other things and forget to watch the ball as far as possible. They pull their heads off when they swing is another way of saying it.

Someone earlier made a point about the danger of extreme slow-mo video analysis. I think that is spot-on. One could end up drawing some counterproductive conclusions that reveal a disparity between theoretically what should be good advice and what in actuality produces the desired result.

I don't disagree with your comments with regards to practical vs technical. Who really cares if you can't translate it to a 10 year old girl. This is what separates analysts from coaches.

I would disagree with teaching one thing at an early age only to have to teach something else as the pitching gets faster/more advanced. Teach them the right way from day 1.

"Keep your eye on the ball" is one of those old school terms that should be thrown out. The point of this thread is you can't physically "keep your eye on the ball".

 

[Jim]

I like that there are different forums for practical hitting and technical. All of the guys who like to talk about "saccade" and all of the technical jargon can go on endlessly. I have a feeling that some of the time they aren't even talking about the same thing or are theorizing above their own level of understanding.

Technical hitting advice is only useful when it transitions into practical knowledge. Otherwise it is useless and possibly counterproductive (although still possibly true). I coached a 10U team this summer and I had a few girls who were swinging through everything. I tried different adjustments, but I heard another coach reminding his girls to keep their eye on the ball. I hadn't been emphasizing it but when I did, it was like magic for a couple girls.

This might be good advice at the lower levels because often times when girls are learning to hit they are focusing on other things and forget to watch the ball as far as possible. They pull their heads off when they swing is another way of saying it.

Someone earlier made a point about the danger of extreme slow-mo video analysis. I think that is spot-on. One could end up drawing some counterproductive conclusions that reveal a disparity between theoretically what should be good advice and what in actuality produces the desired result.

Great points. I agree.

 

[Jim]

I don't disagree with your comments with regards to practical vs technical. Who really cares if you can't translate it to a 10 year old girl. This is what separates analysts from coaches.

I would disagree with teaching one thing at an early age only to have to teach something else as the pitching gets faster/more advanced. Teach them the right way from day 1.

"Keep your eye on the ball" is one of those old school terms that should be thrown out. The point of this thread is you can't physically "keep your eye on the ball".

You couldn't be more wrong in regards to trying to see your target as well as possible.