Hitting coaches' philosophy beyond hitting mechanics

[Cannonball]

kgertie, I understand. I guess it is the difference in how coaches coach. Personally, I do a lot of interaction with my hitters and so I encourage questions. I think I enjoy the dialogue and knowing that they are learning the most. For sure I believe it makes my players comfortable around me. I am not one of those coaches who has to be right and everyone else is wrong. Most of the time my players and I have a very good relationship because we can talk.

FFS, as an FYI, the term we used for the HS softball team when we entered the playoffs was, "The Hay is in the Barn." When we got eliminated one of my Seniors started crying during an interview with a local reporter saying that we used that phrase and now the hay was in the barn for her high school career. It kind of made us all choke up some.

 

[PEPPERS]

Old Indian proverb that goes something like this,
Tell me, I may forget,
Show me, I may not understand,
Involve me, I will remember forever.

I try and ask questions to encourage the player to understand why that last swing resulted in a weak popup or grounder. How do you think you can fix it? I try to make them think and to see the best coach is looking back at them in the mirror. I can stand in front of them and maybe tell them what to do. If they can’t repeat the correct mechanics or fix it themselves what good is it? They need to understand how to fix it and that the lesson is only the beginning real success only comes after hours of hard work and practice. The swing may look good hitting the ball down the middle from a tee, but how about all pitch locations, inside, outside, high, low and everything in between, and then with speed and movement on the pitch.

I had a friend tell me he was giving piano lessons but only had a few students, he had a number of kids call about guitar lessons. He could not teach or play the guitar. He purchased a book on learning to play the guitar and studied the first lesson and placed an ad for guitar lessons and had a number of students to sign up.

He gave lessons staying one guitar lesson ahead of his students. I see too many coaches and instructors in softball who aren’t even one lesson ahead in the softball book!!!!!!

 

[SBFAMILY]

If you want to learn how to teach hitting I suggest you read the book " The Talent Code" It might change your mind on how you approach this subject. Howard Carrier brought this book to my attention and it is the reason behind the Mattrix drill that many have asked about on this forum. It covers how world class players learn.

 

[Jim]

If you want to learn how to teach hitting I suggest you read the book " The Talent Code" It might change your mind on how you approach this subject. Howard Carrier brought this book to my attention and it is the reason behind the Mattrix drill that many have asked about on this forum. It covers how world class players learn.

There is another book that I would recommend... "The Inner Game of Tennis". Great book! It is based around tennis but coaches of any sport will benefit.

 

[PEPPERS]

If you want to learn how to teach hitting I suggest you read the book " The Talent Code" It might change your mind on how you approach this subject. Howard Carrier brought this book to my attention and it is the reason behind the Mattrix drill that many have asked about on this forum. It covers how world class players learn.

SBFAMILY I read this book on a recommendation from you from an earlier post and loved the book. I purchased another one for my daughter’s friend who is going to the Air Force and let my daughters BB coach borrow ours and have not been able to get it back from him.

 

[SBFAMILY]

I bought one for my dd's high school softball coach and soccer coach. They now have changed how they conduct a practice.

 

[willene2011]

Amy, if you are teaching the grip that the Bat Jack promotes, it is a cheap investment.

cool advice

 

[RayR]

SBFAMILY I read this book on a recommendation from you from an earlier post and loved the book. I purchased another one for my daughter’s friend who is going to the Air Force and let my daughters BB coach borrow ours and have not been able to get it back from him.

I just bought this book as well and am about a third of the way through but it has already changed the way I explain things to players....had a defensive practice last night where I talked a player through a back hand telling her "Your brain has to tell your hands to work low to the ball instead of staying high and stabbing at the last minute....you have to think about your hands making a good first move until it becomes a habit....you can still track the ball and tell your hands to work low..." If anything, it seems like this advice dialed her into tracking the ball even better....kind of like the added thought of her hands created a deepened awareness of what she was doing....

Thanks SB for mentioning the book in this thread....it has been on my radar but finally downloaded it....

 

[SBFAMILY]

MTS, I feel it is not what we teach but how we teach. I think that is why we have some of the heated discussion on this forum. We agree on what should happen, but don't agree on how someone is trying to teach it. I know Howard had that issue on this forum, and stated more than once, that if someone was really working with kids they would not post some of the things you read on here. I'm glad I could be of help. He has a new book , but I don't know the title yet.

 

[CycloneSoftball22]

MTS, I feel it is not what we teach but how we teach. I think that is why we have some of the heated discussion on this forum. We agree on what should happen, but don't agree on how someone is trying to teach it. I know Howard had that issue on this forum, and stated more than once, that if someone was really working with kids they would not post some of the things you read on here. I'm glad I could be of help. He has a new book , but I don't know the title yet.

I aree with this. There is tons of technical information and video clips on here (which is really great stuff) , but hardly any of that comes with any constructive thoughts on how to relay that message to a younger hitter. Most of the players in video clips and model swings are very experienced hitters and were trained to get those swings. I could spout some of this stuff at every hitting session , but most likely the hitters would never get any benefit from it.