POLL~ what to learn first

[RADcatcher]

Practical hitting question.

What should batters learn to do first?

1. Hit the ball?
Meaning the freedom to be able to swing without thinking so much about what the pitch is.
Or
2. Learn pitch selection?
Meaning deciphering if they should or should not swing.


* absolutely there are different approaches to this discussion. Interesting to see what would happen in a poll.
ENJOY

 

[CoachCeetar]

If you don't know how/where to swing the bat, it's useless to think about the pitch itself.

Like, how many people that swing a bat DIDN'T start on a tee?

And if anything, the tee reinforces "pitch selection". You're training to hit the ball at that point, so pitches that are going to hit the side of the backstop don't really look like the ball on a tee where the swing is.

 

[Shawn]

First learn how to swing a bat.

 

[RADcatcher]

First learn how to swing a bat.

Definitely a reasonable response.
LOL but as the technical hitting Forum will prove 'how to swing a bat' is an ongoing debate


Good swing, bad swing or hack swing,
Still comes the question what to do with pitches coming

 

[CoachJD]

The first thing we do with new hitters is have them try to hit a ball off a tee. A real discussion of the strike zone doesn't come until they start to see pitches.

 

[Shawn]

Definitely a reasonable response.
LOL but as the technical hitting Forum will prove 'how to swing a bat' is an ongoing debate


Good swing, bad swing or hack swing,
Still comes the question what to do with pitches coming

While yes, But it is often our response to the stimulus of hitting a moving or sitting ball that is the problem.

Remove all reaction to the stimulus by doing dry swings. You can even use Blast to check metrics and create a 3D swing plane. Swing at a spot. a tee.

If you remove the object that is creating all the problems. Then you can focus on how to swing.

Just watched a kid and father taking BP. His responses were very obvious. The ball moving created its own style on how to swing and hit a ball. None of it good with weak contact.

Don’t have ball anxiety. Have technique.

 

[Shawn]

Currently working on Goata exercises, which promote the back chain dominance. It’s becoming easier to understand Goata itself and what the exercises are working on.

 

[RADcatcher]

While yes, But it is often our response to the stimulus of hitting a moving or sitting ball that is the problem.

Remove all reaction to the stimulus by doing dry swings. You can even use Blast to check metrics and create a 3D swing plane. Swing at a spot. a tee.

If you remove the object that is creating all the problems. Then you can focus on how to swing.

Just watched a kid and father taking BP. His responses were very obvious. The ball moving created its own style on how to swing and hit a ball. None of it good with weak contact.

Don’t have ball anxiety. Have technique.

I see you are responding about how to develop a swing.
Post is really about being in the Box.

After you have introduced swing fundamentals what do you want the batter to do when they get in the box?
What should they learn to do first when getting in the Box.?

1. Hit the ball?
Meaning the freedom to be able to swing without thinking so much about what the pitch is.
Or
2. Learn pitch selection?
Meaning deciphering if they should or should not swing.

 

[_MIA_]

Unless a kid has been hit in the head too many times by a foul ball (the results of which often only show up years later in posts on softball forums) they will usually figure out on their own that swinging at pitches over their head isn't going to produce the results they want. As they get older they can refine that (or not if you think that swinging at anything close in any count is a good idea).

 

[Rolling Hard]

Hit the ball.