The Psychological Aspect of Hitting Versus Mechanical Aspects

[Eric F]

Last Summer, my 9yo DD worked hard on her hitting. She a number of weeks working with a hitting coach until I felt I had the knowledge to continue her development. During the time with the hitting coach, she got a LOT of time hitting moving balls, and dramatically improved her ability to make contact anywhere near the strike zone.

When we started Fall Ball, her initial response was to revert back to her old habit of trying to draw a walk, and she watched a lot of decent pitches go by. After that first game (which included a strikeout), we had a conversation about her new ability to make good contact in a much larger area than before. I reminded her that she no longer needed to look for the PERFECT pitch, just one she can hit. Along with that, she should EXPECT each pitch to be one she can hit, and be ready to pull the trigger EVERY TIME (which means loading/striding, and getting the process started). The next game, she took that attitude into the box and started swinging...and HITTING! She went the next 9 games without a K, and got a lot of solid hits.

 

[JJsqueeze]

This is the single biggest leap a young hitter can make....going from a girl that wants to get on base to a girls that wants to hit!

 

[FP26]

Excellent thread with some very good posts! As I was reading another thread, I came across a post by Ken Krause. In it he mentions that confidence has a relationship with the fear of failure. I believe this to be true and feel that many coaches do not understand how much influence they really have with their players. DD has played for two different TB teams, and more importantly, two dramatically different HCs. As an assistant for both of them, I had an inside look at both operations. Team A had a HC that stressed confidence, swagger, and positive attitudes. The team had some good players, but I truly believe that they outperformed the talent on the roster. Team B had a HC that was very controlling and created an environment of fear and intimidation. This team had better talent, but in my opinion under-performed the talent on the roster. I realize this is a limited sample, but I don't think the results were a fluke. I believe that the environments had a direct correlation on the end results.

In a lot of ways, working on the mechanics is the easy part. Developing the confidence is much more difficult. But the first step is to make sure that the players understand and believe that it is ok to fail. Then, as their mechanics improve, success will follow, and then confidence will grow exponentially.

 

[PEPPERS]

IMO Confidence comes with experience and experience comes with practice. Hitting balls from a tee in all 9 hitting zones to fix any holes in the swing. Then after a kid masters the 9 zones then move the tee slightly outside the hitting zones inside, outside, high and low and a combination of these locations and work until the hitter can reach pitches as much as 6 inches out off the strike zone. Then side toss and front toss in different zones and outside the hitting zone, I like the ideal presented by Hitter/Howard you want the hitter to select balls and strikes and not be at the mercy of the umpire. Going to the plate feeling confident you can hit pitches in all 9 zones and outside the zones helps put the swagger in a hitter.

When we worked stations I would have one station where we worked on getting ready to hit by getting in the box, relaxed position with the bat on the shoulder in the little notch on the shoulder designed for a bat to fit, few deep breaths to relax. When the pitcher takes her position the bat comes straight up and we began a rhythm and movement or dance with the pitcher. A hitter wants to establish ownership of the plate by swagger and attitude. Think only positive thoughts, if you go up to the plate thinking don’t strikeout then that is what you will do; think see it hit it, You don’t have noting I can’t hit or something like that. Think every pitch is a strike and you’re striding and preparing to hit every pitch until the last minute if it is a ball.

Send the pitcher a message.

 

[Greenmonsters]

IMO Confidence comes with experience and experience comes with practice. Hitting balls from a tee in all 9 hitting zones to fix any holes in the swing. Then after a kid masters the 9 zones then move the tee slightly outside the hitting zones inside, outside, high and low and a combination of these locations and work until the hitter can reach pitches as much as 6 inches out off the strike zone. Then side toss and front toss in different zones and outside the hitting zone, I like the ideal presented by Hitter/Howard you want the hitter to select balls and strikes and not be at the mercy of the umpire. Going to the plate feeling confident you can hit pitches in all 9 zones and outside the zones helps put the swagger in a hitter.

When we worked stations I would have one station where we worked on getting ready to hit by getting in the box, relaxed position with the bat on the shoulder in the little notch on the shoulder designed for a bat to fit, few deep breaths to relax. When the pitcher takes her position the bat comes straight up and we began a rhythm and movement or dance with the pitcher. A hitter wants to establish ownership of the plate by swagger and attitude. Think only positive thoughts, if you go up to the plate thinking don’t strikeout then that is what you will do; think see it hit it, You don’t have noting I can’t hit or something like that. Think every pitch is a strike and you’re striding and preparing to hit every pitch until the last minute if it is a ball.

Send the pitcher a message.

Ding! Ding! Ding! And, just in case, yell out to them that you have read Hal's sneaky pitching book, too.

 

[SCDad]

Mechanical hitting issues must be solved when young.

Once done, hitting at the highest level becomes a mental excersize. What is the pitcher going to throw?, what is the count? ... etc.

When facing great pitching, the hitter may see one, possibly two pitches to do damage. It is all in capitalizing on these, and leaving the rest alone.

 

[Mr T]

I recall Jaime Cervallos' Positional Hitting book had an interesting topic he called the "oddsitive" approach, I believe. It was the complete opposite idea, basically mechanics trump all.

 

[iMlearning]

book

I just started reading The Mental Keys to Hitting: A Handbook of Strategies for Performance Enhancement by H. A. Dorfman
I really like it so far and DD will read it when I'm done. She's going to start using his approach at the plate.

 

[HYP]

You know, the more I work with my hitters the more I believe that the psychological aspects of hitting, particularly swagger, may just well trump mechanics in terms of importance.

How so?

I picked up a player this past fall who could hit very well with pretty decent mechanics .... hitting practice. But, when it came to hitting in a game, she was like deer in headlights. When she swung, she still had pretty decent mechanics. However, you could clearly tell that she had absolutely no "swagger." I'm talking a 16-year-old.

We spend so much time on mechanics, I can't help but think we might want to spend more time than we do on the psychological aspects of hitting.

What I have found is that most players who are BP "hero's" have a different approach in the game. In BP they are hitting every pitch. They know that there is no potential of striking out or getting out.

Ask a kid where they want the ball. What is their pitch. Then ask them if the pitcher is going to throw it there for them to hit. Most players will say that the pitcher is not going to give them that pitch. That is the problem. Every pitch should be their pitch until it is not. In BP they are going until they stop. In games they are waiting to see if they should go. Different mindset.