Hitting
Watch the video by Steve Springer (Performance coach for Blue Jays), focus on attacking the inside part of the ball!
Offense - Quality At-Bats System
"There is no pressure. I just concentrate and do the best I can. I try to do my best every day and help the team win any way I can." Albert Pujols
Forget about batting average. Our team goal is quality at bats. We will track your quality at-bat average. Focus on the quality AB process (by doing this your batting average will go up). Our magic number for quality AB average is 60% as a team, and this should be your individual goal as well. It is good to follow the approach of doing a little a lot and not a lot a little when practicing hitting, in other words, get quality swings in. You don't take 100 swings in a game, but when you swing you want it to be your best every time.
Criteria for Quality AB
1. Hard hit ball
2. Walk
3. Hit by pitch
4. Move a runner with 0 outs
5. Score a runner from 3rd with less than 2 outs
6. Base hit
7. 6 pitch AB not ending in strikeout
8. 9 pitch AB even ending in strikeout
9. Catcher's interference
"There is no pressure. I just concentrate and do the best I can. I try to do my best every day and help the team win any way I can." Albert Pujols
Forget about batting average. Our team goal is quality at bats. We will track your quality at-bat average. Focus on the quality AB process (by doing this your batting average will go up). Our magic number for quality AB average is 60% as a team, and this should be your individual goal as well. It is good to follow the approach of doing a little a lot and not a lot a little when practicing hitting, in other words, get quality swings in. You don't take 100 swings in a game, but when you swing you want it to be your best every time.
Criteria for Quality AB
1. Hard hit ball
2. Walk
3. Hit by pitch
4. Move a runner with 0 outs
5. Score a runner from 3rd with less than 2 outs
6. Base hit
7. 6 pitch AB not ending in strikeout
8. 9 pitch AB even ending in strikeout
9. Catcher's interference
The Swing (This is only the first 50% of hitting)
Hitting the ball hard means you had a quality at-bat. To do that your swing has to be handled before you go in to the game, it has to be consistent so you create muscle memory and can repeat the proper mechanics. You should focus on hitting the ball and having a quality at-bat instead of mechanics when their is a pitcher on the mound. Invest the time in creating an efficient swing, use the resources below to help you. You need to be able to hit line drives to all fields with backspin off a tee. Start with a tee and work your way to soft toss, then front toss, then live pitching(use a wood bat in practice). You would be better off taking a few quality swings versus one hundred swings with bad mechanics. You have to be confident in your swing!
Below is Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn, who was 8 time NL batting champion and coaches at San Diego St. His son Tony Gwynn Jr is currently playing for the LA Dodgers. He has written books on hitting as well as interviewed with some of the all-time greats, here he gives you the basics of hitting without over-complicating the process.
*Video is quiet at first but gets louder at one minute mark when he gets in to the content.
Hitting the ball hard means you had a quality at-bat. To do that your swing has to be handled before you go in to the game, it has to be consistent so you create muscle memory and can repeat the proper mechanics. You should focus on hitting the ball and having a quality at-bat instead of mechanics when their is a pitcher on the mound. Invest the time in creating an efficient swing, use the resources below to help you. You need to be able to hit line drives to all fields with backspin off a tee. Start with a tee and work your way to soft toss, then front toss, then live pitching(use a wood bat in practice). You would be better off taking a few quality swings versus one hundred swings with bad mechanics. You have to be confident in your swing!
Below is Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn, who was 8 time NL batting champion and coaches at San Diego St. His son Tony Gwynn Jr is currently playing for the LA Dodgers. He has written books on hitting as well as interviewed with some of the all-time greats, here he gives you the basics of hitting without over-complicating the process.
*Video is quiet at first but gets louder at one minute mark when he gets in to the content.
Manny Ramirez(below) could repeat his swing more consistently than maybe anyone during the 90's and 2000's. Study his technique and notice how his bat path stays on line with the trajectory of the ball longer. He maintains balance and keeps his head still. Just a few things you should pick up on, their is good verbal analysis to accompany the video.
The Mental Approach (The second 50%)
"Hitting is fifty percent above the shoulders." Ted Williams (Last hitter to hit over .400 for entire MLB season)
Having your swing down is only half the battle, your plan at the plate can determine whether you make it to the next level or not. Below is MLB performance coach Steve Springer who works with the Blue Jays, hundreds of professional baseball players including MLB All-Stars listen to this in their car and on various trips every day. Get familiar with the concepts as they apply to our team and individual goals. This information is not brand new, he is just re-stating what the greatest hitters of all time knew that others did not, in simple terms.
You can save these by right clicking and then choosing "save as".
"Hitting is fifty percent above the shoulders." Ted Williams (Last hitter to hit over .400 for entire MLB season)
Having your swing down is only half the battle, your plan at the plate can determine whether you make it to the next level or not. Below is MLB performance coach Steve Springer who works with the Blue Jays, hundreds of professional baseball players including MLB All-Stars listen to this in their car and on various trips every day. Get familiar with the concepts as they apply to our team and individual goals. This information is not brand new, he is just re-stating what the greatest hitters of all time knew that others did not, in simple terms.
You can save these by right clicking and then choosing "save as".
| Intro.mp3 |
| Batting Average.mp3 |
| Watching the Pitcher.mp3 |
| Every At-Bat is a Season.mp3 |
| Slowing the Game Down.mp3 |
The content on this page is not new but it is rarely applied or used appropriately. If it is new to you that's fine, remember that progress can not be made without change. If you have questions, ask. Get in to a daily hitting routine, even if you have to hit soft toss at home with balled up socks, it is better than nothing. The bottom line is a little each day will help you to be confident with your swing and approach more than 100 swings at a time. Think about being confident in your swing and approach, that is the goal!