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Does a Bat
Really Need Controlling?
Last week, I wrote
about pigging out at the baseball game. All you can
eat and watch a ball game. I’m sure that will appeal
to a lot of folks.
We also gave a tip
for pitching. Using the basketball game Pig to
practice control and put a little pressure on you
and your opponent. You can even use the game to help
with visualization techniques.
As I sit here bangin’
on my laptop, looking out my office window at the
snow covered ground, the trees covered in a
beautiful white….something not so common here in the
Portland, Oregon area, I want to talk about bat
control.
Some people might
think why is a pitching coach is talking and
teaching hitting? Well, who best to teach someone
what the pitcher is throwing, get inside the
pitcher’s head than a pitching coach?
When it really comes
down to it, hitting is a lot like pitching. Pitching
is a lot like hitting mechanically speaking. To hit
a baseball effectively and with the greatest force,
you need to generate energy, transfer energy to the
front side, keep our posture stable, have a timing
mechanism, use our core for power, and have a
balanced finish. Gee, that sounds a lot like the
golf swing too.
In general, anytime
you throw or strike something in a sport, our
principles apply. The differences really are when
you rotate.
I’m getting off track
here, someone remind me what I was talking about….oh
yeah, hitting.
Just like pitching, I
believe you should work on different disciplines of
each activity. You should work on power….hitting
faster pitching….hitting off-speed pitches…..hitting
the ball the other way and so on.
Bat control to me is
the ability of the hitter to hit the ball where he
wants it. And yes, even for the little guys. Look
back at the tip I wrote about a week or so ago on
young kids learning.
Some young players
need to work on making contact and hitting the ball
hard. Once they get better at that, then why not
work with them on hitting the ball to the opposite
field. When they learn to hit the ball in all parts
of the field, then they will be able to better
handle off-speed pitches. What is young you ask?
Well, if they can pick up a bat and enjoy hitting a
ball, then why not work on those disciplines? As a
junior high or high school hitter, you had better
know how to hit the ball the other way or you are
well behind.
We have a drill at
our academy and in our Approach Hitting classes that
works well with bat control. We set up targets in
our cage and have the hitter work on hitting the
spots on purpose. We do them one at a time, we do
them in an order, we even have the hitter pick the
spots. You’d be surprised how good the hitters can
become when they focus on the result, not the
mechanics of it.
Isn’t that what we
are all after, results. I think we focus on the
mechanics too much sometimes. Let’s focus on the
result and then let our bodies get-r-done!
What if you don’t
have a cage to put up targets?
Get creative. How
about trying to hit the bases on a grounder or fly.
Place other players in positions and have contests
on having the fielder not have to move. Place
cardboard boxes on the field. I don’t know. Just be
creative.
When you get a lot
better at hitting the ball where you want, you’d be
surprised how much better you will get at hitting
off speed pitches.
Gotta go play in the
snow now with the kids…
Keep training like a
champion today!
P.S. Here’s the p.s.
for today. A quick pre-announcement, announcement to
our BioForce Faithful Family. We will be having our
first 3-Day Elite Pitching Training Camp February
16, 17, and 18th (Friday night, Saturday, and
Sunday). I’ve got a great surprised co-presenter and
we will dig real deep into pitching and analyze
everything about your game. If you are interested,
please email me and I can get you more information.
There will be spots for only 24 pitchers. The
early-bird gets the worm.
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