Learn Your Swing by Finding Patterns: Simplifying the Path to Hitting Success

Hitting a baseball is one of the most challenging feats in sports. The combination of a round bat, a round ball, varying pitches, and different velocities creates a unique challenge for hitters. Despite these difficulties, success in baseball is often measured by achieving a 30% success rate, a stark contrast to most other fields where such a percentage would be considered a failure. This blog explores how simplifying your approach and finding patterns in your swing can lead to greater success at the plate.

The Complexity of Hitting

As a former hitter and current hitting coach, I understand how difficult it is to achieve consistent success at the plate. The mechanics of hitting require precise timing, balance, and coordination. However, by simplifying our approach and focusing on key elements, we can improve our chances of success.

Simplifying the Process

To simplify hitting, it's essential to break down...

Stealing Information from Other Players: A Key to Baseball Success

In baseball, the term "stealing" usually brings to mind swiping bases, but there's another kind of stealing that can significantly benefit your game: stealing information. This blog post explores how gathering insights from fellow players can help you improve your skills and reach higher levels in baseball, from high school to pro ball.

Why Stealing Information is Important

As a player aspiring to improve, you can't rely solely on your own experiences or even just on your coaches' guidance. Other players, especially those who have already achieved the levels you aim for, are valuable resources. They have firsthand knowledge of how to apply the mechanics and techniques that coaches teach.

Real-World Application

Coaches provide critical information and training, but players often have unique ways of applying this knowledge based on their individual experiences. By learning from your peers, you can discover practical...

The Power of Nicknames in Baseball: Boosting Attitude and Performance

Nicknames can be more powerful than many people realize. While parents, coaches, and players may often overlook their significance, a well-chosen nickname can significantly impact a player's attitude and performance. In this blog post, we'll delve into why nicknames matter, how they are earned, and their potential effects on players and teams.

The Significance of Nicknames

Nicknames in baseball often come as a recognition of a player’s accomplishments, performance, or attitude. They serve as a badge of honor, highlighting what a player brings to the team. A positive nickname can boost a player's confidence and create a sense of identity and belonging within the team.

Attitude and Performance

Good coaches frequently emphasize two key elements: attitude and performance. These elements are also the primary reasons players earn nicknames. Whether it’s a player with an infectious positive attitude or one...

The Currency of Trust in Baseball Coaching: Key to Player Development

Players who want to improve their skills can't do it alone. They need guidance from a coach who can help them navigate the path to success. The relationship between a player and coach is essential, as the player has the raw talent but lacks the knowledge to reach the next level. A coach provides this knowledge, creating a partnership where both parties benefit. This blog explores the importance of building trust in baseball coaching and how it can lead to player development and success.

The Importance of Trust and Rapport

In a successful player-coach relationship, trust and rapport are the foundation. Trust allows players to believe in their coach's guidance and commit fully to the training process. Rapport ensures open communication, mutual respect, and a positive environment where players can thrive.

Developing Trust

1. Consistency: Coaches must be consistent in their approach and expectations. This consistency...

The Key to Baseball Success: Simple Instruction and Massive Repetition

One of the age-old questions in baseball is whether a player's success hinges more on the competency of their coach or the number of repetitions they perform. While many believe it’s a combination of both, there are unique insights to be gleaned from comparing different training environments. For example, Latino players often receive less formal coaching but benefit from massive repetitions, whereas American players might receive extensive coaching but limited repetitions due to high costs. The real secret lies in how these elements are blended together to create successful players. This blog explores the importance of simple instruction and massive repetition in baseball training.

Simple Instruction: The Foundation of Skill Development

Effective coaching is about providing clear, simple instructions that players can easily understand and implement. Overcomplicating techniques can lead to confusion and...

Baseball Hitting Cheats: Strategies to Anticipate and Exploit Pitches

In baseball, the difference between a good hitter and a great hitter often lies in their ability to anticipate pitches and position themselves to exploit them. This blog will explore some of the cheats our hitters use—not to break the rules, but to gain an edge by anticipating pitches and making slight adjustments in the batter's box. These strategic moves can turn the tide of an at-bat and lead to more consistent success at the plate.

https://youtube.com/shorts/zVV_W-v13iY

CHEAT #1: Anticipating the Fastball in a 3-0 Count

One of the most predictable situations in baseball is a 3-0 count. When a pitcher falls behind with three balls and no strikes, everyone in the stadium knows the next pitch is likely to be a fastball. This is because pitchers trust their fastball more than any other pitch to get a critical strike. This predictability gives our hitters an opportunity to capitalize.

The Strategy

In a 3-0...

Mastering Barrel Accuracy in Baseball: The Key to Elite Hitting

Barrel accuracy is the cornerstone of elite hitting in baseball. It means hitting the ball's center mass with the sweet spot of the bat, a skill that separates great hitters from the rest. Launch angle and exit velocity are important metrics, but consistently hitting the middle of the ball on the sweet spot is what all elite hitters do and do often.

Understanding Barrel Accuracy

Barrel accuracy can be measured by a hitter’s batting average, which is the number of hits divided by the number of at-bats. While there will always be some lucky hits, baseball is a game of duration. Over time, a hitter’s success reflects how often they can hit the ball on the barrel. As Ted Williams, one of baseball’s greatest hitters, famously said, “Baseball is the only field of endeavor where a man can succeed three times out of ten and be considered a good performer.”

The Sweet Spot and Center Mass

Few sounds...

Dreaming About Being The Best? Here's How You Set Goals To Get There.

Dreaming about being the best is easy–but setting goals to get there? That’s hard. Taking the necessary steps to accomplish those goals is even harder. But it doesn’t have to be.

We’re all guilty of it—especially baseball players—finding ourselves dreaming of the day we drive in the winning run, get the ring, and get awarded the MVP trophy. I bet you have even imagined (or maybe actually practiced) your post-game on-field media interview.  We get this far-off gaze in our eyes and dream of accomplishing these Big Hairy Audacious Goals (or BHAGS) that leadership guru Jim Collins taught, almost as if they are already a reality. 

That far-out gaze you get and that sense of hope for the future aren’t goals. They’re dreams. I know that truth probably stings a little. But if you are confusing dreams with goals, you lie to yourself, and you will no doubt...

Why Motivation Might Be Actually Fooling You

Are you feeling motivated? Ready to take on that goal? Not so fast. That urge or desire to do something might actually be the wrong path toward the goal you set. Motivation can’t be fully trusted. Yet you rely on it. Almost as if it was the sustenance you need for performance survival. Don’t believe me? Google it. 

“How to Motivate Yourself”

"8 Psychology-Based Tricks for Staying Motivated"

"15 Tips on How to Be More Motivated in The Morning"

"30 Tips for How to Get and Stay Motivated"

I could keep going, but for the sake of getting to the point, I won’t. But trust me; there are millions of articles espousing every idea imaginable for how you can stay motivated. The problem is that while motivation sounds nice, we mistakenly believe it will help us achieve our goals. 

It won’t

What’s your favorite sports movie? Take a moment and think about it. Think...

Want To Become A .300 Hitter? Learn Your Swing Feelings

Anyone can swing a bat. But learning how to swing doesn’t make you a .300 hitter. I can still hear those very first instructions from my tee ball coach. Point your shoulder to the mound, feet apart, and put the bat up by your inside ear. Eye on the ball. 

Swing!

Those first few swings were both exhilarating and intimidating. But over time, every young player begins to understand the feeling of swinging the bat. But as you mature, that feeling needs to be replaced with the feeling of hitting. Because swinging the bat and hitting a baseball are not the same thing. 

What would you say if I asked you what your swing felt like? What does a smooth, early building trigger feel like? How about your thoughts on the feeling of a long-full-robust extension after contact? Many of you have never stopped for even a fraction of a second to consider how your swing feels. 

That’s...