First Hitting Lesson of the Summer

[Rolling Hard]

"I don't need money." Spoken like a Boss.

 

[Rolling Hard]

Showing the number cue is a good idea. Of course it can be over done. Turning the back foot in to restrict over counter rotation can help with those over flexable players. DO you think Bo shows the number too much. How about Correa?

 

[Cannonball]

Showing the number cue is a good idea. Of course it can be over done. Turning the back foot in to restrict over counter rotation can help with those over flexable players. DO you think Bo shows the number too much. How about Correa?

What would the numbers look like if the camera was straight on? When a camera is angled like those in the video or approximately the SS position looking in, I can't get much of a read on what his number looks like to the pitcher. From the front angles, it didn't look like he was rotating so much that the pitcher could read his number.

However, if that is what you want to coach, go ahead then great. I coached my DD using Pujols as her example. That is what I use for most, if not all, of my hitters on the HS team.

Here is a photo of MIggy at the peak of his load:

 

[Cornbread]

Coil for every hitter is different. Some more flexible. The hitter has to feel it

 

[Cannonball]

The second hitting lesson was today.

First, we started at 11 and it was already hot. Hitting on turf made it even hotter. The 30 min hitting lesson for today lasted 48 min. I got a little overheated and had to stop. I guess I am getting older. I got to the cage at 10 to set up. Today, we used a Hack Attack and hit real balls off of it. Our experience so far is that the Hack Attack has not been as accurate as our Jugs. Naturally, we use Jugs balls with the Jugs Machine.
A couple of things before we start. I know some experts here won't like or agree with this lesson. That is fine. You do you. I noticed from watching all of the videos of my hitter that she had a tendency to have a push swing. Still, there were a lot of good swings. Therefore, today the lessons cues we focused on were, "hands first - hand last" and "hips lead the hands." These are subtle actions but, on video, you can really see the action I am looking for.

When my hitter showed up, she sat down and we talked about her weekend. She had a great weekend at the plate. So, I asked her if our lesson last week had anything to do with her successful weekend. She said that she didn't know. I told her that was a great answer since one week's lesson isn't going to change anything. I then asked her what she did differently due to last week's lesson. She said that the talk we had about what to do on deck and her approach in at-bats really helped her. That was an answer that did demonstrate a carry-over from last week's lesson.

I explained what we were going to work on today.

• She hit some balls off of a tee to get loose. I had her place each ball on the tee one particular way so that it would help her focus. This was something I heard from Chipper Jones. Then, she was to focus on driving her back hip ahead of her hands. She hit a few an I continued to talk to her asking her what she felt and what particular parts of her body did. She noticed right away and on video that when she "got it right, " her back foot came slightly off of the ground and went forward toward the pitcher.
• Next, we moved the tee forward and inside and she hit. I asked her to concentrate on getting that hip going hard. Right away, she noticed that her back foot was really coming forward hard and her toe was dragging.
• Next, we moved the tee outside and back from the front of the plate. She laced some hard line drives oppo. She said that she "got it." Her back foot barely moved and her belly button was pointing in the direction of where she drove the ball.
• I had her sit down, drink some water and talked about other aspects of hitting. Then, I explained what I meant by "hands first - hands last." That concept was Bballscouts's idea of "tip and rip." The hands do some action to get them moving (slight tip forward) and then they come into connection with the shoulder and then they "come off the merry-go-round." (I know some of you like tilt a whirl more.) She got the concept and tried that while sitting down as I explained the concept.
• She went back to the tee but this time, the concept was to focus on the tip and rip. If done correctly, the bat end will make a "Nike Swish."
• We followed this up with my "halfway home drill." It is not like other's halfway-home drills. The hitter assumes a position where the front foot is down, the back hip is where it would be in a hard check, and the knob of the ball is pointed at the ball on the tee. As she hit the ball, she started saying how she could feel the pelvic tilt to lateral tilt. (More the lateral tilt aspect.)
• My hitter has a big tournament this weekend in Indy so I wanted her to work on these concepts hitting balls in flight. That is why we used the Hack Attack.
• She did pretty well and was killing the ball up the middle. (I had the machine set at a workable speed middle out.) Then, I had her grab the composite wooden bat that is a -0. She said that she didn't think that she could get around with that bat. It is 33 inches long and 33 oz. I told her that if she could do "hand first - hands last," she could hit any pitcher. She was shocked at how well she hit the ball. She did have timing issues when we began but she adjusted. (I told her she needed to dance with me better when I was feeding the ball. I show the ball about 5 inches above the feeder, pause, and then put the ball in.)
• I had her finish up hitting a couple of balls off of the tee as I had her explain what we did today and why we did those things.

By the time we finished, I was pouring with sweat. I have to be more careful. I didn't take in enough water before I started today. As we finished, I gave my hitter some homework. She was to find 5 schools that she is interested in playing at and fill out their "recruit me" portion of their website. She was to send a couple of emails to coaches who were going to be in Indy this weekend. Then, we talked about being "nervous." One of the quotes I preach to my players is, "Nervous is for people who don't practice." I told her she had a great day hitting and she is ready for that tournament.

 

[Rolling Hard]

That was awesome. Nervous is for people who don't practice. Very simular to, you have put in the work and have earned the right to be confident.
What did she get out of one lesson that helped? Approach! Yes, yes yes. Aggressive. Dance with the pitcher. Confidence.
She is in good hands. Well done Coach.

 

[_MIA_]

That was awesome. Nervous is for people who don't practice. Very simular to, you have put in the work and have earned the right to be confident.
What did she get out of one lesson that helped? Approach! Yes, yes yes. Aggressive. Dance with the pitcher. Confidence.
She is in good hands. Well done Coach.

Bill Russell used to puke before every game..I guess he didn’t put enough work in.

 

[Rolling Hard]

Bill Russell used to puke before every game..I guess he didn’t put enough work in.

There are always exceptions, but I am sure 2 or 3 minutes into the game Bill Russell was playing confidently and in the zone.
Kobe said he never failed, only learned.
There is no doubt a relaxed, task focused and confident mindset will result in a better performance (in most cases) than a aniexitic, mechanical focused and doubting mindset.

 

[_MIA_]

There are always exceptions, but I am sure 2 or 3 minutes into the game Bill Russell was playing confidently and in the zone.
Kobe said he never failed, only learned.
There is no doubt a relaxed, task focused and confident mindset will result in a better performance (in most cases) than a aniexitic, mechanical focused and doubting mindset.

I thought you were talking about before the game.

 

[CoachJD]

Bill Russell used to puke before every game..I guess he didn’t put enough work in.

Nervous beforehand and nervous during are completely different.

Before the competition starts, everything is unknown, and you can't do anything about it. No matter how prepared you are, you still don't know. But then the game starts, and if you're prepared (and, you know, Bill Russell), that should mostly go away.

While I'm no Bill Russell, which I'm sure shocks you all, I was the same way. Before anything I did as a player, I was always nervous. Couldn't eat. Couldn't joke around or have fun. Had to be completely focused. But I don't recall ever being all that nervous when competing. Maybe had those moments where I knew I was outmatched, but even then I wasn't all that nervous.

Of course, as a coach, it's different. I rarely get nervous before a game, but the games themselves are absolute misery.