Full Count Baseball

As the baseball playoffs begin, it is a great time to watch and see what the best hitters in the game do. You will not be able to see the preparation they do before the game and in the clubhouse, but you will see each at-bat. The best hitters know the type of hitters they are. They know which pitches they handle best, study pitcher’s tendencies, and wait for their pitch. They go up to the plate with a plan and execute it.

As we approach the mid-summer classic, a few words to the wise: watch and learn. The games best hitters will be taking center stage and the fundamentals that got them there will be on display for all to see, for free, especially the home run hitting contest. Their mechanics are impeccable. Don’t watch the pitch or how far the ball goes, watch what they do. How do they stride? What do their hands do? Watch their hip drive. Watch their follow through. How is their balance?

Here we are in the middle of the travel season and now you feel like you are wearing down when you should just be hitting your stride. Tired, slow, dragging, no energy, no bat speed, no fastball? There may be some reasons why.

There are very few hitting faults that can be corrected during the game. The job of a hitting coach isn’t necessarily to teach during the game, but to motivate and encourage his players. Practice is the time to teach. However, there are subtle points a coach can make that can help a struggling hitter.

Today I had the pleasure of being part of something special with my team. We didn’t win a championship, but we did play in a tournament this weekend where there was a championship at stake. As a coach, nothing gratifies you more than watching your team perform up to and beyond their capabilities. Sometimes little victories are more than big victories. We beat one of the best pitchers we’ve faced this season.

So we’ve made it through the long winter, the cold spring, the nice weather and finally…the dog days are upon us. By now you have undoubtedly gone through the many phases of baseball-the highs, the lows and the in-betweens. The at-bats are piling up and you are getting a good indication of how your season will end up. It is my wish that all are having a great season.

Slumps. You hate them, but sooner or later everyone has one (or two). Before I get into them, I want to discuss different hitting philosophies out there in regards to pitch selection. The big league approach, “See as many pitches as you can, make the pitcher work,” is a great one. Then there’s the swing at the first pitch. Then there’s the take the first pitch every at-bat approach. There are several to choose from. When a slump occurs, pitch selection becomes very important.

Here’s hoping you all had a chance to watch The Masters this weekend. Golf is such mentally challenging sport only the strongest willed survives. You can look at every golfer’s swing and say they are perfect. What differentiates them? Their mind. Baseball is no different. It is not enough to have talent. You need to know how to not only handle failure, but success as well. Over-confidence can be as big a problem as lack of confidence (As Tiger proved over the weekend). Know your strengths and weaknesses. Understand in what situations you need to apply them and how.