You’ve heard these, right?

Timing is a critical component to good hitting, so this edition of Mailbag gives a pair of reference points to help gauge your timing.

Here is the question I received:

 

I have a quick baseball question if you don’t mind helping me. I just got back to school off of summer baseball and I am way in front of all the pitching, I was thinking if I should move up to a 34 inch bat to try and slow my hands down a bit. I have been trying to wait back and go the other way but that leads me to trying to inside out everything and getting jammed on pitches that I should be hitting into the gaps.

Slow the hands down?  No way!  Most guys wish that their hands are too fast or that they have too much bat speed.  Having the ability to unload the swing with power is a great asset to have.

Inside-outing the ball to go the other way?  Now that’s just another way of changing the way you unload or swing the bat (in a bad way).

If the issue is consistently being out in front on all types of pitching, that suggests a timing issue that is related to the PRE-swing move (or the load) rather than the actual swing (the unload).

Loaded and Ready on time at Release

Here was my response:

Hi ******,
you could switch to a 34″ bat if you feel like you can handle it, especially if you’re a taller/bigger guy. While it’s very difficult to say without seeing what you’re actually doing, it sounds like more of a timing issue that’s related to your pre-swing move. Guys who describe this type of issue to me are usually stiff or lack some type of rhythm early in their swing that allows them to adjust to different pitch types. Your load or pre-swing move is one of the first things that allows you to make adjustments to different speeds.

You can work on this a few different ways. On the tee or soft toss just make sure you have some rhythm in your load. Then have someone sit on a stool behind the L-screen and throw to you from a short distance – do one round slow, one faster, then alternate fast/slow, then have him throw random where you don’t know. I do this with guys and when they get in a good rhythm they hit everything.

Here are two reference points for your timing (based on a 90 mph fastball):
1. you should be ready to make your shift/stride/positive move at the time the pitcher is releasing the ball
2. your stride foot should be landing at about the time the ball is halfway home

this means that you are loading while the pitcher is getting ready to throw the ball

and it also means that you are seeing the ball as you are moving from your load into your hitting position

Stride foot down with ball about halfway

A couple of weeks later, I received a nice follow up:

Hey Jeff, I was actually about to email you back and thank you for those drills. They have helped my swing tremendously and I have been hitting the ball a lot better.

 

Glad to hear it!

Check out this video where Grossman himself describes his thoughts on his hitting approach:

Click for video

This past post on plate discipline gives some different insights on developing command of the strike zone, and Grossman says something similar:

When I’ve got a pitch to hit, I’ve been swinging. But if not, I’ve been taking it.

Sounds simple, right?  Well, yes, the concept can be very simple, but execution is the key.  Especially as you advance each level and the decision making process gets tougher and tougher – or, in other words, the pitchers get better.  Hitters who control the strike zone and have an actual plan at the plate really do stand out – they know how to take an at-bat.

While you’re working on perfecting your swing, don’t forget about the strike zone and pitch recognition.  In today’s game, plate discipline is becoming valued more and more.  Work on it by putting yourself into different counts while taking batting practice and distinguish between looking for pitches to drive early in the count versus putting the ball in play with 2-strikes. Find different ways like this to shift your focus from swing mechanics to the seeing the ball, it’s release point, and where you’re making contact in the strike zone.

In this video, Bautista talks about how he changed his hitting mechanics, and his explanation is fairly simple.  He started his swing earlier so he wasn’t late so often.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

For a more complete picture, check out this article about Jose Baustista’s transformation.  One of the things I found most interesting was the insight into Baustista’s mindset:

In his free time, Bautista reads books on exceptionality. “I’m trying to understand why mediocre people become good at what they do,” he says, “and why good people become the best.” So he mixes other players’ post-career musings on success with real mental protein.

Don Mattingly video on Situational Hitting

Most times in youth, high school and even college baseball, hitters are just trying to get hits and put up numbers – it’s important to get noticed, right?  But something different happens as you climb the ladder of professional baseball.  It’s still important to get noticed, but it’s important to get noticed for being able to contribute to a winning baseball team.  Execution in situational hitting is part of winning baseball.  Although not always glamorous to the average fan, it does show off a hitter’s ability to handle the bat and display a complete skill set in the batter’s box.

Normally, I would not have paid much attention to this, but I had just finished reading a very good book – The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle.  This book is about talent, and more specifically talent development through something called “deep practice”.  Shaun White, for example, says that he was able to get in a couple years of riding in one day of practice!  How is that possible?

Check out Coyle’s post on this topic and learn 3 lessons of High Velocity Learning demonstrated in Shaun White’s training video (shown in the post linked below):

3-rules of High Velocity Learning

And how does this apply to baseball practice?

Here’s how we do it…

1. Teach fundamental concepts of movement in the swing and use video to illustrate these concepts
2. Each one of our drills and exercises either isolates a segment of the swing so that the player can “feel” to correct movement or forces the player to execute the entire movement/swing more efficiently
3. We’re able to transfer the “feel” from our hitting drills and exercises into the skills necessary to improve on-field performance.

In short, we create batting practice and training environments where each hitter can learn and develop skills at a high velocity.

click for videos

In the video below, Longoria talks about something very important – his hitting routine in the batting cage.  He specifically mentions how the cage is the place to pinpoint different mechanical aspects of the swing and he he uses the tee to do this.

When I got to see Evan play up close a couple years ago, I was amazed at how confident and relaxed he looked, and in pro baseball, a player’s hitting routine plays a big role in this.  As a player builds his routine to address the specific needs in his game, he not only improves the consistency of his swing, but he builds confidence in knowing that he is prepared to compete each and every night.  This is part of the reason why baseball players in particular are such creatures of habit.  Check out what Daniel Coyle of The Talent Code has to say about this:

Another general truth about top performers is that they love rituals. Whether Rafael Nadal prepping for a serve or Yo-Yo Ma prepping a sonata, a lot of top performers are addicted to idiosyncratic, persnickety rituals that seem, to the neutral observer, insanely detailed and RainMan-esque. They tie their sneakers just so, they place their violin case at a certain precise angle.  These behaviors are usually described as a superstition, but I think that misses the point: their ritual is their unique way of prepping themselves to deliver a performance.

A couple of the Stack videos show Longoria doing core exercises and medicine ball drills, which reminded me of another off-season video of Longoria working out at Athlete’s Performance in Tempe, Arizona:

Lots of good stuff mentioned here – hard work, movement training, hitting power via core strength, rotational movements & torso stability in order to transfer force.

I like some of the rotation exercises shown around the 1:40 mark, and if you pay attention at the end, you can see some of the tee work that was mentioned in the first video above.  Check out where the tee is placed and the direction he hit the ball…not easy to do!!

Enjoy

Triple Crown Prospects

The camp is open to players ages 13 & up and will be held on the Florida Marlins’ side of the Roger Dean Stadium Complex in Jupiter, FL from December 27-29th.

Complete camp information can be found here.

****Register online*** to receive a $25 discount.

Check out the rest of the coaching staff for this TCP camp below:

Oliver Marmol - Pro Hitting Coach

Ben Lasater - Jupiter Hammerheads Player

Danny Meszaros - Houston AAA Pitcher

Tyler Henley - St. Louis AAA Player

hitting instruction in the cage

Coast to Coast offers winter and summer tryouts and camps at professional baseball complexes in Arizona, Florida and Puerto Rico.  Here is a bit of info directly from the Coast to Coast site:

Coast to Coast Baseball was formed with the express purpose of providing young amateurs with a taste of what it is like to play the game at its highest levels. The program is open to players between the ages 11 and 18, the majority of whom are selected at open tryouts held in 30-35 states annually.  The organization also accepts athletes that have been recommended directly by a college coach or professional scout. Once chosen, players may elect to represent the USA in competition in Puerto Rico, or work with top college coaches and pro scouts at one of our Florida or Arizona Camp & Showcase events held at a MLB spring-training complex.

Swingtraining.net will be working along side a staff of college & professional level coaches and scouts to provide on-field instruction in all areas of the game.  In addtion, “classroom” sessions will be held in order to address areas such as recruiting, training, and other baseball-related areas.

This is a great baseball camp and instructional event in the Palm Beach area – make sure you check out Coast to Coast.