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.

My short answer is no.  Is it possible to run too fast or throw too hard?  I don’t think so – it’s not possible to have too much physical ability, or “tools” in the baseball world.  But bat speed, foot speed and throwing velocity are measures of just that – physical ability.   More raw bat speed doesn’t correlate perfectly with a higher batting average or increased slugging percentage, but it sure gives you more ability to do those things.  It’s like adding horsepower to a race car – the car can go faster, but you still need to be a good driver! It’s important to take those raw tools and convert them into on-field performance.

Is this car too fast?

One thing that differentiates baseball is the need to convert those physical abilities into game skills, like being able to consistently hit line drives, steal bases, or throw strikes.  There is a difference between physical ability and skills…that’s part of the reason we see so many different types of athletes in the game of baseball.

So while I’d say that you can’t have too much bat speed, I would say that it is easy to get out of control when trying to gain bat speed.

The parent writes:

In games he wasn’t making contact… he was pulling off theball. The next thing was a loop in the swing…

These are signs of poor swing mechanics.  One of the easiest ways to generate more bat speed is to lengthen your swing, which allows you to apply force over a longer period of time.  But unlike golf, for instance, baseball and softball hitters have a very short, defined period of time in which they need to execute their swing in order to have consistent success.  Swinging faster is not very helpful if takes too long.  This is why we have several drills that not only develop bat speed, but also emphasize and measure quickness, timing and anticipation in the swing.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the direction of focus changes during training, practice, and games.  For example, when a player is training for bat speed (as in using the swing away for bat speed training), the set up allows for the player to focus 100% on executing the swing with as much bat speed as possible.  Study after study has shown that this intent to swing faster is a key element in bat speed development.  But one thing that is often overlooked is the progression from training or swinging (physical ability) to actually hitting (execution of game skills).  What happens during this process is that different elements are introduced (ie the moving ball with changing speeds and locations) which force the player to change his focus.  As the player directs more of his attention to seeing the ball, he or she can’t just swing as fast as possible anymore – bat speed in a game situation where the batter is focused on facing the pitcher is typically going to be less than when a player can stand there and take a dry swing or hit off of the tee.

If the player appears to be swinging out of control, many times his or her attention is directed in the wrong place.  Learning to shift focus and attention to the baseball is a mental skill that is just as important as working on swing mechanics or bat speed.  And remember why you did all that bat speed training in the first place – so you can be confident, trust in your preparation and allow yourself to actually play the game, rather than focus on things that should have been taken care of during practice in the batting cage.  Being able to “trust” your swing doesn’t just happen automatically…you have to prepare for it and develop it over time, just like you would build trust in any other relationship.

Do your training, beef up your swing and prepare yourself to execute your strengths in the game.  Then have actually fun playing the game!

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

Swing Away Bat Speed Training Station

We put this hitting system together over the weekend and been taking swings on it to test it out, and the initial response has been great.

Overall, the system is sturdier than what we’ve seen before from this type of device.  The bungee system does a nice job of getting the ball back to a stationary position quickly, and it stays in the same spot in the strike zone that was originally set up.  The bungee system also eliminates the need to pick up baseballs, which does have a convenience factor when you have a specific training goals and/or are fitting quality batting practice into limited amounts of time.

The ball itself gives good feedback regarding quality of contact.  In other words, you can tell if you hit the ball solidly or not.  Plus there is enough space that you can get an idea of the direction that you hit the ball.  For example, if you are set up to hit the ball up the middle, but you get around the ball with your swing a little, you can tell that you pulled it too much.  The hitting mat includes a home plate which helps alignment and set-up, and there is a red string that can be used as a target, which is a small detail, but is useful when you are using the directional feedback.

Something that is key, is that the machine still gives you feedback on quality and direction of contact, but lets you focus on something that is crucial in bat speed development – intent.  Especially with younger or less experienced players, it is hard to focus on bat speed or swing quickness when you are also asking them to hit a tossed or pitched ball.  That’s kind of like training for power and endurance at the same time – which one is really most important?  It depends on the needs of the individual.  This system makes it easier to separate goals and focus on specialized areas of swing mechanics development or bat speed training.

We’re looking forward to continued use of the Swing Away a part of our program.  If you’re in the Palm Beach – Palm Beach Gardens – Jupiter, FL area, see our instruction options and come check us out.  Otherwise, check back for more on how we use our training products for bat speed and hitting development…

Here’s a link to the RIT Sportszone site, where you can find the entire episode (Season 8, Episode 2).

I put my segment in the sidebar, and also included a  it below in a bit larger size, along with more details about what I was talking about…

[See post to watch Flash video]

If you’re paying close attention to the video you can see a few things that I’m explaining:

• swing path
• upper body position/angle over the plate
• top/bottom hand drills
• using the radar & bat speed drills

Coach Grow (RIT baseball coach) also mentioned setting up a routine, so we talked about cage drills (tee work, flips, bpp), situational hitting, and how each player’s preparation should be geared toward executing an approach that best fits his ability and the team’s plan for success.   It’s tough to cover so much in a short period, but it was a lot of fun.

Swingtraining.net has joined with Perfect Competition sports performance facility in order to provide comprehensive strength, speed, and hitting specific workout programs in the Southeast Florida area.  Perfect Competition already has a well established reputation for their MLB Performance Enhancement program, and now Swingtraining.net will add the most specific hitting training available.

Complete training programs will be available for players at various levels:

• Professional Baseball
• College Baseball or Softball
• High School Baseball or Softball

Perfect Competition has served as the off-season training home to Major League Baseball stars such as Manny Ramirez, Miguel Cabrera, Mike Lowell, Magglio Ordonez, Miguel Tejada, Javier Lopez, Raul Ibanez, and Jose Guillen (see list of MLB Alumni).

The Perfect Competition Performance Center offers the following:

•   20,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art facility
•   5000 sq. ft. multi level weight room
•   5,000 sq. ft. indoor turf area
•   60-yd outdoor track
•   1,500 sq. ft. cardiovascular / metabolic area
•   Video analysis room
•   Professional development center
•   Locker room’s and showers
•   Agent/player conference room
•   1,500 sq. ft. physical therapy / rehabilitative area
•   Outdoor multidirectional training surface
•   Outdoor grass fields and turf field

Performance Center

Workouts will include dynamic warm-up, joint mobility & stability, sequenced muscle activation, Swingtraining.net’s drills series, traditional hitting drills, strength, speed, and agility.  A truly baseball-specific program!

Contact Swingtraining.net to set up a meeting and begin your off-season workouts!

Facility Location