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Hitting Philosophy HITTING POWERPOINT
General Philosophy Aggressive hitting- "Every pitch is going to be a strike down themiddle and I'm going to hit." The only decision you make is to not swing. The longer you can wait the better hitter you'll be. Try to hit line drives and ground balls--home runs will come. Hitter must develop command of his strike zone. Hitter must understand his own style, limitations. No singles--drive the ball with every swing, from gap to gap. Out of 100 pitches, 80-85 are thrown to outer half of the plate. Average Pitcher Throws In A Game: 70 fastballs, 50 to 55 are thrown to outer half. 30 offspeed, all are thrown to outer half. Pre At-Bat Routine (On Deck) Each hitter should establish a routine and stick with it. While on deck analyze the game situation. Visualize--imagine the pitcher throwing his dominant pitch and you hitting it. Establish a plan for each at-bat. While on deck find out: Pitcher's release point Pitcher's rhythm Speed of pitcher Movement pitcher has As soon as you step into the box all thinking is done, just concentrate on seeing the ball. Analyzing the Pitcher You're looking for style, patterns, and best pitch. Can he throw fastball by me? Does he throw inside? Can he throw breaking ball for strikes? How has he pitched me before? What does he throw when he's in trouble? What are his count tendencies? What did the previous hitter do? Stereotype the Pitcher A great pitcher, get him early in the count, don't go 1-2, 0-2 (great pitcher locates his pitches). An average pitcher, be selective, zone him early (average pitcher has average to no control). 3 Basic Types: Power Pitcher: Adjust timing to his best fastball, don't swing harder, start sooner. If he has a pitch you can't hit, look for one you can! Sinker, slider guy: Don't try to cover both sides of the plate, go either sinker or slider. If looking sinker, make ball be up a little bit. These and Those: Throws a lot of breaking balls and change-ups on hitting counts. Stay inside the ball and think opposite field. His fastball won't beat you. Left-handed pitcher approach: Go with left-handed movement, don't try to pull. Zone Hitting Learn your strike zone--then learn discipline within that zone. Look location when ahead more than looking for a specific pitch. Understand what location you handle the best and when ahead, attack that zone. With one strike, swing at the next strike you see. With two strikes, protect outer half of the plate, think up the middle and stay aggressive. Seeing the Ball Once in the box, your entire focus is on seeing the ball--put it on autopilot. As the pitcher begins his wind up or starts his stretch, put your eyes on him using a broad focus (broad focus is looking at a large area such as his chest). As the pitcher's hands separate, move your eyes to the release area and fine focus (zeroing in on the ball is fine focusing). On a side arm or a submarine pitcher, your initial focus should be on an area near his release point (belt). Adjustments Against a pitcher with a good fastball--trust your swing, your adjustment is to start sooner--not swing harder. On your first at-bat, try to get deep into the count--see some pitches. Adjustments in the box are never mechanical--just adjust your timing or seeing the ball. On a curveball/off speed type of pitcher, try to stay inside the ball, think opposite field. Slumps Most slumps are the result of not seeing the ball, go to the bullpen and practice tracking the ball. Don't look for a quick and easy cure--hard work is the solution. Don't make wholesale changes, trust your basic style, technique. Don't confuse bad luck with a slump, be content to hit the ball hard. Know What Type of Hitter You Are A power hitter hits 10 hours without trying. Where are you batting in the line-up? It affects how you'll be pitched. Stay with your strengths, don't hit a home run and become a dead pull hitter. Quality At-Bats Try to make every at-bat a quality at-bat. A quality at-bat means: Focused, with a plan Quality swings Good strike zone HITTING THE RAIDER WAY Style: is the player- what distinguishes him from everyone else. Technique: universal- 95% of Hall of Fame players used the same technique. 1. Hips lead the hands 2. Matching the plane of the swing to the plane of the pitch 3. Staying inside the ball q Hips lead the hands 1. Torque- 2 forces working simultaneously in opposite directions on an object. a. Winding a rubber band- hips “open” top half “closed” b. Hands, arms, upper body turn back together as a unit, not separately. Goal is “tension free” swing. c. Stride foot should be minimum 45-degree angle, open enough to allow hips to come through. i. Short stride, land on toes, when heel drops the swing is triggered. ii. Swing doesn’t take place until after the front heel plants! d. Pre-swing (stride & counter rotation) is for “rhythm”, timing and winding the rubber band. e. Weight should be on the inside of his back thigh. q Matching the plane of the swing to the plane of the pitch 1. Natural swing- starts in the vicinity of the rear shoulder, initially follows a downward path, levels off approximately 4 inches in front of the lead knee and then begins its upslope to finish in the vicinity of the front shoulder. a. Down-Level-Up i. Level swing means level to the ball not level to the ground. 2. If the pitch is perceived as “down” the lead elbow works “up” in the slot. If the pitch is perceived “up” the lead elbow makes the adjustment and works “down”. a. This is called “weathervanning” which allows for this dynamic adjustment and “fine-tuning” of the plane of the swing to match the plane of the pitch. 3. If a hitter matches his plane of the swing to the plane of the pitch and he is a little late, he’ll hit the bottom half of the ball producing “backspin” q Matching the plane of the swing to the plane of the pitch cont’d 1. If a hitter matches his plane of the swing to the plane of the pitch and he is a little early, he will hit the top half of the ball producing over spin. 2. When the batter is late you will see him wing under the ball, when he is early he will swing over the ball. 3. When you match the plane of the swing to the plane of the pitch and you are strong enough, you will STOP the rotation of the ball. 4. Muscle memory is the key a. It takes approximately 1500 reps to “de-learn” and “re-learn” q Staying inside the ball 1. “Staying inside the ball” is a “cue” coaches use to restrain the hitter from letting his hands get away form his body in the swing. 2. Staying inside the ball keeps the hitter “short” to the ball, maximizes bat quickness and bat velocity, supports the hands at extension, and gives us more “time” to look pitches over. 3. The hands and bat remain close to the body during upper body rotation. The rear elbow must tuck in on the approach. The hands then fire straight forward to extend “through” the ball. Extension occurs as the swing nears the appropriate contact zone, which is dependent on pitch location.
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