What is the number one question I get asked when an athlete comes to me to help him hit better? The question has something to do with his seemingly crummy hitting mechanics and him wanting the issue fixed. I will say that hitting mechanics is only half of the issue. For example, if I fix a hitter so he has a flawless swing and then he goes chasing pitches that are out of his strength area, what difference do good mechanics make? Therefore, if you really truly want to move from being an average or good hitter to an excellent hitter, I have the remedy for you. Here it is.
Step 1 -- Work like a maniac on understanding and perfecting your hitting mechanics all season long, not just in the off season.
Step 2 -- Create a plan of attack when you go up to the plate. That is, what pitches and pitch locations are you going to hack at and in which counts are you going to shrink and expand your hitting zone?
Step 3 -- Have the discipline to stick with your plan and work your strengths in practice.
Let me explain these steps in more detail for you. Take the time to read my words and watch the video, it will transform your game if you really apply what I’m about to show you.
The first step toward advancing yourself out of the jam-packed average hitter classification is to spend some serious time working on your hitting mechanics. Of course this first assumes that you have a basic understanding of the five major parts to your baseball swing. If you aren’t fully aware of what your lower and upper half of your body is doing through your entire swing, pick up my Hitting Mechanics Ebook -- It’s a bonus product here; it will give you a good overview to get you started.
Once you have a pretty good idea of how to maneuver your body through a swing, it’s time to watch some video clips of Big League hitters so that you can cement your understanding as well as fill your mental video vault so that you never forget how your mechanics are supposed to be; even when you are in a slump. Trust me, being able to see and feel your mechanics in your mind will keep you stable throughout a season.
Once you get to this point, it’s time to work consistently (this doesn’t mean just in the off season) throughout the year. One week on and one week off is not consistency. Five days a week for 10-15 minutes is. If that is too much to handle, don’t expect great results. It’s just that hitting a baseball consistently requires a lot more time and focus to only work in season for 6-8 months. Some of my best students only take a week off per year from swinging a bat. Remember, 10-15 minutes five days a week.
The second step mentioned above is developing a game plan that you will use to increase your chances of getting and hitting a pitch that you will absolutely mash. Having a swing-at-anything philosophy works when you’re young, but as soon as pitchers figure out how to vary their location as well as learn new pitches, you’re in deep trouble. Unless of course your philosophy changes. Watch the following video as I explain how to develop your hitting philosophy. I would say from my experience working with hitters, 95% of hitters never do this until they reach college. I can’t help but think how many more athletes would have a crack at collegiate baseball if they only would take the time to really work on the concept I teach in this video clip.
Now that you’ve watched the video, you have some work to do. Find a range on the plate that you know you can crush (fastballs we’re talking about) 75% of the time. Hit that location ONLY unless you are behind in the count. The younger you are, the more pitches you’ll get in that zone each at bat. Be patient, you’ll get your pitch.
This leads me to the last and final step to becoming an excellent hitter. STICK WITH THE PLAN! Don’t make this a “New Year’s Resolution” type goal where you forget your plan after a few days. It’s worth it to you to develop your plan, test it, and revise it if you need to. As I mentioned in the video, you’ll want to work on your strengths first and your weaknesses second. The reason being is that if you are playing percentages while up to bat, let’s stick with plan A (crush balls you know you can crush) before plan B (attempt to crush balls you don’t crush very well).
Good luck with this system. When you have some success with it and it transforms your game like it did mine, leave a comment, I’d love to hear about it.
