A kid recently mentioned to me during a lesson, “But last year my coach told me something different than you’re teaching me now”.
It’s a good comment and one that comes up all the time. For players and parents, there are few things more frustrating than learning an approach to hitting only to have it changed the following year by a coach with a different philosophy. Here’s how I answered the kid.
I break hitting mechanics (and pitching mechanics for that matter) into two categories: standard and style. A standard is what all successful hitters do each and every at bat. Style is left up to the individual hitter and is based upon hitter preference. Below is a deeper explanation with some examples.
Monday’s and Tuesday’s emails have both discussed hitting mechanics standards. All good hitters in the Bigs lead with the knob of the bat and avoid casting their arms away from their body on the swing. This part of the swing is not left up to individual preference. If you want to be a successful hitter, you must swing using the techniques and strategies explained Monday. If you missed that email, here’s the link. Tuesday I discussed the proper way to create energy with the lower half of the body. While there are subtle differences, all good Big League hitters transfer energy into the pitch instead of sitting back and spinning on the back leg. Again, refer to Tuesday article for more on that lower body standard.
Style, on the other hand, is left up to the hitter. The includes open or closed stance, hand positioning before the pitch (see Mickey Tettleton pic above), stride or no stride, etc. These things are left up to the hitter. The only time I will mess with a hitter’s style is if it is interfering with his success at the plate. Otherwise, I leave those things alone.
So when you encounter a coach that is shaping your athlete into his philosophy of hitter, evaluate whether or not that advice is addressing a standard or style. Once you can determine which of the two the coach is modifying, it will help you understand more if the changes are warranted.
As always, feel free to send me your questions on this topic or on anything you’ve read this week. I’ll be more than happy to help you out. And if you’re in need of learning more about hitting mechanics in a simple, easy to understand way, I’ve got over an hour for you in the Hitting Mechanics 101 DVD. If you nab it this week, you’ll save yourself $10 off the price tag.
