Baseball Coaching

“I am hardly ever wrong on determining which young players will play into their high school or beyond years and which players will not, and it has little to do with skill level.”

As a coach, I teach both the physical and mental game of hitting. Both aspects have challenges, but the psychological part is often the biggest obstacle. After observing a few swings, I know how to help hitters develop the physical aspect of hitting. But, unless a hitter has a growth mindset and optimism, their ultimate hitting success will be compromised or even nonexistent. And when I see a hitter, of which there are many, who gets down on themselves quickly, I know my work is cut out for me.

When done right, a hitting coach builds the mental toughness that players need to overcome the difficulties of the most difficult skill to perfect in sports. Most of that mental training occurs in practice and after games, not during them.  The never-ending process begins on the mental side with constant reminders of, “You will get it.” I have done my job when I develop a hitting mindset of patience, dedication, and belief — in themselves and me, their coach. And dare I not forget to inject fun into the work, which is just as essential as the rest. If any of those are missing, let’s say, “It is not good” for the long term.  

The following sentiments are the hitting advice that helps baseball and softball players with that development. In time, my supportive statements build the resiliency in players to stay positive and keep working. Keeping hitters hopeful fills the void until confidence arrives.

Batting Practice Tips

For developing a growth mindset:

1.     “You are one swing away from putting it all together, so keep working and be ready.”

2.     “When you can perform eight out of ten correct swings, you have a chance; one good swing followed by one bad one is the road to the same old same old.”

3.     “Perfect practice makes perfect, not just any practice; so less can be more until consistency arrives.”

4.     “Your work will pay off, I guarantee it, but only if you believe that as well.”

5.     “Take pride in the good hits with a smile; they can be elusive.”

Before the Game Batting Tips

For an understanding of what they control, I want them to know the definition of a quality at-bat - swinging at their most hittable pitches for the count and taking the bad ones:

6.     “The greatest swing in the world is negated when chasing bad pitches.”

7.     “The more quality at-bats you can string together, the greater will be your success.”

8.     “Your best chance of finding “the zone” is swinging at pitches in your zone.”

Post-Game Batting Tips

For a positive post-game mentality:

9.     “It won’t be the last time, get em next time.” After missing a ball, swinging at a bad pitch, or making an out, many hitters fall apart mentally.

10.  “If it were easy, everyone would do it - success is not automatic.”

11.  “The better you are at remembering the good hits and forgetting the bad, the longer you will play this game.”

12.  “Confidence comes from overcoming obstacles, not hearing how great you are doing.”

13.  “Failure is a setback only when you do nothing about it.”

14.  “Perfection never comes, but the pursuit of better is what counts.” 

Focus Batting Tips

The above constant reminders of the nature of hitting are essential, but they are just words. Something more concrete I offer is visual and verbal cues. An audible and visual routine as they enter the batter’s box is highly effective. I have my batters develop a verbal clue — a word or two that clears their heads and helps players focus. I prefer they produce their word or phrase, but I will help them if needed. My favorites are simply saying, “I got this,” or “Right hitter, right time,” before stepping into the batter’s box. For a visual clue, I coach them to visualize themselves getting a solid hit off the pitcher they are facing or recalling a great hit they had in the past. After their at-bat, I ask them if they followed their routine. When they say yes, I tell them, “Great job,” no matter the result of their at-bat.

Finally, I remind hitters to review the basics and their focus daily. It’s usually a slip in one of the fundamentals or chasing bad pitches that leads to batting slumps. With that in mind, I help them perform the little drills that keep players focused in the contact area - batting tee work, short flipped balls, and bat control drills in batting practice.

I usually end with one of my often-used coaching statements, “Hitting is T-ball with timing,” which stresses the importance of practice.