Making the adjustment to better pitching is a big deal.
Whether its an adjustment made during an at-bat, game, or new level of competition.
Seeing higher velocities, better movement, surperior pitch location, and un-godly secondary pitches is something that you will have to expect will serve as a huge challenge for you.
Luckily, it will be difficult for the players you are competing against for a starting position as well.
If you haven’t figured out by now, I’m a huge advocate of simplifying hitting.
So here are 4 things that you can implement in your approach that will, without a doubt, make you a better hitter if you apply them correctly.
Be ready to hit the fastball
Being ready to hit the fast-ball comes down to a couple of things.
- Understanding the situation. Do you know what the situation calls for? is it a fast-ball count. Are there guys on base?
- Getting started on time. Meaning that you have begun your pre-swing movements at the correct time during the pitcher’s wind-up. The harder he throws, the sooner you have to start. You can measure this by timing the pitcher in “the hole”, or while “on deck”. I call this “calibrating the pitcher”
Learn to drive the ball the other way
You will eventualy face a pitcher who is just dominating. The pitcher may be making you and everyone else in your line-up look like you’ve never picked up a bat in your life.
In this case, driving the ball the other way is an effective approach becuase it will allow you to see the ball longer, hit better with two strikes, and become more effective deeper in the count, thus causing the pitcher to throw more pitches. Words can’t express how valuable this is!
Be selectively aggressive
Learn to key-hole a pitch. All a good pitcher want’s to do is make you hit “his” pitch. Majority of the time, “his pitch” is a pitch out of the strike-zone.
Being selectivly aggresssive means having a clear idea of watch pitch you wan’t to hit in a specific location, and ignoring the rest.
If he throws you that pitch, you will be ready. You will not miss it. You get good at being selectivly aggressive by practicing. You train to hit a specfic pitch over and over again so that when you get it, you dont miss it!
This is why “Tee work” is so important!!!
Enjoy the process
I have said it time and time again. You will have your struggles. You will have your frustrations. If you can get to the point as a hitter where you are so focused on what you need to do to make an adjustment to do better, that you don’t have the time or energy to get mad or discouraged, you will become a great hitter.
I promise!
Forget about your batting average. Forget about results. Focus on ONLY things yo can control like your preperation, effort, and one specific mechanical habit such as “staying inside the ball” or, “breathing”.
You can always control this.
Get to work!