DThomas19

Whats the Greatest Obstacle a hitter must overcome? We've all heard the saying that hitting a baseball is the hardest thing to do in sports. I hear baseball people reminding players of this all the time and IMO that just plays into what is already the greatest obstacle a hitter will face.... Themselves As difficult as hitting already is, hitters of all ages compound it by getting frustrated or angered at results in game and in the cage. A players mental state is their biggest enemy to success. We try to stress to our hitters daily the most important part of hitting isn't their mechanics, its their confidence and approach. We know its hard, its hard to stay mentally strong amongst all the adversity a hitter faces. As coaches we also need to be aware that that confidence isn't only built by on-field results but also in how they prepare during the off-season. The big reason at HPL we say we aren't just swing coaches but we are hitting coaches is because of this very thing. It doesn't matter how pretty or perfect a swing is, if that player isn't confident against the pitcher, if he isn't confident he can hit an off-speed pitch, if he isn't confident he can put together a QAB. If he isn't, then hes beat before he ever steps foot in the box. Its this reason we work on more than just mechanics, we have a bat-speed program, we work pitch recognition drills and we use technology to assist in teaching our hitters about their individual swings so they feel empowered to self-diagnose when things go wrong. Do you agree that a player is his own biggest obstacle? What are some ways you as a coach help your hitters stay confident? Players, what things do you do to stay confident in the box? Is there something your coach/instructor has done to help your confidence as a hitter?