Our Philosophy

 

If you view a Major League Baseball game, you will see 18 hitters in the lineup, all with different batting stances.  The players will have slightly different techniques, styles and movements.  They are the best players in the world and they are unique in their approach, each with an assortment of nuances and habits. 


The differences are often glaring to the professional eye.  Take the two 2009 MVPs and compare Joe Mauer to Albert Pujols in technique, stance and approach.  You can see major differences in their batting stance, stride, swing and finish.  Both are tremendous hitters who have had incredible success.  However, they are distinctly different, even though they yield similar results.  


Yet, some hitting instructors insist on teaching a rigid form of hitting.  I call these instructors “the hit like me” crowd, since their tendency is to teach a stance and approach that is similar to their own.  Often, I can view a player swing a bat and I can identify their instructor since the players under a particular hitting coach all seem like clones.  This just does not make sense, with it being evident that there is more than one stance, approach and swing that equates to success.


Now, that’s not to say that there are no particular features of a batting swing that are absolute.   On the contrary, there are many aspects of each successful hitter that are exactly the same.  Although there are many variables when considering stance, hand position and pre-pitch movement, there are certain things that each successful hitter achieves.   A direct bat path leading to increased bat speed, hand movement to a consistent launch position, weight shift from that launch position to a firm front side and a finish that keeps the head down on the ball are a few items that are a key to success.  These are the things that I focus upon when teaching hitting.


I teach that hitting, like many other movements in sports, is neurological.  It’s muscle memory.  The key is to work on particular drills that will form a consistency with each swing.  When a consistent approach and swing is etched into the mind and body, each swing can follow the same key and principal absolutes.  The idea is to build a consistent and mechanically sound swing and consequently, build confidence.

Lastly, I work on the mental aspect of hitting.  This includes knowing the strike zone and knowing how to work with different pitch counts.  It also includes being cognizant of a hitter’s own strengths and weaknesses in order to maximize opportunities that arise from each game situation. 

A player’s ability to differentiate between a 3-1 count hitting approach and a 2-2 count hitting approach is also a tremendous key to success.  Often, this aspect is ignored or glossed over when teaching hitting.


Hitters are very rarely just born.  They are cultivated through the years through proper teaching and hard work.  Some talent and capability is needed, but an average hitter can turn into a good hitter and a good hitter into a great hitter through consistency, diligence and sweat.

 

 

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