Mechanics Revert

[pgibbons]

I worked on my hitting all fall and winter and became a very consistent batting cage/aluminum bat hitter using rotational mechanics (as best I could). There were flaws, but the fundamentals were there.

Now that I switched to live pitching and wood bats, I'm a complete disaster. I don't have a clip, but mechanically I look like the kid on page 35 of the Dixon book.

Mentally, I know what I need to do - yet physically I can't seem to do it. And each bp, instead of improving, I seem to be regressing more and more. It's frustrating to have made such progress only to see it all slip away.

Has anyone seen this problem before and if so do you have any solutions for it?

[Ohfor]

Very common problem.

You're trying to hit instead of swing. Your mental programming is very tough to overcome.

You have to "sell out" to the fact that success for you right now is "a good swing", not a hit. Then another good swing. Then another. etc etc.

Then, you've got to hit the ball with that swing.

Are you on a team that can't let you fail? High School? College? If so you have a problem. Need to find a team that will let you play while you fail. Not easily done. Summer team. Adult league. Whatever

[dannyboy]

Pgibbons,

Has anyone seen this problem before and if so do you have any solutions for it?

Yes. No.

My opinion.
Solutions, …no. Only you have the solution.
Suggestions, …yes.

The first is problem ID. I referred to this in a previous post, are you missing or mis-hitting (is that a word?) the ball in time, space, or both? Be certain (or as close to certain as possible), because you could waste a lot of time. If your not (certain, that is), then have someone (if you can, several) that you feel is/are competent enough to judge, watch you in a live situation, while you try and maintain an awareness(for ex., on a missed fastball, feel your swing as you listen for the catcher’s mit pop). Next, review video (front and rear with pitcher in view, and side). There are lots of indicators when reviewing, and some are deceiving.
Do some tee work, - alone. Don’t even have someone spot for you (tuff it out and work a little). Tanner tee’s are best, and you most certainly need a plate [cut one out of a piece of anything that is thin {tpo commercial roofing material} because a tanner tee placed on the edges and corners of a thick ¾ inch plate will tilt). Throw down the plate and take your normal stance. Outline your foot positions with duct tape. Take a stride (if you stride), outline your toe touch position (the entire ball of the foot, and be detailed with open/closed). Place the tee at the intersection point of the center-line of the plate and even (or just slightly behind) toe touch. A word about height placement: know your dead red. Can’t tell you how many, when I ask what is your crush height, shrug there shoulders. Try some swings. Can you pick the ball clean, without beatin’ it into the ground or hitting the tee? Try some full speed swings with your eyes closed (this after staring at the ball for awhile).
Move the tee so the ball is splittin’ the inside edge of the plate even with toe touch position. Could you handle that location? Not, that you should contact here, but can you handle it if necessary? I’ve found that most high-schoolers set-up too close. This goes back to little league and them swingin’ a 27 inch then vs. a 33 inch now. The plate was 17 then, and it’s 17 now. (I could fill a whole page right here, with consequences).
Move the tee in 3 inch increments forward, toward the pitcher (still a strike on the inside edge), until you reach your comfortable pull. Experiment with backing off the plate (or coming in closer, but that is rare). Backing off, brings the tee in closer toward the back-stop. Once your comfortable, see if you can pick the ball clean again.
Now place the tee on the outside edge. Do the same routine here, except naturally your gonna move the tee in increments toward the back-stop.
All the while taking a mental snap shot of your hitting coverage zone. What you are doing is creating a personal awareness.
Now do it all over again, and this time just the lead arm. And don’t choke up. Use your natural lead arm hand position. Can you pick it clean? { a note: proper mechanics are most critical here. If you don’t have any idea (or have doubts) of how to properly bring that bat with the lead arm, then stop, research, experiment, and analyze}
I really don’t spend time with one arm top hand. But, that’s just my personal position. There are some very good top hand drills, but for my taste they include the bottom hand.
You eventually have to spend time with varying heights and pay attention to your batspeed, but this is just for you to get a handle on your accuracy.
Spend as much time with this until you get frustrated or you get exhausted enough to affect performance. The time you spend is directionally proportionate to your desire.
Then do it again, tomorrow. And the next.
This is the tip of the iceberg. This is for you to see if you have the necessary spatial awareness of where the sweet (not the entire bat) is. That is/should be your goal.
I have a suspicion that you have the accuracy (cage hitting accomplishment. Do you?)
Temporal awareness is another matter. A huge matter.

[tom.guerry]

One big advantage of early swing phase and arm action emphasis is better retention/transfer as you focus on the slower/more consciously controllable parts of the swing and are careful to get into good positions whcih encourage subsequent sequence to unfold in right order as things speed up.

You can be pretty conscious about how you get to the "neck slot" for example.

[ssarge]

One big advantage of early swing phase and arm action emphasis is better retention/transfer as you focus on the slower/more consciously controllable parts of the swing and are careful to get into good positions whcih encourage subsequent sequence to unfold in right order as things speed up.

I would refer to this as using posture to make most of your adjustments pre-launch.

Simpler words. Simpler way to hit, too.

Regards,

Scott

[Riverdog]

The best advise you got so far is the first post from Ohfor. In the cage and off a tee, your focus is your swing. Against a pitcher your focus is your hit. Totally different things. "Hitting is 90% mental and the other half is mechanical." Somebody really smart said that. It's about confidence. Quite worrying about the pitcher and quit going to the plate with a "I'm a disaster" attitude and you'll do better.
Your only thought going to the plate might be to feel sorry for the poor pitcher that has to face you.
Suck it up and get back out there. You can do it and you know it. You've proven it to yourself.

[chesspirate]

i had this problem when i started to change my swing and finally just recently can consistently take the swing i'm working on into the game, still some swings and misses, but i'm still slugging better than the rest of my team right now.

One of my 'tricks' for taking practice swings into the game, is the timing of practice. I play on Sundays in my adult league, so, if at all possible i practice a bunch on Saturday nights. Get it right, repeat that as much as possible, really feel it, then stop and go to sleep, you'll be dreaming about hitting! (more practice time!!!) May help you, it helped me.

[pgibbons]

You're trying to hit instead of swing.

Absolutely right, but just hearing that helps more than you might think.

You have to "sell out" to the fact that success for you right now is "a good swing", not a hit. Then another good swing. Then another. etc etc.

Tough to accept, but I believe you're right. Now how about what HiddenGem often talks about - when you're fooled by a pitch. Sometimes because the ball moves, I adjust midswing just to make contact. Are you saying I should stop doing that?

Are you on a team that can't let you fail?

No, it's an adult team, I can fail - I just don't want to

Ohfor, I used to think you were the most annoying member of the forum, now I think you're one of the best - what the heck happened?

[pgibbons]

are you missing or mis-hitting (is that a word?) the ball in time, space, or both?

I'm generally hitting the ball, but I'm 'mis-hitting' - I'm reaching, spinning, flailing - doing all the things I thought I had removed from my swing, but still making contact (weakly).

I have a suspicion that you have the accuracy (cage hitting accomplishment. Do you?)

Yes, I did become a very accurate cage hitter. I have found it's not so easy making the adjustment to live pitching - for me anyway.

[pgibbons]

Suck it up and get back out there. You can do it and you know it. You've proven it to yourself.

Thanks man, that's the kick in the butt I needed.

One of my 'tricks' for taking practice swings into the game, is the timing of practice. I play on Sundays in my adult league, so, if at all possible i practice a bunch on Saturday nights.

Thanks, I'm going to try that.

[Ohfor]

Ohfor, I used to think you were the most annoying member of the forum, now I think you're one of the best - what the heck happened?

You got an education.

[fungo22]

Ohfor, I used to think you were the most annoying member of the forum, now I think you're one of the best - what the heck happened?

You got an education.

And your standards went down.

[pgibbons]

And your standards went down.

LOL