@Elijah posted:I'm looking for someone to help my son with his approach at the plate. I believe he over-analyzes and lacks a plan. Has power. Good eye. Has a hard time swinging at balls (umps routinely calls 2 balls off plate in HS).
With Zoom, I would imagine location is irrelevant. He is a junior.
Would also appreciate tips for resources on the topic.
Thanks.
First, the comment about high school umpires has to be totally taken out of the conversation. It doesn't help any hitter to have some crutch such as it is the umpire's fault.
Having a plan is contingent upon hitters being honest with themselves and their abilities. They also have to be honest with themselves about the abilities of the pitcher.
Some hitters think that they are power hitters. They are not. For example, I saw a MLB hitter say last week that the change in his career came when he stopped looking for that perfect pitch to pull and started hitting balls where they were pitched thinking gap to gap. I ask my hitters in their first at-bat to divide the plate in half. Pick one half or the other and look for something hard to drive pull side OR away. From there, hitters need to understand how they are being pitched OR HOW THE CATCHER/COACH of the other team calls a game. For example, if a coach or catcher is calling a game, "Backwards," then in fastball counts, you are going to get an offspeed pitch. Is that pitcher good enough to do that?
I don't want to get too technical here. Some coaches tell hitters that they are good enough to be two-strike hitters. Well, some are but many at the high school level are setting themselves up for a slider. I want my hitters to hit that fastball if it is in the zone where ever it is in the zone.