A few things I teach outside of mechanics...
1. Bat speed is correlated to success. The bat speeds need to approximate the ball speeds. You can teach a perfectly sound left jab, overhand right and left hook combination, but if you don't speed it up, you will get beaten in the ring. Likewise, one must spend time speeding up the sequencing of the swing to get the hitter to the next level. The coach must teach the hitter to have the intent to swing either "quick" or "fast", not hard. Work "quick" drills.
2. My last 5 minutes of any lessons is to basically keep quiet and let the hitter figure it out. I see constant chirping at hitters in most lesson sessions. Most of what is talked about on the board relates to proper timing, or sequencing. However, rhythm is as important and it is usually left out of hitting instructions. Worse, yet, it is robbed of the hitter during games. The constant signaling and interruption while a hitter is in the box takes away from chance to be successful, because it disrupts rhythm.
3. Pitch recognition is outside of mechanics and must be taught. There should never be a drill where a player swings at everything.
4. There is an inverse relationship between changing a hitter's mechanics (even when it is necessary) and rhythm and timing (in the short-run).
5. A hitter must relax in the most tense situations. This is also outside of mechanics and necessary for success. I tell my hitters the focused, yet relaxed players will usually win. The great players find a way to relax when the game is on the line. This can also be taught and promoted.
6. Size does matter, as does flexibility and agility. A player must be conditioned to meet peak performance. Give them suggestions or work them out.
7. Taking pitches until there is a strike can diminish potential success of any hitter.
8. Working drag bunts with slow players takes away valuable time for all hitters.
9. Spending too much time teaching opposite field hitting is a non-mechanical (yet the intent is better mechanics) issue that can have negative results.
10. Not teaching a hitter how to read a pitcher can take away from a hitter's potential success. (Pitcher's can get predictable in certain counts. Also, all pitchers tend to miss in certain areas. The hitters can be taught to look for a pitch where the pitcher misses.)
I have a lot of theories about how to swing, but the above seems so left out of the hitting forum. I thought I would solicit thoughts on other-than mechanical issues that relate to a hitter's success and get comments from the above.
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