Coach_May posted:You will never throw as hard as you have the potential to throw unless you have the intent to throw as hard as you can. It's a mindset. You will never mash unless you have the intent to mash. Young hitters should not be taught to fear striking out. They should not be taught to fear two strike counts. They should not be taught to take pitches and work counts. They should be taught to hunt. They should be taught aggression. There are different approaches in different situations they can learn as they progress in the game. There is one swing though. Your swing. The one that allows you to do maximum damage on the most consistent basis.
Too many young hitters are so afraid of failure and not having a quality at bat they never learn to hunt. They are taught they are being hunted and don't get caught. As hitters get older and the pitchers subsequently get older they hunt a little differently. But they still hunt.
Swing hard , swing fast , punish it , mash it , etc. Don't over swing , don't chase , shorten up put it in play , etc. Aggressive hitters who are looking to mash vs passive hitters who are afraid they will fail.
Which of these groups will still be playing when they begin to learn the finer points? Many kids learn to hate the game because they were taught not to fail instead of attack and have fun. Striking out ain't a big deal man. Dribbling one to second so you don't is.
We can talk about balance, not over swinging, etc etc. But that will never enter into the conversation if the kid is mentally beat before he steps in the box. Swing hard - it's supposed to be fun. Or make sure you make contact - don't strike out!
If there were a hall of fame of posts, I'd nominate this one from Coach May!
Take signs on 2-0 counts are an abomination.