A little help.....

If only it were so easy to change bad habits!

quote:

Originally posted by afarr5:
We don't have the most "naturally talented" bunch of guys, but we aren't bad. I've taken this year (my first at my school) to re-teach the fundamentals since most of our guys have never really been taught them to begin with. In BP our guys really have made progress, but everytime we get into a game, they go back to the same old habits, poor lower halves and defensive swings. Anyone have any ideas how I can break this game-time tentativeness?

It takes 1,000 reps to change a habit. SWING! SWING! SWING!

Emphasize all of the strong points about hitting first pitch fastballs and you may see some tentativeness disappear. It's one thing to be defensive w/two strikes, but hitting better pitches is the only way to make a significant improvement in a short period of time, especially in-season.

Change the mental approach.

Ten Commandments for Success in Baseball
by Joe McCarthy (1949)

# Commandment
1. Nobody ever became a ballplayer by walking after a ball.
2. You will never become a .300 hitter unless you take the bat off your shoulder.
3. An outfielder who throws in back of a runner is locking the barn after the horse is stolen.
4. Keep your head up and you may not have to keep it down.
5. When you start to slide, slide. He who changes his mind may have to change a good leg for a bad one.
6. Do not alibi on bad hops. Anybody can field the good ones.
7. Always run them out. You never can tell.
8. Do not quit.
9. Do not fight too much with the umpires. You cannot expect them to be as perfect as you are.
10. A pitcher who hasn't control hasn't anything.