It's always bugged me some how players constantly try to hit home runs during batting practice. Doesn't that creat bad habits as far as their swings go? I.e., the BP home run swing isn't likely to be a good swing against good pitching. Or is it ok to swing for the fences in BP?
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I think it can create bad habits (lack of adjustability). Son breaks BP in to threes; Opposite field, gap-to-gap, and pull (try's to hit a few over during pull). Just doesn't have the power to get it over on his home field yet. He has hit more then a few wall balls so far this season.
@TxballDad posted:I think it can create bad habits (lack of adjustability). Son breaks BP in to threes; Opposite field, gap-to-gap, and pull (try's to hit a few over during pull). Just doesn't have the power to get it over on his home field yet. He has hit more then a few wall balls so far this season.
A good high school program will have this type of BP incorporated into the daily/pre-game BP routine. Along with situational hitting, like moving runners over. My son and I were actually just talking about this yesterday. He was telling me how one of the kids on the team hit a bomb during the oppo field part of BP and coach pretty much laid into him about it. LOL.
@BaseballJoe posted:It's always bugged me some how players constantly try to hit home runs during batting practice. Doesn't that creat bad habits as far as their swings go? I.e., the BP home run swing isn't likely to be a good swing against good pitching. Or is it ok to swing for the fences in BP?
In college summer ball we played HRD in BP all the time. It never affected anyones swing. Pregame was just for getting loose.
One time I declared I wasn’t going to hit any out. I was going to aim for my coach from the previous season. He was hanging on the fence down the right field line. I didn’t get him. But, I had him dancing.
When I returned to the outfield he pointed at me and told me I was an as***le. I only responded, “So are you.”
Normally, you want to be careful how you carry yourself. But this coach had a reputation of ticking off players and them not returning the following year. When starters don’t want to return there’s a problem. I wasn’t first to take aim at him in BP.
