My freshman son is kind of worried about his new hitting coach trying to revamp his swing. What would be some good advice to give him on how to deal with this?
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Hit really good in practice and games. When you deliver the mail, they leave you alone.
BB;
ask the Coach the question WHY?
What are the goals to be achieved? Is he the College Coach.
Bob
@Consultant posted:BB;
ask the Coach the question WHY?
What are the goals to be achieved? Is he the College Coach.
Bob
#1 thing right there by Bob.
Always ask WHY, but be sure to do it in a positive way with an inflection that says, I really want to learn, not questioning. If the coach is worth anything he will be very excited you did. No offense, but SOME college coaches can be really arrogant, so be careful how you ask. My older son once said to a coach who told him to do something one way... "okay, coach, I'll give it a try" because of that answer he was told he was difficult.
So here are some questions to ask yourself too (or your son that is)
1. Is he struggling overall or 2. Is his swing something that will work against velo and pitchers who can hit their spots or are you reliant on mistakes over the middle or middle in. (ie is the coach trying to help because he sees an issue that will develop against better pitching)
IF you answered yes to either...and decide to accept the new changes...
remember, not everything that coach may teach in order to change the swing (which hopefully is to resolve an existing issue or to improve his chances as he progresses to higher levels) is going to be what the final swing actually ends up as. Often you need to way over exaggerate things to make a required change, then back it off in reality. So don't jump to judgement and give up too soon.
The question why will also help him make a decision if these changes are good and if you buy into it.
If you think the coach is not helping or you really feel it is wrong or that it doesn't work,,, smile, say yes coach, work with him, but if in practice and games your son is crushing things with his normal swing, see if the coach says things like, "see, I told you, etc." and just keep saying, "yes, you were right, thanks coach"
If he's struggling, maybe buy in a bit more.
@BB and BB posted:My freshman son is kind of worried about his new hitting coach trying to revamp his swing. What would be some good advice to give him on how to deal with this?
That Situation sucks. Ideally there should be an open communication. The player shouldn't be insta refuting a coaching suggestion and the coach shouldn't just make a player hit his way.
With my hitters I'm very careful about that. I try to allow players to stay in their style and only change big flaws. If I do want a change I'm showing video of pro players to support what I say.
And if I do want a player try a style change I tell him "this is just an experiment, you don't have to change your swing but try this for a couple times and if it feels bad go back to your way.
Hopefully with a college coach he can have that open conversation. Let the coach explain why he wants that change (without doubting him, so don't say "explain me why you don't like my swing, but say "help me understand how that change works".
Also if he wants you to try something tell him, "I have swung a different way and had success with it but let me try what you suggested" and then you try it for a round of BP or two and if you Don't like the feel then tell the coach that and hopefully he will then allow you to go back to your old way unless there is a big fundamental flaw. If there is such a flaw I try to show the athlete instead of telling him "that won't work at the next level".
For example if you have a hitter who always succeeded and you think he has a flaw that next level pitchers can expose, for example something that doesn't show up against 80 mph but means he can't catch up to high 80s at the top of the zone don't tell him that won't work but blow him up with some velo out of the machine at the letters so he realizes himself there is a change needed and asks for help.
However of course not every coach is like that. Some have an ego and are pissed if you don't want to do it their way. In those cases you can just smile, say yes coach, do it a couple times like he told you and then go back to your old way -and make sure you rake in games
.
But obviously this is not a good environment for player development when there is trust and open communication but sometimes you have to deal with what hand you are given even though it is hard to understand that high level college and Pro programs still accept that Situation. The game is hard enough without having to play games like this.
BB;
There are three methods of teaching. Visual, Audio and Kinetic.
The majority of athletes learn by "KINETIC". Observe & evaluate the instructor.
Bob
Keep it simple.
As suggested, just ask the coach WHY he wants him to make this change.
@BB and BB posted:My freshman son is kind of worried about his new hitting coach trying to revamp his swing. What would be some good advice to give him on how to deal with this?
Post a vid of the swing. That might answer the question.
My son excelled at the plate through HS and playing some very high-level TB. When he got to college he struggled. All the OK to "pretty good" pitchers that he beat up on in HS were gone. After some disappointing seasons I took him to Justin Stone in Chicago. That was a 4 hour drive one way. Only went to him maybe three, four times. He changed the kids swing. The kid had an A to B to C swing that he made work even against some very good pitching at the younger levels. Justin changed it to A to B.
I wonder to this day what might have been if I had taken the kid to work with him when I first ran across his name here.
I need someone like that in Pittsburgh
Look at the old hitting videos of Roberto Clemente
what do you see? I meet Roberto in Dodgers stadium years ago.
outstanding we talked hitting
Bob
After talking with son about what the coach said, I have realized that all he wants is consistency. His swing is on point when he is going good. But just like any timing/ball striking sport, there are good and bad days. Maybe coach caught him on a bad day. Son said things have been going well so coach hasn't said anything more about it. His swing is good. Just needs to stay consistent.
Just my opinion: Your son is a freshman and the hitting coach wants him to make an adjustment. He should make the adjustment. If he doesn’t, he risks losing his playing time unless he flat out rakes when he gets ABs in scrimmages (not BP).
Every coach and organization has different philosophies. Most will want to make some changes – at least they have with my son.
Geoff Blum once told the story on a broadcast of when he became a switch hitter as a freshman at Cal. The coach asked him to switch hit, and he basically said no. The coach gave him the option of switch hitting or never playing. So he became a switch hitter. He said the transition wasn’t easy.
Building on some other replies, my son was faced with a similar situation freshman year. He is at a D1 mid-major on the East coast. He was recruited as a hitter – 1B/DH – and the team’s hitting coach was well respected from an MLB family. Son calls home one day and said he is struggling with a change suggested by his hitting coach. I asked the same question as the poster, Why? Son hit .500 plus in top CA league JR/SR HS and had just hit over .350 in limited plate appearances as a true freshman. My initial reaction was to push back. Son explained that coach was trying to close a hole that will be exposed at higher levels, with not much other detail. I was suspect but he pursued the change and it was really humbling and frustrating for him. Summer ball started off horribly and he was ready to revert back to his old swing. Thankfully he didn’t. The following Fall our staff was top 10 in the nation with 4 pitchers drafted or moving to SEC for final year of eligibility. My son called home after a Fall practice and said his hitting coach saved his career. The 81-83 slider was now 87-90 and without the swing change he would be failing. College coaches, especially ones that have been around awhile, know which swings work. Unfortunately, they can’t always articulate the reasons clearly. That said, I suggest listening very carefully. Best of luck to your son.
Very interesting, ty for sharing
I am sure that most of you know the expression, "always listen to your mom".
Well the same goes for "always listen to your coach".
Just sayin'.......most of them know what they are doing.