Gametime Hitting Problem

I've been working with my son on that for years now. I did get him to work on developing a power L with his legs over the past few weeks which helped a bit but pulling the head out still happens particularly under pressure or against a pitcher he thinks is good.

I think the only answer is repetitions. Depending on who you ask it takes 3,000 to 15,000 repetitions to break a habit and establish new muscle memory. If you let him go back to old habits in between, which will tend to happen in games then it takes even longer.

I think the best bet is persistence and patience.

My son had a poor season at the plate as an 11yo and the photographer took pictures that year showing him with his shoulders wide open head up, hands out front with the bat head down and dragging.

He had a pretty good year at the plate after switching hitting instructors as a 12yo but is only doing so-so this year as a 13yo. We just got to see this year's photos. Shoulders wide open, head up, hands out front with the bat head down and dragging. Now I also have some shots of him hitting the ball well with decent form and only a hint of these mistakes but the reality is that in two years of focusing on this we still haven't fixed the basic problem. I think the reason is that we have just not stuck with the repetitions of doing it right for a long enough stretch and he always eventually goes back to the old bad habits requiring us to start over.

The latest was when we got him to focus on forming a power L with the legs. It has made an almost miraculous difference in his power and his head was staying down much better because standing up tends to open up the shoulders and makes it difficult to keep the head "down". However, as we've continued with these drills we haven't focused on the head and he's found a way to get his head up and not track the ball because that is what is comfortable for him. I don't think there's any solution other than long term hard work and a real desire to fix the problem.

Funny thing was that when I showed him this year's photos the response was "How come they always take the pictures when I'm taking a bad swing?"

(In his defense, I remember that game and his swing really was off that day.)

Thanks CaDad. I appreciate your help. I'm one of the assistant coaches on our team and have been working with this kid. Maybe its time to think about him as a pitcher. I hate to do that because he is strong (for his age) and pretty tall (5'10). Just looking for a way to 'fix' this swing and make gametime like BP.

By the way, can you explain further the "power L"? I haven't heard that term.

Thanks again.

I think CADad said it best... REPETITION! Continue to develop muscle memory in the cages and at BP. When a player steps to the plate he revert to a very basic...”SEE the ball, HIT the ball”. His aggressiveness and his emotions are wide open. Being able to control those are very important. That is why hitting is such a mental thing. The harder a player tries the more difficult it is to hit the baseball. I say continue what you are doing in the cages and with the “T” drills and help your son with his mental approach to hitting. Have him relax his grip on the bat, instruct him in how to control his breathing, let him feel as if he’s setting the tempo of his at-bat by establishing a ritual, and talk with him about his mindset just before he steps to the plate. Hitting is a game of averages; you fail more than you succeed. Therefore, striking out is no big deal...My son led the Southeastern Conference in strikeouts last year. While he and I constantly talk about his hitting, he and I have never talked about them.
Fungo

Thanks Fungo....we have spoken of the mental aspects of hitting....but have yet to include issues such as controlling his breathing, relaxing the grip, etc. We have been putting in the reps in the cage, but so far it has yet to translate. Although, I will say that in past years, there have been times when he would be crushing the ball....it's just not happening now. Frustrating for him and us coaches.

We'll keep up with the cage work and perhaps the breathing and relaxation techniques will help as well. Thanks for the good suggestions.

bbcoach410,
You got me thinking about this and I did a little research on the subject. Here's an interesting article on the subject of correcting ingrained errors. I'm going to try this approach a bit with my son to see if it helps. The basic idea is that you have them practice doing it right and also have them practice doing it wrong, even exaggerating what they have been doing wrong. This then leads to their being able to recognize when they have done it wrong and shortens the path to correction.

Old Way, New Way

The "power L" refers to the concept of having the pivot leg forming an L shape at contact with the upper leg being vertical or almost vertical and the knee bent such that the upper leg and lower leg combine to form an L shape. The head should be almost directly in line with the upper leg at this point.

You know, the same happen to me playing golf. At the range I do great, and playing look like I forget everything. Uhmm, concentration?...Nerviousness?....maybe I can't play?....I am going to pay for some lessons, if I don't improve....I am sorry for the players behim me on the course.

I agree with the other posters. There are no shortcuts to changing or creating muscle memory, particularly if the "natural" tendency is to swing incorrectly. Unless the correct mechanics are completely ingrained the "natural" swing will take over under the pressure of game time.

Correct reps, reps and more reps is the only viable solution IMO. The new swing must become the "natural" swing.

Racab,
If you are like most people you probably don't do quite as well at the range as you think. A ball that is thirty yards offline at the range looks pretty good because you really didn't have a target firmly in mind. On the course it results in at least another stroke on the scorecard.

You also get a perfect lie every time on the range.

CADad
You are right, I just tryed to be funny, but your answer explained to me a lot of things I never thougth about it, thanks.

Thanks for all the comments. CaDad, thanks especially...you've given me a lot to sort through, but it looks like pretty good stuff....I appreciate it. I'll keep you posted on our results with our hitter.