Hitting - What are you thinking?

Coach,

I think you are exactly right, it is a reaction, but that doesn't mean your brain isn't working. If someone throws a punch at you, you don't think "move my head or raise my hand" to avoid being hit. You just see and react. I think that is a very good analogy, because the action taken to avoid the punch is basically the same reaction to different pitches. As a boxer, one would react to a hook by moving the head front to back or vice versa. The reaction to a jab or cross would be to move side to side. When you are at arms length of someone you don't have time to think, but your mind remembers from past experience (how many times you've had your block knocked off). I don't have the numbers, but I would bet the reaction time may even be less than it is to hit a baseball. Granted, it's not the same because you don't have to be as precise as a boxer, you just need to keep from getting hit too often, LOL.

WOW no let me repeat WOW! I'd think with so many people posting about thinking "go" "no" etc. that someone would weigh in on this. Guess not.

Most good hitters cannot tell you what they do or did other than they hit for average and/or power


I still say the good hitters are all born as good hitters---instruction may just refine them a bit but reps refine them more because they do not need anyone to show them how to hit

TRHit,
I couldn't reply, since I'm not hitting anymore, and it's been so long since I did, I can't remember what I was thinking.....

But I asked my son, who is a fairly good hitter. He said....I'm just thinking see the ball, hit the ball.

Then I showed him the two videos from Berkely that Quincy posted up....his response was.....

"I never knew hitting was so hard."

I know, no help, but interesting to me none the less...lol

Hitting isn't hard.

It's no different than shooting at a target.

That's why I have often said that all the biomechanical explanations offerred by the pseudo-experts are so much bull shoes.

Hitting is just putting the bat on the ball.

quote:

Originally posted by Quincy:
Hitting isn't hard.

It's no different than shooting at a target.

That's why I have often said that all the biomechanical explanations offerred by the pseudo-experts are so much bull shoes.

Hitting is just putting the bat on the ball.

"be the ball, be the ball, be the ball".....

wrestdude, and your point? Is he using his cognivive abilities and thinking "go" and "no" or is he reacting?

quote:

Originally posted by CoachB25:
wrestdude, and your point? Is he using his cognivive abilities and thinking "go" and "no" or is he reacting?

It can't be both?

Why do they have to be mutually exclusive?

Work on your mechanics in practice. Use the time to analyze, correct, refine, and develop into muscle memory the swing you want.

In the game use the on deck circle to have a refresher on you mechanics, study the pitcher’s tendencies (2 seam/4 seam, release point, pitch selection on given counts, etc.), try to get a feel for the umpire’s strike zone, and what the fielders are doing (are they tipping pitches, do they shade based on the pitch, etc. One could write a book on all the info that should be reviewed before ever stepping up to the plate. Much can also be done in the dugout before even getting to the on deck circle.

However, when at the plate, there is only one thing to think: this next pitch is the one I am going to rope….I don’t even like the thinking that the next pitch is the one I am going to rope "if it’s a strike." I would rather see a hitter swing at a pitch over his head than take one down the middle. As hitters mature, their learned instincts will keep them from swinging at a bad pitch (most of the time). Again, learning the strike zone is a skill that can be improved upon in practice. In a game, be aggressive.

Of course there are certain game situations that override the aggressive approach. There are times when the game will dictate that it’s better to take a pitch, be overly selective, look for a pitch you can loft, pull or hit on the ground, look for a certain pitch in a certain count, etc.

But most of the time, the next pitch is the one you’re going to rope. Nothing else.

quote:

Originally posted by wrstdude:

quote:

Originally posted by CoachB25:
wrestdude, and your point? Is he using his cognivive abilities and thinking "go" and "no" or is he reacting?

It can't be both?

Why do they have to be mutually exclusive?

I don't know explain how you can do both! I can't. I believe if I'm thinking with a concerted effort, then I'm making myself slower during the swing process. Instead, I've tried to pick out a zone for the ball to come out of adjust my eyesight and react. I don't ever remember thining "swing" or "go." I also don't ever recall thinking "stop" or "no." Explain the error of my thinking.

quote:

Originally posted by CoachB25:

quote:

Originally posted by wrstdude:

quote:

Originally posted by CoachB25:
wrestdude, and your point? Is he using his cognivive abilities and thinking "go" and "no" or is he reacting?

It can't be both?

Why do they have to be mutually exclusive?

I don't know explain how you can do both! I can't. I believe if I'm thinking with a concerted effort, then I'm making myself slower during the swing process. Instead, I've tried to pick out a zone for the ball to come out of adjust my eyesight and react. I don't ever remember thining "swing" or "go." I also don't ever recall thinking "stop" or "no." Explain the error of my thinking.

My opinion is their isn't a think go or no, just a react go or no. In other words it's go from the beginning (unless you got the take sign) and the no is when the pitch is out of your zone you just stop your swing while in progress.

quote:

Originally posted by CoachB25:

quote:

Originally posted by wrstdude:

quote:

Originally posted by CoachB25:
wrestdude, and your point? Is he using his cognivive abilities and thinking "go" and "no" or is he reacting?

It can't be both?

Why do they have to be mutually exclusive?

I don't know explain how you can do both! I can't. I believe if I'm thinking with a concerted effort, then I'm making myself slower during the swing process. Instead, I've tried to pick out a zone for the ball to come out of adjust my eyesight and react. I don't ever remember thining "swing" or "go." I also don't ever recall thinking "stop" or "no." Explain the error of my thinking.

I think you ARE doing both, you just may not realize it. Just because you don't "remember" it happening, does it necessarily mean it didn't happen? Your thinking isn't errored.

I like the Posada clip because, IMO, he starts his swing and obviously stopped his swing. Was it reaction? I think so. Was it a decision? I think so. I don't think you're giving the brain enough credit. I believe the brain is more than capable.

You ever play Guitar Hero? Talk about a game of reaction and decision! If you ask someone who is good at that game (my 15 yr. old brother) how in the world he can beat one of the songs on expert, he'll say, "I don't know." ....little jerk. He's become good at it through practice and repetition-trial and error. Which I believe is synonymous with what guys in the Bigs do. I think they might have an "idea" of what they do, but probably can't explain it. I'm sure they do a lot of things that they're not aware of. It's not bad...just the way it is. I think you'd agree it is a pretty complex thing to do.

quote:

Originally posted by wrstdude:

quote:

Originally posted by CoachB25:

quote:

Originally posted by wrstdude:

quote:

Originally posted by CoachB25:
wrestdude, and your point? Is he using his cognivive abilities and thinking "go" and "no" or is he reacting?

It can't be both?

Why do they have to be mutually exclusive?

I don't know explain how you can do both! I can't. I believe if I'm thinking with a concerted effort, then I'm making myself slower during the swing process. Instead, I've tried to pick out a zone for the ball to come out of adjust my eyesight and react. I don't ever remember thining "swing" or "go." I also don't ever recall thinking "stop" or "no." Explain the error of my thinking.

I think you ARE doing both, you just may not realize it. Just because you don't "remember" it happening, does it necessarily mean it didn't happen? Your thinking isn't errored.

I like the Posada clip because, IMO, he starts his swing and obviously stopped his swing. Was it reaction? I think so. Was it a decision? I think so. I don't think you're giving the brain enough credit. I believe the brain is more than capable.

You ever play Guitar Hero? Talk about a game of reaction and decision! If you ask someone who is good at that game (my 15 yr. old brother) how in the world he can beat one of the songs on expert, he'll say, "I don't know." ....little jerk. He's become good at it through practice and repetition-trial and error. Which I believe is synonymous with what guys in the Bigs do. I think they might have an "idea" of what they do, but probably can't explain it. I'm sure they do a lot of things that they're not aware of. It's not bad...just the way it is. I think you'd agree it is a pretty complex thing to do.

My Son beat Guitar Hero on expert on several songs the second time he played it, so that wasn't done by trial and error. He was just plumb freakishly able to do it. I can't explain that and neither can the kids he plays against they were all dumb founded. I think his brain and hand eye coordination just allow him to do it.

This is kind of where I agree with TR. I believe great hitters ARE born. The thing I don't agree with is that they are born with great mechanics. I think many great hitters are lost because they were given instruction from someone that didn't know what they were talking about or that hasn't had any instruction.

quote:

I think many great hitters are lost because they were given instruction from someone that didn't know what they were talking about or that hasn't had any instruction.

So true!

I watched a High School baseball game earlier today and the hitters on both teams squared up and swung with no torque......No seperation between upper and lower body and no torque in the hands........Just, square up, pull back and swing.....

Probably some good hitters in the bunch who were just lost....

Kimosabe:

I guess I am your Tonto. I agree almost completely with your analysis of what the prudent hitter should be thinking and when.

In the on deck circle portion of your discussion, I would only add what is the game situation. Do we have runners on base? Where are they? How many outs? What do I have to hit to score a run? etc.

Then I form some sort of plan based on all the data. What kind of a pitch am I going to get here? What type of adjustment [if any] do I need to make in my stance to make certain I can hit that pitch where I want?

Then I walk to the plate, forget all that mental thinking on a conscious level [put it in the back of my mind] and be aggresive thinking only "see the ball, hit the ball". However, I personally would be equally upset with a hitter that swings and misses at a first pitch over his head as I would with a hitter that takes a first pitch strike down the middle. They are both strike one.

I love the scene in Bull Durham where Crash is up at the plate and starts thinking about something other than see the ball hit the ball and has to call time to get re-focused. How many times has that really happened to anyone? It certainly happened to me before.

TW344