How technology will effect hitting

Swingbuster,

I think most baseball people including professional hitting coaches understand the value of technology. Often wonder why they are painted as the old geezers who are set in their way. Technology is important in every area of life. I think people would be very surprised if they knew just how much new technology is now involved in professional baseball. However, when it comes to debate, it appears that it’s the techs who create the most dispute in many cases.

That said, there are many ways to gain knowledge. Intense research, reading, viewing, talking, study, etc. along with the age old proven method of actual EXPERIENCE! You can read and study all you want about how to deal with a shark attack, but how will you react when you’re face to face with the shark?

You can teach someone how to hit a 89 mph slider, but then you have to find someone who’s able to throw one in order to find out if the teaching works. There will be many people who will teach how to hit a MLB fastball who have never been in the batters box and tried to hit one. This is a case of something much easier to teach than it is to actually do!

The physical act of hitting a baseball is secondary to the mental and visual side of hitting a baseball (IMO). The so called perfect swing has proven to be insufficient for many hitters. The so called flawed swing (remember the long discussions regarding Johnny Damon) has proven to produce success and multi-million dollar contracts. Does anyone remember what many of our “experts” had to say about Damon’s swing?

I agree that technology is extremely important and should not be ignored. Some seem to think technology is overlooked, but it is not ignored at the highest levels of college and pro.

Those with the very most EXPERIENCE have access to use all the new technology available. Those who understand and use the latest technology are most often lacking in the one most important area of actual experience.

I would agree that the combination of the two is most valuable. It just seems that many times the tech guys have no problem disregarding actual experience, even to the point of arguing the importance of it and cutting down those who have it. At the same time I see many of the very best hitting coaches, pitching coaches (Rick Peterson), utilizing the very latest computer and video technology.

When you combine experience with technology you have the biggest advantage. One with out the other will always be lacking something.

Point well taken and a good post

PG Staff:

Well stated.

I agree with the value of technology and also liked your analogy of the shark attack, which reminded me of a conversation I had with my son (college player) over the Thanksgiving weekend.

First of all he has very simple and sound swing mechanics and has been a very successful hitter (LH) his first 2 years of college baseball. But last fall, in front of numerous scouts, he faced a big time pitcher (RH) who threw a 94mph fastball and followed it up with an 88 mph slider. Worse, the guy had good command of both.

My son joked that he had anticipated an 0-0 fastball and thought he had gotten one that was “middle to middle-out”, then he said, “out of nowhere it turned into a slider that hit him on the top of his back foot”. He said he felt like he swung and missed the ball by 2 feet.

Technology is great, but I too cringe when I hear an internet regular blast a college or professional hitting coach. Or anyone from the “establishment” for that matter.

THop

Some of the old guys, and I include myself in that camp, are slower to incorporate technolgical advances because we "do what we do." Another phrase I've heard countless times is "It's all that has worked in the past. It's all that will ever work." I understand the silo analogy wholeheartly. However, change is necessary if you are going to keep up. It might be slow or at a snail's pace. Say it starts with the newest tech with regards to equipment. You then eventually get around to coaching concepts. I do think that the days of "we do what we do" are past. JMHO!

Coachb25,

I think PG summed it up well. It is no great revelation that video analysis is a valuable tool.

We were using video/tape in the late 1970's - that is 30 years ago.

The issue I have with what I see alot of is the marketing garbage associated with video.
Many of the purveyors of this stuff want you to believe that video analysis is some new and revolutionary concept.
It cant be that new if we were using it 30 years ago - then again - I guess it depends on how you define new and revolutionary. LOL

It is just another tool to help a player improve - but it can never take the place of natural god-given talent - despite what the salesmen try to tell you. IMO.

Agreed! One thing I left out was the increased market of "gadgets." Some of these "gadgets" profess to be new technology but simply are money makers for the manufacturers. BTW, as I've posted several times, I have gained tremendous benefits from Swingbuster's stuff. That's technology that works well in our system. JMHO!

Agree about swingbuster.
I like his stuff alot.

I'm not that familiar with swingbusters "stuff".

But I sure do like "swingbuster". I think he's on a mission to try and figure it all out! Just wish he would stick to words that are part of my vocabulary.

Thop,

The focus was technology and how it has connected people of all walks of life and not a slam against anybody or the existing coaching body. It was written with no malice just in awe of what we have available today. I did not exclude you web contributing coaches from the
" connected group"

I subscribe to http://www.mycoachonline.com ( I have no $ affiliation) as a paid member to listen to professional baseball coaches talk on all aspects of the game and take notes from the streaming video feeds. If I had any contempt or lack of respect for them I would certainly not do that.

I will say that some hitting clinics / lessons shown with grip, stance, load, stride , swing, follow through formatting are a little boring and repetitive lacking some key points that I find to be essential or at the very least interesting.

PGSTAFF,

Word descriptions are difficult. My observation is simple. The mechanism of the shoulder load is poorly described by most instructors. What they say doesn't remotely resemble what many great hitters do. The "what" is captured on film. The "why it works" is physics. Whether those player know it or not or could teach it is not in my power to know.

swingbuster

I totally agree that teaching with words is NG--things always get lost in translation

That is why I always profess that hitting and pitching needs to be taught one on one, teacher to student, so the student can "SEE" what the teacher is "telling" him.

As a late devotee of almost all things baseball( never paid it much mind until my son got into it), I'd have to say that the info available on the web is what propelled me to seek all I can about the game for his benefit. With regards to info about hitting, I read, watched instructors, and looked at film clips a lot. It was however, a hitting instructor in Atlanta this summer that finally presented to my son, and me, a simple approach to swing mechanics that really turned on a light for him. It has been an amzing transformation in a short amount of time. Let me add that he uses one of Swingbuster's devices in his teachings. With that being said, it still is as mentioned above, If he can't carry it to the plate in a game, well.....he still will have loads of work to do. Thank goodness baseball folks are a sharing bunch.

Really, coaches have always shared information, debated, and have a great thirst for continuing to learn....so I do disagree with that silo theory.

Information is now shared via today's modern technology, and the learning and information exchange is done via different and more sophisticated avenues. The debates are similar and the desire for individuals to improve their knowledge for practical reasons has not changed. What has changed is that there are more modern methods of communication.

Players' learning styles differ; therefore differing methods of instruction/ teaching/coaching are necessary in order to increase the probability of learning.

Getting players to learn and improve skills, awareness and knowledge is still the ultimate goal of any coach/teacher. That has not changed.

I love this topic and, frankly, I think it's the most exciting and important one for us coaches, presently. I agree, PG Staff, that coaches generally realize there is value in technology as a coaching tool, but I think we have a long way to go at the amateur levels in terms of actually making good use of it. Take video, for example. How many high school, and even college coaches use video with their players? I don't mean making a cd once a year with their pitching or hitting clips on it. I mean, actually going through it, slowing it down, making some sense of it.

I think one reason for the slow adoption of tech in coaching is that we're afraid video will disprove some long-held theories of ours about mechanics. This is not a terrible thing! It might be better for us as coaches to admit that "I may not have ALL the answers", but let's watch this tape and see if we can find some. We don't need to be afraid to do that.

I've learned a lot more from video about mechanics this past year than I have in the past 30 years playing and coaching without it.

PG had some great stuff. I don't know swingbuster yet but I'm sure he's trying and may well know his stuff. Being able to see a hitter or pitcher and notice his qualities or needs with the naked eye comes with experience. Video can be a great help. Technology can be a great help also, but technology for the sake of technology can create more problems than help. Most of my success comes from learning to simplify tecncs and mechanics. The old terms are not boring, they are what works and with some technological assistance, you can enhance a young players learning experience. We musn't muddy the waters, muck up the situation or create a cluster****. We as teachers must learn to teach simplification, in the least amount of words and have the student learn as much as possible in the shortest amount of time. This comes from the many great coaches and academy trainers I have learned from over the years and my experience has found that it works.

Merry Christmas
Coachric