Well then what's a coach to do?

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Why, because their previous mechanics were so deeply rooted in them over time that they still had tendencies to throw the old way.

We have all kind of stuff rooted in us.....This begins as soon as we are old enough to be able to consciously think.....

Our body will, always, want to take the easy route to do things....Our hands and arms will, always, want to reach out to hit the ball.....

Pitchers will, always, want to guide, or steer the ball, instead of throw it.....

This is why it is so important for athletes to learn to block the conscious mind from participating in how they control their body movement....

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Can't compare pitchers to hitters in this sense as pitchers are in total control of their movements and such are not influenced by outside forces i.e. timing issues...

Really?.....So, you drill hitters to train muscle memory by doing something a certain way, over and over again, so they will be in total control of their movements in a game, and come to find out they're not in total control of their movements, after all.....Interesting, to say the least.....

I attempt to teach them to understand how to anticipate and adapt to the moving ball, while letting them figure it out by emulation, putting the focus on understanding, and possibly, just possibly, they may be in control of their body movements in games....

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Most difficult to effectively change someones mechanics at such late stage after all those years of repetition.

If it's so hard to change because of the repetitions, then, why are some successful at doing so?...

FWIW, some MLB players, by their own admission, had metal bat swings when they signed and learned high level technique while playing in the Minors....

To understand this stuff, it is important to change the way we think....

If there is one nail in the yard and I step on it, I can say, I stepped on it just right to make it stick in my foot....Or, I can say, I stepped on it just wrong to make it stick in my foot.....

Is learning efficient body movement in swinging a bat best served by a matter of repetitions of parts of the movement?.....Is block training the most efficient way to teach this stuff?....Just something to think about....

Time to end this discussion on my part.....I've posted enough, already....

hsballcoach-

N-Y man's (S-E-T-P-R-O) summary of motor learning/motor controL stuff in his ebook is good stuff for the vulture to be familiar with.

One principle is to learn the motion in nonlive (drill) situations then be able to retain it (avoid rushing/breakdown of pattern) as the various real world stresses of the live situation are experienced.

One of the places where this guru breaks down is in sorting out what are considered "regulatory" (the motion) vs "nonregulatory" (the stresses) conditions.

For example, if you want to see something of in vs out adjustment (or more exactly very in vs in,same sort of progression), try to figure out what Hank is doing here. It is not exactly what the text suggests - know where your front foot need to come down. Williams said this was impossible and I beleive him.

http://www.beabetterhitter.com/text/batspeed/coiling/coiling.htm

emulation can be a powerful tool, but understanding what is happening enough to get the "regulatory conditions" right is necessary to get "carryover" to the live situation when you are constructing drills.

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Really?.....So, you drill hitters to train muscle memory by doing something a certain way, over and over again, so they will be in total control of their movements in a game, and come to find out they're not in total control of their movements, after all.....Interesting, to say the least.....

You missed my point here which was it's easier for pitchers than hitters as pitchers don't get fooled.

BTW I never mentioned muscle memory...it's about training the brain of what efficient swing movement feels like and repeating those movements via practice/simulation etc...

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If it's so hard to change because of the repetitions, then, why are SOME successful at doing so?...

Because MOST aren't...which was my point.

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Is learning efficient body movement in swinging a bat best served by a matter of repetitions of parts of the movement?.....

No...but sometimes it's necessary depending on the subject. What I do believe is that repetition does have it's place/purpose in learning when applied correctly. Peace...