What do you look for in a Hitting Coach?

A couple of things that we found and are happy that we did was an instructor who has played professional ball and one that took a sincere interest in my Son's future. We really sought out a "mentor" that could teach more than just one aspect of the game. We are blessed to live in a part of the country where people of this caliber also make their home. We do travel 200 miles round trip to get there and back each week. He has made that trip as well, at no expense to us, to watch our Son play his regular HS games and showcases.

Our goal was to locate a high quality hitting instructor who was willing to guide our Son both mentally and physically to help him get to the next level.

I think all of those are important, but the one I think is the biggest is proabably the personality.

If a kid is not comfortable with the instructor, it is going to hinder the teaching process now matter how much the coach knows or what systems or gadgets he has.

Understands that everyone shouldn't hit the same way. The coach should understand that every kid is different. They should also understand that kids want to know why you are having them do something. They shouldn't them to just blindly accept it.

quote:

Originally posted by CRadlo:
Understands that everyone shouldn't hit the same way. The coach should understand that every kid is different. They should also understand that kids want to know why you are having them do something. They shouldn't expect them to just blindly accept it.

quote:

Originally posted by CRadlo:

quote:

Originally posted by CRadlo:
Understands that everyone shouldn't hit the same way. The coach should understand that every kid is different. They should also understand that kids want to know why you are having them do something. They shouldn't expect them to just blindly do it.

lol, why did that happen?

CRadio, don't worry, you'll get the hang of it. I once did exactly the same.

Yes, I think a good coach ask a player why they were asked to so drills or make changes to ensure that the player understood. If the coach themselves can't explain to a player that has been trained to ask questions, I'd see a red flag right away.

I look for someone to take the time to look at what they are working with before they start working. Make a program that is developed for that specific player. Also, I think a good instructor works on the mechanics early and then works on more advanced areas such as pitch recognition and strategy at the plate. This will obviously differ for the age of the student. Another key to a good teacher is, does he turn you loose to go do the things you worked on in the off-season or does he tell you to keep coming back to tune-up (red flag.) I agree with the above that if you can't explain why you do something, then why are you doing it?!

quote:

Another key to a good teacher is, does he turn you loose to go do the things you worked on in the off-season or does he tell you to keep coming back to tune-up (red flag.)

Not saying teaching hitters is a one shot deal....But, getting them independent of the teacher as soon as possible is an absolute must, IMO.......

Being a hitting coach, I think parents should be aware of the coach's background.

"The hardest thing to do in all of sports is hit a round ball with a round bat, square."

Research, Research, Research!!

Jalal Leach
Baseball Mentoring Program
www.bmp18.com

I whole heartedly agree with Jalal except I think that I have a little different take.

Be aware of the hitting coach's background as a teacher. Good teachers leave foot prints. Many great hitters cannot teach it. If you can find a person who has done it & can teach it, you have hit the lottery. People who have those two attributes have instant credibility & usually can serve as a model for their students. If you find coaches with a good past history in developing players & have good info, they can be just as good as the coach who can or has done it if they are able to bring in video models of what they want for each individual player.

It's often not so much about how much the coach knows, it more about what he can get across to the athlete.

The job of a good hitting coach is to eliminate his job. The key is to to teach the hitters how to coach themselves. The best & most long lasting lessons are self taught. Good coaches don't hold their athletes hands throughtout the process. It's more about guided discovery. This is a game of adaptation & adjustment. If you prop up the athletes throughtout the learning process, they will become so co-dependent on the coach that they will be unable to make their own adjustments. When they step in the batter's box for that one on one confrontation with the pitcher, they will many times be unable to function on their own.They have trouble pushing their own "hot button" because they are conditioned to having everything done for them.

Athletes need take responsibility for their actions & not transfer blame or responsibility to others. Good coaches facilitate that process as long as that same message is being communicated at home.

Good coaches help athletes figure things out on their own.They simplify the game. As a result of their experience they reduce much of the trial & error time that athletes go through. This is not without some labor pains because failure is a large part of the learning process & this is not a game of "perfect."

JW

Being a hitting coach myself, I'm a bit biased, but I'll do my best to answer.

Jerry said it best when he said "The job of a good hitting coach is to eliminate his job. The key is to to teach the hitters how to coach themselves." That's absolutely right, and any coach worth his salt is going to go into his job with this goal in mind. He wants the student to succeed without his help - not only for the personal satisfaction, but because that student will give glowing reviews of the coach to his peers!

Good coaches explain things in terms the student can understand. The coach will never rush things or force his ideas on the hitter - instead, he will adapt what he knows to suit the hitter's personality and approach as best as possible.

A good hitting coach will have at least 30 FPS video of the hitter from the side and from the front, and be able to point out both his flaws and his strong points in a way that is constructive to the student. If the coach does not use video, he is 99% of the time going to be ineffective or even counterproductive.

Good hitting coaches will prepare the hitter for a game situation by getting him live pitchers to hit off of. He will not simply have him hit off a tee or soft toss alone, though both are very useful in developing the swing. Without seeing a significant amount of live pitching, there is no way the lessons can be totally effective.

Depends on the age group as well.

I have seen some very good hitting instructors who are greta with kids. Keeps things simple and are great communicators. I have also seen some good college instructors with video and a nice setup but cannot communicate or get there point across with a student. It can be frustrating but word of mouth and doing some research can help you immensely.

Jerry had some very good feedback on this....

Two items:

1. It really had nothing to do with what each was teaching about hitting. What made each special (to me anyway) was the commitment to the players. Always available - to practice, to talk, to work together. Hitting Coaches today that are successful today, have their careers because they are always “there” for the players.

2. Can he throw bips

cheers