"Just put the ball in Play"

Young hitters are rewarded for putting the ball in play and shunned for striking out. However, the constant encouragement by coaches to "get your foot down" "just put the ball in play" "don't get too big" "don't over swing""don't swing at balls" Everyone knows that it takes a long time to become a good hitter and failure is a big part of the process. Coaches need to realize that hitting is not simple and simple phrases like the ones above give the impression that putting the ball in play is easy.    Also, as you get to higher levels when you weakly put the ball in play you are out! Especially with the amateur game being played more and more on turf fields playing the infield has become even easier.  From a pitchers perspective there is nothing better then facing a hitter that is just trying to put the ball in play. He is not a threat to the pitcher and he is also a great double play candidate.

My point for this post is to understand that the swing will evolve naturally if coaches allow their hitters to have the freedom to develop. Stay away from short phrases they don't work. Focus more on timing and pitch selection. There is a small percentage of coaches that know what they are talking about in term of swing mechanics and thats okay but if you don't know what you are talking about don't simplify the swing to your hitters. There are certain simple commands that will help your hitters like "work on hitting the ball on the barrel more" "work on seeing the ball better out of the pitchers hand" These are examples of phrases that a hitter can work on and his ability to get better at seeing the ball and being accurate with the barrel will allow his swing mechanics to evolve naturally. I always try to phrase commands by not saying "hit the ball on the barrel" or see the ball better." I say work on......" Getting better takes hours and hours of work and you never get it completely, there is always something new to "work on" Respect the process and keep in perspective that hitting is very difficult and the great ones are the ones that are consistent with their pursuit of being great. If you are not satisfied with your skills as a hitter, almost always its just a case of not spending enough time working on your swing. A great phrase one of my assistants uses is "everyone wants to be rich but most people just want to win the lottery." There is not magic hitting potion that you can drink to become a great hitter. Just dedicate yourself to consistently invest time on your swing and the results will eventually follow.