Slow and Early

The video above is old now but the same message still applies. I came back to this video because I was thinking about a player on my team last year named Billy Derosier who really worked hard on the mechanics of his swing and his numbers showed that work last spring (340ave, 11 2B, 11HR compared to 316 6 2B 0HR in 2014) He is only one of a few players I have ever coached that started to move like a big league hitter. The biggest thing for him last off season was he started working on beginning the load slower and earlier. Although there were a lot of awkward movements early on in his process, he stuck with it and by the time we started playing our schedule I knew he was going to have a good year just by watching him take pitches when we were going live. When you start slow and early you realize how much time you can create for yourself. Your body has a chance to move and store energy that you can use in the swing.  Guys that start early are swinging until they aren't. Most amateur hitters load, try to recognize if its a strike and then make the decision to swing. I made a youtube video below of Billy's progression during pre season practice last year. The video starts with the earliest video I had of him and goes until a few days before we played our first game. You can see that he works through the awkwardness of the time he created for himself and by the end of pre-season camp he had the ability to adjust to the tempo of each pitcher and create some serious bat speed to hit with during the load process of swing.

Another guy I saw an adjustment to moving earlier is AJ Pollock, the center fielder for the Diamondbacks. The swing on the left is from last year, the swing on the right is from 2 years ago. He went from hitting 302 with 19 doubles and 7 home runs to 315 with 39 doubles and 20 home runs.

The best hitters in the world experiment and make adjustments to their swing to become better hitters and I see a ton of amateur hitters that are resistant to change. Most amateur hitters are just trying to get better at the first swing that was comfortable to them. I can't emphasize enough the importance of experimenting with how you move in the box to prepare to hit. The first part of this process is working on starting to move earlier then what is comfortable to you now. You can always start later but if you have the ability to begin storing energy earlier it will impact how much bat speed you have as you swing the bat.

A few other big leaguers that changed their swings from one season to another: JD Martinez went from getting released from the Astros to having a great year for the Tigers. Donaldson went from a good big leaguer to the MVP. Are your swing mechanics allowing you to be as great as you want to be?

What is your Routine?

There is a time for mechanical thinking and movements during a game. The time is on deck and in between pitches of your ab. When the ball leaves the pitchers hand thats when you need to just see the ball and react. The ab above is borderline ridiculous with how much time they give Manny in between pitches of the ab but you can see him reinforcing his mechanical cues after every pitch. Now at the amateur level unless you swing you still have to stay in the box but you should have a routine that you go through between pitches.

As a younger coach I used to always tell my hitters to put your body on auto pilot during the game and just try to be the best player in the country at seeing the ball. I still think the #1 thing is seeing the ball well but you can't see the ball well until the pitcher lets go of it. Hitting is a craft that you never master but taking ownership of your swing creates a better feel and understanding of your swing. How many reps do we miss out on as hitters because we don't think about mechanics at all during games? The worst feeling as a hitter is failing and not knowing what's wrong. In the daily struggle to master mechanics you can't take game days off. You need to keep reminding your body of the proper muscle memory you want to enforce. You need to figure out what your mechanical and mental self talk key words are. What can you tell yourself during a game that will get you back into the present. You will only find this through  daily effort to be present and searching to understand how your body is moving. As a coach we can teach you about concepts and tell you what it looks like but we can never tell you how it feels, and we can't go up to home plate with you. That's why it all comes back to you taking ownership of the development of your swing. The more you can feel the movements the easier it is to make adjustments.

Below is a few gif's from Manny's ab. A few things to point out: Manny has a routine that he goes through on each pitch. Although you can't make yours as long as his it is clear that there is a mental process he is going through. Manny, like a lot of great hitters is big on the scalp load of his top arm and you can see him reminding himself of that movement throughout the ab. He goes through this same movement when he is in the cage. My favorite gif is the second one. Manny gets too far out front with his stride. He reminds himself to stay back and then reinforces that thought with practicing his load. A lot of Manny routine is to get himself prepared for the next pitch and it keeps him relaxed. What is your routine?

**Bonus gif**
The end result of the AB is a strike out looking. Manny's reaction is of indifference. He will be up again in two innings.

No Cage, No Problem

 For the amateur player it can be difficult to find a cage to hit in on a daily basis over winter break. However you can still make improvements on days you do not have access to a cage. Here are a few things you can do.

1. Take dry swings: you do not need a huge area to work on the mechanics in your swing. Even if you do not have enough room to actually swing you can work on your load to landing segment of your swing. Dry swings are great because you are taking the ball out of the equation and you can focus on feeling the right movements. A mirror is also a plus so you get immediate feedback but also try closing your eyes for a few of your reps it will allow you to focus on the movements you are trying to master.  Most of the movements that have mechanical deficiencies happen before actually swinging the bat so with the dry swing you can isolate and develop cleaner movements.

2. Study video of MLB players: watch big leaguers and see how they move to be successful. I suggest watching guys with similar body types to yourself. Try to mimic these players when you are experimenting in the cage. I can't emphasize enough the importance of watching guys who hit at the highest level. A big reason why big leaguers are the best hitters in the world is that they have developed great mechanics that fit their coordination level and body type.

3. Read articles and books on hitting. There are plenty out there and they will help develop your mental approach.

4. Go to the gym/ if you don't have a gym do some pushups, sit-ups, pull-ups. The stronger and more dynamic you get the easier hitting becomes. You can never be too strong

5. Study your own video. Make it a priority that every time you can hit in the cage you take some video of yourself. There is no better tool in improving your game. Keep the videos organized together so you can track your progress.

6. Keep a hitting notebook. Not many amateur players spend the time to write down their process with their swing. Your thought patterns when your swing feels good is important to remember when your swing goes through a rough patch. Just going back and reading through your notes can get you back on track. Also, keep track of what you are working on so that you can monitor your progress. One of the first pages in your notebook should be your goals for the 2016 season so you can remind and motivate yourself why you are putting the work in to improve.

-Take ownership of your swing. Find a way to improve. Every day you have a chance to get better in some way. The more you understand your swing and have the ability to critique and develop your own swing without your coaches feedback the quicker you will see results.