Philosophy
Hitting is widely known as the hardest thing to do in sports, and understandably so… You have to hit a round ball, with a round bat, square, while it is moving at 90+ mph. Not so easy, however, there are mechanical fundamentals that are found unanimous among MLB hitters that make this task a bit easier (hitters position, sequencing of the kinetic chain etc.). We also acknowledge that there are roughly 700 MLB hitters, and all 700 of them are slightly different in their own way.
These 700 variances are created by different body lengths, types, flexibility, strength imbalances, mental approaches, and more… Some hitting coaches/programs fail to acknowledge this type of growth mindset, and think that their way is the best way… WRONG. We call that a cookie cutters approach which we do not believe in.
We do believe in analyzing each hitters current capabilities, and helping them embrace the type of hitter they are striving to be. Ichiro Suzuki was able to put on one of the most impressive power displays in batting practice, but that wasn’t the in game approach that allowed him over 3,000 hits at the MLB level. Each hitter is different, and needs to be guided as such to hit to his/her strengths.
So how do we get consistent results from our hitters in a group setting? Easy… A mixture of:
- Reinforcing unanimous mechanicals/sequencing
- Giving our hitters external objectives. External objectives will allow our hitters to get those consistent results, while allowing them the freedom for the variances that are tailored towards their personal swing.
- Creating a COMPETITIVE ATMOSPHERE. We are strong believers that natural competition will accelerate the development of our hitters.
Attending our programs, you could expect to hear fundamentals reinforced such as:
- Look away, react in
- Yes, Yes, Yes, No
- Ready for the Fastball, Adjust Off Speed
- Slow and Early with your load will get you on time
- All damage is done out in front
- Bat Path on plane, and On time
- Sound Hitters Position
- Balance
- Barrel Turn
- Scap Load
- Separation
- Back Hip First
- Knuckles lined up
- Back Knee to Front knee drive
… and more.
Statistical analytics have become a huge part of evaluating hitters… We do hold value in some of the numbers, most notably:
- Average/Max Exit Velocity
- Max Distance
- Walk/Strikeout Ratio
- On Base Percentage
- Slugging Percentage
- Attack angle
- Bat Path Efficiency
While analytics are a great tool that we will use in our programs, we do believe in the saying, “Paralysis by Analysis.” Too much analysis can become counter productive, however, emphasizing the right statistics combined with the proper fundamental reinforcing can create quite the heavy hitter.