Mental Approach to Hitting
- Good hitting starts at practice. The approach you take in practice will result in how you fare during the games. Take time to visualize what you want to do in games, and then apply those things in practice.
- You should already be thinking about hitting when you arrive at the field. If you wait until you’re stepping into the batters box to put yourself into the mental frame to hit, you may be in trouble.
- Be positive and keep a level disposition. This is an absolute key to a successful at-bat. When you believe that you will hit, you will hit!
- Great hitters fail more than twice as many times than they succeed. You cannot carry the baggage of a previous strikeout or poor at-bat with you when you step up for your next at-bat. Your present at-bat is the only one you can do anything about! How you deal with your failures determines how successful you will be.
- "Attack" the pitcher. When you leave the bench, be ready to swing the bat. When you step in the box, you want everyone in the park to know you’re in control and own the plate. Don’t be passive and dig yourself a hole. In each at bat, you want the pitcher to feel that you are the hunter and she is the prey.
- In every RBI situation, you must remember that the pitcher is the one in trouble.
- Control your emotions if you do make an out. Pitchers take great pleasure in seeing batters suffer and your anger will act as a "reward". Do not give pitchers the satisfaction of seeing your anger! By controlling your temperament you can analyze and replay what happened in your previous at-bat and use it for your next time up.
- Never let the umpire take you out of your game no matter how bad you think they may be. Every umpire has a different strike zone. Learn what it is and use it to your advantage, you know the pitcher is doing the same.
- Use the bench and on-deck circle! Watch the pitcher very carefully. What is she throwing? What is the release point? What are the pitcher's tendencies (e.g.- fast ball- fast ball- change)? When in the on-deck circle, use your warm ups to get your timing lined up with the pitcher.
- Remember hitting is the most difficult single task in all of sports. Keep a positive attitude, a smile on your face and confidence and desire in your heart and I know you’ll have a BLAST!