| Many people seem to believe that baseball hitting | | | | taking batting practice. So, even though they may |
| at a high performance level is just some natural | | | | have a lot of natural talent, very few of them |
| athletic ability that some people have while most | | | | can be even competent big-leagues baseball |
| people don't. But excellent baseball hitting requires | | | | hitters. Their baseball training just doesn't fall into |
| excellent baseball training in the science and art of | | | | that category. |
| batting. | | | | If you notice, you'll see that most catchers aren't |
| It's true that some natural abilities are needed in | | | | anything better than mediocre hitters, either, |
| order for one to have the potential to become an | | | | although they certainly are better than pitchers |
| excellent hitter in baseball. For instance, a .400 | | | | and there are some of them who are real batting |
| hitter will never be unless he's got superior | | | | champions. The baseball training of catchers, too, |
| eyesight, so that he's able to pick up the ball from | | | | is more highly specialized to focus on the |
| the earliest point in the pitcher's delivery and then | | | | extremely difficult to master set of skills needed |
| read the spinning of the seams in great detail. | | | | for catching. |
| And, yes, there does need to be a natural gift for | | | | So, excellent baseball hitting is so difficult that |
| basic hand-eye coordination. | | | | some of the best athletes aren't very good at |
| But hitting a baseball well is widely regarded as the | | | | it--simply because they don't get enough of the |
| single most difficult feat in all of professional | | | | specialized baseball training that makes good |
| sports, all things considered. The baseball hitter | | | | hitters. Another thing to think about is that really |
| has to use a round stick to hit a round ball, and | | | | good baseball hitting is so difficult to master that |
| that ball is moving rapidly (sometimes VERY | | | | we give Most Valuable Player awards to hitters |
| rapidly) over a short distance and has been | | | | who get put out 650, 675, 700 times out of |
| thrown by someone who is intending to make | | | | every 1,000 at bats! And if a guy makes an out |
| that ball miss the bat. And that's all just about | | | | even more than 700 times for every 1,000 |
| making CONTACT with the ball. Then there's the | | | | attempts, but he can hit that ball a country mile |
| part where the contact is supposed to be good | | | | 35 or 40 or 50 times when he DOES make |
| enough that it gives the batter's team some | | | | contact, we may give him an MVP trophy, too! |
| offense! | | | | So, what this all means for you is that there are |
| So, truly, there's more to batting than meets the | | | | certain baseball training techniques that are |
| eye when it comes to baseball hitting. Mind and | | | | designed to make "merely" talented baseball |
| body have to work in unison to achieve effective | | | | hitters into good, or great, baseball hitters. |
| hitting results. And that's just not going to happen | | | | Baseball hitting training is designed to: improve hip |
| unless there is some excellent baseball training in | | | | and thoracic spine mobility; increase the ability to |
| hitting. | | | | store and release bodily kinetic energy, especially |
| Think about it. With only rare exceptions, major | | | | by increasing the tensile power of the hips; and |
| league baseball pitchers, some of the greatest | | | | improve the synergy between the hips, torso, |
| athletes in the world, are utterly terrible at batting. | | | | arms, bat, eye, and brain. |
| You would think that they would be some of the | | | | Using machines as well as body resistance training |
| very best hitters because they supposedly can | | | | and a little bit of free weights, specific movement |
| anticipate the pitcher better than most other | | | | training exercises are used to improve a player's |
| players. And those of us who played little league | | | | baseball hitting to take him to another level. The |
| baseball surely remember those guys who were | | | | best batting coaches know of these various |
| great pitchers as well as great hitters--in fact, | | | | exercises. If you want to improve your baseball |
| that seemed to go hand in hand a great deal of | | | | hitting or help your son or daughter improve |
| the time. But clearly, that's not the case in the | | | | theirs, research these exercises and talk to these |
| major leagues. You see, major league pitching | | | | batting instructors. They're a lot easier to find |
| itself is such a demanding art that pitchers have | | | | than Nolan Ryan's fastball was! |
| to spend most of their practice time pitching--not | | | | |