Mental aspects of hitting
Rod Delmonico
Hit and Run Baseball
Stay mentally sharp at the plate.
The mental part of hitting is probably the most difficult
control phase to coach. The ideal type of hitter will take a 0
for 4 with the same kind of equanimity that he or she takes a 4 for 4.
What you are looking for, and always working on, are maturity,
poise, confidence, toughness, and aggressiveness. Very few young
athletes will be able to develop all of these qualities, but they can
develop enough of them to make them strong, consistent hitters.
Here are several ideas that every hitter should mentally practice over the course of a season:
Know the type of pitcher you are facing.
Always look for the fastball and then adjust to a curve ball.
Look for the pitch away, and then adjust to the pitch inside.
Know the strike zone, but be ready to adjust to the umpire's strike zone.
Be aware of the game situation each time at bat, all the time.
Study the pitcher while you're in the dugout and the on-deck circle.
Take the first pitch if the two previous hitters have been retired on three or fewer total pitches.
When you take a pitch, track the ball all the way to the catcher's glove.
Because you hit only four, or at the most, five times a game, make each turn at bat something special to you.
Before the game starts, watch the pitcher in the bull pen to see what he or she has working, and not working.
With every pitch you are thinking, yes, yes, yes, no (ball) on the swing.
With two strikes, choke up a little on the bat for control.
Don't take the same swing with two strikes that you do with no strikes; shorten up a little.
Try to hit the change-up to the opposite field.
Step out of the box anytime the pitcher is working too fast for you.
If you can't pick up the signal from the third-base coach, call "time" and walk out to meet him or her.
On 3-0, you may think of pitcher-swinging at any pitch that goes into the area of the strike zone you have mapped out in your mind. Anything else, let it go through.
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