COACHING  HOME PAGE Goals Emphasizing The Basics: Defense Offense Pitching & Catching Team Management Managing and Coaching What To Teach Communication Preparation Meeting Agenda Games Agenda End of Season Agenda Coach Them With Confidence! Not Fear! Idea Batting Order DRILLS PAGE Bad ADVICE Most Common Mistakes Made by Coaches by John T. Reed   Coaching    Tee Ball

Batter Up!  Keys to Excellence  Tony Gwynn Tony was born May 9, 1960. He's 5'11" tall and throws and bats left. His 2001 batting average to date is .357.  Here he shares some thoughts on batting better. There is no better feeling than to see a smile come across an athlete's face when they realize they are doing something right and knows that they did it right. I tell coaches to have an open mind. Your way may not be the best way for a particular player. Have different options and a simple plan for each of them. If you are going to ask your players to prepare, then you must be willing to prepare. Read and study. No one knows everything about this game. The key with kids is being able to use words that click. Something that tells them that, "if I do this every time, I can be successful." Our hitting coach Merv Rettemund is very good at giving us a word that clicks. My word is PACE. Other guys have other words, but mine is PACE. Having a good pace or rhythm to my approach works and gets me back on track. Q: What do you do differently in your at-bats when you have zero strikes on you versus two strikes on you? TG: Nothing. Not a thing. Whether I'm ahead of the count or behind, I don't change. To me, the object of hitting is to take the same swing every time. A lot of guys hit one way when they are ahead, and when behind they hit another way. You'll never be as good as you can be unless you are unafraid of taking your best swing with two strikes. Q: What are some ways to improve your bat speed? TG: When I was in A ball, I took batting practice with a fungo. It's longer and lighter. It'll teach you how to generate bat speed. You can hit Wiffle balls or socks so you don't break it. Hit off a tee or try soft toss. Bat speed comes from being in the correct position and using the correct swing. Q: What pitches are best to hit home runs? TG: Most of the time I hit a home run, it's an off-speed pitch. The reason is, I hit a lot of balls deep in my stance. I don't hit a lot of balls out in front. Seventy percent of the time when I hit a home run, it's out in front. I use a short bat and control is my thing, so usually if I hit a home run, it's a hanging curve or changeup. Q: Do you ever guess at the plate or are you a see and react hitter always? TG: Not very often. When I do, it's an educated guess. I've faced the guy a lot and I find myself in a similar situation and flash back to how he got me out and look for the same pitch. Mostly I'm a see-and-react guy. And I never guess with two strikes. One of the best guesses I ever had was in an All-Star game against David Cone. I sat on a forkball and hit a double. He had been in the National League with the Mets, and I remembered his forkball when he went to the American League with Kansas City. Q: What are some of your favorite ballparks to play in? TG: Cincinnati. But that will change this year because it's not circular anymore. Fulton County in Atlanta was another favorite and it's gone. Same with Candlestick. They are blowing up my fields! Cincinnati tops my list because I always saw the ball real well there.   Copyright © 2000 Brookside Little League, Inc. All rights reserved jontanderson@juno.com [Official Little League Rules & Regulations]   [Parents]   [Players/Kids] Learn How to: [Hit]  [Pitching]  [Infield]  [Outfield]  [Catcher]  [Baserunning]  [Coach] [Baseball Humor]  [Baseball Terminology]  [Site Map] [Sign Our Guestbook] [Privacy Statement/Disclaimer]  [Terms]