I always laugh when I hear a scouting report that says a
hitter “can’t hit a good slider.” No kidding. Most of the time, neither can Miguel Cabrera. What
coaches likely mean to say is, “this kid has no clue how to look for an
off-speed pitch, analyze what tunnel the ball has come out of, decipher if this
pitch will be a good pitch to hit, and put an aggressive swing on it.”
To be a strong hitting team against strong pitching, our
hitters must understand when, how and why to look for an off-speed pitch. Bat
speed is a talent that can be maximized. Hitting a curve ball is a skill that
can be mastered.
We have to practice, daily, hitting breaking balls on the
field, in the cage and visualizing off-speed pitches when hitting off of a
tee. If we expect our hitters to improve
a skill, we must work SMART. Give them the toolbox from which to draw the
proper tool.
There are several misanalyses in coaching jargon. Let’s take
a look at two of them.
OFF-SPEED COACHING MISANALYSIS #1: “He can't see spin.”
First, as coaches, we are responsible for knowing whether
our players have good eyesight. Do they wear contacts? What type of vision do
they have? Making assumptions often makes…well you know.
Secondly, most hitters can see the spin of the ball. They
can describe what each pitch looks like. Developing this awareness starts with
dialogue, with questions, and an open conversation of what the pitches looked
like, and what they did. Having hitters stand in on bullpens is a terrific way
to develop this dialogue and for them to practice rhythm and timing.
Make a game out of the bullpens by having hitters call out
“1” or “2” for fastball or off-speed, or “strike” or “ball” as soon as they
recognize tunnel and spin. Keep a chart. Measurement of a skill equals
motivation to improve the skill.
OFF-SPEED COACHING MISANALYSIS #2: “He only wants to hit
fastballs.”
Loosely paraphrasing John Wooden, “there are no bad
students, only teachers who don't reach them.”
Every thought, every choice, every decision a human
makes is either in pursuit of pleasure or in avoidance of pain. Many athletes
spend more time avoiding pain than seeking pleasure. Hitters will avoid
swinging at off-speed pitches early in counts because they do not know how or
why to look for them, or how to stay in sequence while the ball decelerates
towards the plate with downward movement. You have to TEACH them how to hit
off-speed pitches.
Front toss is the simplest way to teach the timing of
hitting a breaking ball or change-up. We teach our hitters to front toss to one
another at two different speeds. When we are front tossing, we are hunting
fastballs and adjusting to slower pitches that are elevated, or we are hunting
slower pitches that are elevated and taking all fastballs.
We teach our hitters, when “aggressive to off-speed,” to
slightly delay the timing of the load and the stride. Watch a big leaguer, and
you’ll see how their timing on some off-speed pitches is impeccable, like they
“were looking for it.” That’s because they were.
When you see a big leaguer with fastball timing, keeping his
hands in a loaded position, he has retained separation between his load and his
stride, creating a tension or resistance in his posterior core that creates
stored energy.
When our hands or “load” float forward, we lose early-swing
bat speed and can only pull the baseball with authority.
We want our hitters able to drive the off-speed pitch to the
middle and slight-oppo side of the field.
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