Welcome to “Hitting Mental!”

I’ve been terrifically fortunate to be around and have the opportunity to get to know some special people in the coaching world. Through the development of my own coaching education, I’ve always considered myself as much of a lifelong learner as a teacher/coach/mentor/educator. I thoroughly enjoy sharing hitting drills, talking philosophies and hammering out different mental game concepts with other coaches.

I decided to share the information I have learned and gathered and have created a resource and tool not just for other coaches, but for myself. If you’ve read Darren Hardy’s “Compound Effect,” you understand the significance creating lists can have on making small improvements. I hope to utilize this blog as a list of hitting ideas, philosophies, drills and as a general sounding board for self-improvement as a coach.

I am Justin Dedman, the hitting coach at Lee University, a formerly-NAIA and newly-D2 program in Cleveland, TN. Like most coaches, I have learned, inherited, borrowed, bartered and stolen hitting ideas and philosophies from many great coaches that I would like to thank.

Many of these great men have no idea the mentorship they have provided me but I am indebted to them for life. For dedicating your lives to the betterment of young men, and helping me become the coach I am excited to be today, and for the moments, days and years you may have spent giving to me, a BIG THANK YOU to Mark Brew, Pat Hake, Dave Altopp, Andrew Carson, Clint Spencer, Michael Moody, Bill Decker, Anthony DeCicco, Norberto Lopez, Manny Mantrana, Kevin McMullan, Chris Ermis, Tim Corbin, Mark Calvi, Erik Bakich, Brian Cain, Danny Price, Nate Metzger, Harvey Dorfman, Steve Springer, Ken Revizza, Dan Heefner, Matt Mossburg, Gary McClure, Jody Gerut, Joe Hodges, Travis Jewett, Donegal Fergus, Matt Reid, Jay Lavender, Jeremy Sheetinger, Mike Deegan, Bryan Christopher, Drew Shamrock, Brian Regan, Cam Cowden, Matt Fadely, Rob Russo, Travis Drury, Andrew Ganey, Drew O’Brien and Chris Phillips. A special thanks to my Mom and Dad for encouraging and supporting my passion every day, and to my incredible wife Brittany for her encouragement, support, advice and unconditional love.

Let’s get this party started!