Posted by: Stephen R (batspeed30214@rakonza.com) on Fri Feb 14 12:23:44 2003

We spend all day talking about mechanics but very rarely talk about the mental side of hitting. Why the the most feared hitters in the game over the age of 30? Are they in peak contition of their life? No not according to muscle mass or tone (usually about 25). Have they finally perfected their swing? IMHO no this probably happened about 3-5 years earlier. Have they finally entered the hitters mental Utopia? IMHO Yes. It has taken them this long to understand the mental side of hitting.
>
> I welcome any comment on this subject.
>
> I mentioned many of my ideas below under Pitching Strategy vs. Certain Hitters.


Exactly right. There is a whole other dimension to hitting that is orthogonal to mechanics. The girls on my daughter's team all look pretty good on the tee or at the swing away. Most hold their form against the pitching machine. Fewer hold their form against a live pitcher.

One girl summed it up very well. When she was give a small piece of instruction when facing a live pitcher (in practice), she said, "she frightens me". Intimidation is a pitcher's best friend. Seeing alot of pitches from a live pitcher (not a coach) is the best way to mature mentally.

We work on inside/outside pitches. We work on focus without overthinking. And when the batter has a 0-0 count, she is looking for a pitch in her favorite area of the strike zone - everything else we let go (even if it's a strike). With an 0-1 count, the box gets bigger. With 0-2 count, the box is really big. Likewise, when the count is 3-0, the box is tiny: it has to be the perfect pitch for her.