Posted by: Jack Mankin (MrBatspeed@aol.com) on Sun Jan 6 15:50:52 2008

>>> I think that when good hitters take a swing that is flawed the attention should not be only on the flawed mechanic.

The root cause of that flawed mechanic (on a good pitch to hit of course) is typically from them having their focus and or concentration in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Have you ever had a student take a terrible swing at a pitch or even at a ball on a tee because he was "thinking too much" about his mechanics?

That is what I am talking about in terms of how concentration and focus can directly effect the hitters mechanics.

This is a tricky topic when a hitter is trying to make an adjustment in their swing mechanics. We tell them to do a specific action with bodypart-x, but focusing on that detail will probably throw the whole swing out of whack because he was "thinking too much".

I agree with Bob where the best hitters do see the ball earlier and better. Most of the time it is because they actually concentrate and focus on doing so.

A hitter can not think about one of his body parts and also have the type of focus on the ball that is vital during his swing.

So, I think instead of getting right to the mechanical flaw and attacking that...Simply ask the hitter how much he honestly concentrated on seeing the ball.

You'd be suprised by some answers you get. <<<

Hi Jimmy

Actually, I think we are on the same page. I certainly believe that picking up the ball early and seeing it clearly are highly important. I would also agree that, in the box, a batter’s concentration should be strictly on the ball – not his mechanics. Correcting swing flaws should take place in practice not the game. Dads in the stands and coaches should keep this in mind and save their advice for later.

I have also found that for a batter to successfully overcome flaws and old muscle memories and take what he works on in practice to the game, takes a change of mindset in how he invisions the swing. Below are a couple posts I wrote on this topic.

Correct vision of the swing (1)

Correct vision of the swing (2)

Jack Mankin