Posted by: Nick () on Mon Nov 10 05:35:39 2003

Hi Mountainman,

Very good post! Our season is over now. If you let me know when you are available, Brian and I can come up for a visit. Nick


> I have had tremendous success teaching my hitters the importance of having a plan on each pitch. After they develop solid mechanics, we will then work on the plans. The two plans are the 2 strike plan and the less than 2 strike plan, or "look for your pitch plan". The secret is "KEEP IT SIMPLE". With 2 strikes I have them look for a fastball away. I will walk up to them and hold the ball over the outside part of the plate and a little deeper and have them do a slow motion turn (I don't use the term swing because of the arms connotation) and stop the bat where contact would occur. Now, their brain has a plan and can send the proper nerve impulses to the muscles to perform. I will throw them wiffle balls from about 20-25 feet at fastball speed on the outside corner. I have pie plate targets attached on the opposite field side and instruct my students to hit the targets. I will not give them time to think about mechanics, just to set their plan. In just a short period of time they are banging the plates. This will train them to put themselves in the "wait mode" by simply saying to themselves "fastball away". About every 8-10 pitches I'll throw a change-up. If they are in front they didn't have a plan, most of the time they will recognize, sit and crush because they had worked diligently on the 2 strike approach and their body knows how to wait automatically. I will also mix in a fastball inside to see of they fight it off like they are suppose to do. The "look for your pitch" plan is taught next, but I will not get into that at this time. By knowing they can hit with 2 strikes gives them more confidence and patience to look for their pitch with less than 2 strikes. I would like to add that there is no substitute for the live arm throwing when working on these plans. Also, there is no substitute for experience. I could hit the offspeed pitch a lot better, if I had an idea it was coming, which is a whole different ballgame in itself (the game within the game). It also doesn't hurt if you have 20-13 vision. I hope this helped some and was not too wordy. I don't post often, but this subject was of great interest to me. I enjoy reading all the posts from such knowledgeable people. Nick, tell Brian hello. Mountainman