Posted by: Mike Myers (mike.myers@bell.ca) on Mon Aug 9 13:43:53 2004

Hi all. I bought the tape a year ago, and although I don't think I understand THT and BHT completely, I think I've applied Jack's teachings pretty well. I've tried to correct my problems, namely moving linearly toward the pitcher, resulting in hitting off a bent front leg, lunging at the ball, and starting out with my hands so high that I chop down on the ball slightly on contact.
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> Here's the problem I'm having now: I can keep my weight back and hit off a straight front leg every time- in the cages. In a game, it's been much much harder to not go back to my old, lunging, non-hip-turning-very-much, linear ways. I'm hitting like crap this year, and as a result getting far less game time to work on my swing against live pitching. As far as I can tell, it's got to be one of two things:
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> 1. Nerves- I do feel some abdominal tightness in game situations that I don't feel in the cages. That might keep me stiff and inflexible in the box, to the point where I swing very linearly and without much hip turn.
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> 2. Adjustment- I know where (to a degree) each pitch is coming when it's coming out of a pitching machine. If it's an actual person out there, it could be high / low / outside / inside / curving / sliding / sinking / etc. I have to make a very quick minor adjustment 99% of the time (to say nothing of just laying off the pitch), and it seems that it might be then that all the training goes out the window and I'm back to lunging at the ball and shifting my weight forward too far. I've noticed I hit a lot better at the "good" cages near me- where every pitch is a laser beam right at the same spot- than at the "lousy" cages I go to sometimes, where the machines have much worse "control". But, that makes sense, right?
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> Anyone have any training tips or suggestions? Anyone else feel a big difference between live hitting and cage hitting, to this degree?

Hi Matt,

It is refreshing to see your honest evaluation of a typical problem which is never addressed: migrating the optimized hitting mechanic to real game situations.

I also encountered this problem initially. I have since improved considerably. Here are my key findings:

1. Pitching Machine:
Realize a pitching machine will (more or less) encourage you to swing away, regardless of location. You may take occasionally, but basically the machine does not enhance your ability to judge close pitches - in fact, it diminishes it.

Also, a pitching machine causes a hitter to be tentative in game situations. This is because the hitter has implied confidence he will not be hit in a cage. The mere fact that you *could* be hit in a game will cause tentative approach.

Solutions include live pitching, or a higher-end machine which can vary pitch speed and location according to programmed input.

2. Batter's Box:
This can be a problem if one is used to swinging in a cage. This is particularly true for lighter batters, where less ground friction exists to drive rotation. Adding 15-20 lbs muscle will reduce this problem. Also, scout home plate beforehand to find optimal footing.

3. Stance
Stand close to the plate with confidence. A good rotational swing will cause the sweet spot to make contact only about 1.3' from your torso. By standing close, you will be able to:

A. Handle middle-inside pitches with authority.
B. Handle outside pitches without lunging.
C. Judge pitch location better, and take more bad pitches.

4. Pitch Speed Practice
Many people will say one should not practice with high-speed pitching because the correct mechanic can be employed on a slower pitch by simply waiting longer. I completely disagree. One should acclimate to conditions likely encountered. Try to hit the fastest pitch you can, and work up from there. Mix in slower pitches to retain timing on all pitches.

Regards,
Mike.