Posted by: Curt () on Thu Feb 10 19:43:58 2000

Guys, hitting is not rocket science. If you fill your players mind with technical jargon and what to do and what not to do they are sitting ducks already. Im an 18 year old baseball lover and I have learned that two things do not mix while at bat: thinking and hitting. The only thing a hitter focuses on is dead red - look away adjust in - keep weight back - adjust on uncle charles... thats it. My freshmen and sophamore years I hit .238 on varsity - that was when I was thinking too much - last year I hit .473 - when all I did was react.
> rob


Rob and Bill,

Hitting is not rocket science, but I have seen no mention of rockets anywhere on this sight (lame attempt at humor). I agree with your simplistic approach in game conditions. It should be very reactionary, but shouldn't you train yourself to react in the most efficient way? Judging by some of the recent discussions on this site, not everyone's understanding of what is the most efficient way is the same. Let me ask you this. Have you ever had someone give you advice on hitting mechanics and it improved your results? Maybe you came up with something on your own that helped. Either way, most hitters will benefit from some kind of mechanical change in their swing.

I think it has been proven over and over that there are some things mechanically that a hitter must do to hit the ball with power and consistency. Hitting a baseball on a "consistent" basis is not an easy or simple task. There are just too many variables involved. Some hitters might require more instruction than others, but very few will succeed with no instruction.

I think our "rocket science" discussions are an attempt to find the most efficient way to do this. If it were not human nature to seek out a better and more efficient way to do things, we might still be living in caves and building fires to cook and stay warm.

Curt