Posted by: () on Sun Jan 12 09:57:51 2003

Ya know, I'll never know as much about anything as I would like, and baseball is no exception.But,at the same time,I've always tried to gain as much insight as possible from others. And, at least in my mind, you try to gain that insight from the best possible sources. My best reads were Teds book, and Charlie Lau's. Each with a little different approach, but more similarities than I had originally thought. My point is that neither one really took a scientific approach. Even Teds book, that had the word "science" in it.It was more the science of good thinking, and pitch/pitcher awareness. I think, at least in my opinion what it all comes down to; is GOD GIVEN ABILITY.Maybe not a good example, but if you took 100 cavemen, or 100 people completely foreign to the game, and provided them with bats and balls, they'd figure it out. And the ones that had the most GOD given ability, would rise above the others. All, with no tapes,no books, no clinics,no points of reference what so ever.I mean what did the great , great players of 1920's use? They probably looked at someone else that had done it before them, but that was it.If you got it, you got, if you don't, I guess then you join a discussion board such as this:) SEE THE BALL..HIT THE BALL!!


>>>In the past I think you could be correct to some extent,but what is God given ability,is that athleticism [strength and speed] or is it some inate ability to just be efficient in this one game.Many M.L. players are poor athletes,appear to be in poor shape yet can play the game.Now in the past you did not have all that we have today to study and analyze the game yet some played terrific in spite of it,they just acquired the right skills and not necessarily by watching someone else because the swing is too fast to get much from when seen in regular speed.So in the past I think it was hit or miss to some extent on who had good mechanics and who learned just how to hit between the ears.Now we have the ability to just understand what all great hitters do mechanically and are able to get young kids on the right track to swinging properly but who will teach them the mental side maybe the few lucky kids that will have a mentor that found the mental side also, but this is much harder for most coaches,because we can't see the mental side on tape,but it is definitely there.Their may be some kids with God given athleticism that just need to be fed the proper way of doing things and if their lucky on acquiring the mental side then this is where we can make a difference today in a kids outcome.