HITTING 

PHYSICAL SIDE

The physical side of hitting is a function of the principles of Kinesiology and Physics.  Included are proper bio-mechanics, appropriate hitting specific conditioning and training, and a practice routine that meets these criteria.  Successful hitting also has a mental side.  Included in this component are such things as confidence levels, the ability to focus on the here and now, personality issues, attentive and cognitive styles which involve the ability to utilize imagery, self perceptions, motivational dynamics both intrinsic and extrinsic, the ability to control emotions and stress, and the ability to control and channel competitive anxiety and use it to improve performance.

 At the California Baseball and Softball School (CBSS) we believe that each athlete must be able to find the proper balance between the physical and mental components in order to maximize performance.  Each athlete is different and unique resulting in individual differences in the balance. Is it 50-50, 60-40, 70-30, or as much as 90-10?  It is different for each person.

There are literally dozens of hitting theories or approaches.  Any inspection of a good library or book store will reveal book after book and video after video of the latest and greatest in hitting instruction and technique.  Attend any of the national baseball or softball coaches conventions and each year you will find dozens of the latest innovative gadgets all claiming to instantly raise everybody’s batting average.

As stated earlier, the physical side of hitting is primarily a function of the principles of Kinesiology and Physics.  The physical side of hitting begins with the stance.  A successful hitter usually has a stance with the feet at approximately hip or shoulder width, triple flexion (slightly bent at the ankles, knees, and waist).  The hands will have the center knuckles aligned and be approximately shoulder height or slightly above. The hitter needs to be tension free in the stance as tension will slow down the muscle action.

The swing begins with a small (no more than 6”) step. This step serves a number of purposes.  First, it is a timing device.  It is a hitter’s internal clock or trigger to start the swing.  Second, it is the means to breaking the body’s inertia (remember Newton’s first law of motion).  Third, if the hitter is properly balanced when picking up the front foot to step it will maximize the weight load on the back leg for increased power and acceleration at the initiation of the body or core rotation.

Following the step, which concludes with a fairly stiff front leg (not locked), the back heel will lift slightly (an inch or two).  This movement will initiate the process of sequential segmentation and thereby provide for the whole body to participate in the swing.  The back knee will begin to turning down and in which will then initiate hip and/or core rotation.  The principles of sequential segmentation (Alexander & Haddow, 1982) in their research on pitching apply directly to the swing mechanics.  Part of their summary stated “skilled performance may rather be dependent on the ability of the performer to decelerate proximal segments in order, and possibly in this way some momentum is transferred from proximal to distal segments.” (p. 216).  They also stated that “the larger more proximal segment reaches maximum angular velocity at the earliest point in the skill, followed by the next segment and finally the most distal segment.  This sequence is seen in many other ballistic sports skills, and is likely a necessary characteristic pattern of skilled performance.  The proximal segment also attains peak angular acceleration earliest in the skill, followed by peak acceleration of the distal two segments which occur at almost the same instant.  This pattern is also likely characteristic of skilled performances”. (p. 216).

When related to the hitting swing, the sequential segmentation begins with the lifting of the back heel, moving to the lower leg, then to the upper leg, to the trunk, to the upper arms, to the lower arms, and finally to the hands.  Each preceding segment decelerates as its energy is transferred to the succeeding segment.  Finally, “the sequential action of the various joints of a limb during ballistic movements may also facilitate the stretch reflex mechanism.  Since the distal segments trail the proximal segments for the first part of most ballistic movements, due to the inertia of these segments, this puts the agonist muscle groups on a stretch.  The more the angular velocity of the distal segment is delayed, the more that segment trails the proximal one, the greater the stretch.  This stretch excites the muscle spindles and the joint receptors and causes a more forceful contraction of these muscles during the subsequent joint movements (p. 213-214).  Implicit in this segmentation and energy transfer is that the sequencing must occur in the proper order, and each succeeding segment is dependent on the preceding one.

These data and findings reiterate and confirm that no part of the swing is independent of another.  All parts must work together, must follow the proper sequencing, and must be connected.  As the lifting of the back heel starts the swing it progresses to the lower leg, to the knee, to the upper leg, to the hip area or core, to the trunk, to the upper arms, to the lower arms, and finally to the wrist and hands.  The back knee will turn down and in to initiate the hip or core rotation.  This hip or core rotation is the primary source of power for the swing.  The swing must start from the bottom of the body and work its way up.  The hip or core and trunk rotation is around the body axis and will angle slightly behind the axis.

With all this said, the hands must get the bat into the hitting zone and achieve near full extension at contact.  The degree to which the hands cock (torque) or not in the pre-swing phase will be a matter of style for each hitter.  As the back leg begins to drive the hip or core rotation, the hands will start forward mirroring the core rotation.  The back elbow will be tight against the side of the body and the hands close to the body.  The closer the hands stay to the body, the quicker they will get to the hitting zone and the more torque they will provide at the point of bat release or contact.

To summarize the physical side of the swing;  (1) it progresses from the bottom up, (2) the back heel leads to the knee turn, which leads to the hip or core rotation, which leads to the trunk rotation, which leads to the arms rotation, which leads to the hands torqueing to generate bat velocity, (3) no body segment works independently, all are connected, (4) all body segments must work in the proper sequence to attain a fluid, powerful, and compact explosion to the ball.

MENTAL SIDE

The mental side of hitting is not unlike the mental aspects of the other parts of the game or any other athletic endeavor.  In order for an athlete to be able to perform at their maximum capability, their mental skills must be practiced and developed equally with their physical skills.  Mental skills like physical skills must be understood, must be learned, and must be practiced.

Mental skills begin with an attitude that is positive.  Attitude is a way of thinking that is reflected in ones body language.  Attitude is a choice.  One can choose to be positive in their thinking or negative.  Maintaining a positive attitude requires an understanding of what it is and consciously and continuously practicing it.  Successful athletes and hitters set goals, both short-term and long-term.  They write them down, they are realistic and measurable. Successful athletes and hitters understand the true meaning of the word “teammate”.  A true teammate is one who puts the needs and requirements of his or her teammates and team ahead of their own.  Only when an athlete has done all they can to assist their teammates and team achieve their goals do they consider their own personal needs and goals.

Mental skills involve learning the concepts of self-talk and mental imagery.  Positive self-talk can be used to correct bad habits, focus attention, build self-confidence, and change negative thoughts to positive ones.  Mental imagery is the process of using ones senses to create or re-create a positive or successful past experience in the mind.  Imagery training can be very effective; however it must be practiced regularly.

Successful athletes must be able to concentrate or pay attention to the “here and now” during competition.  Attention is “taking possession by the mind, in clear and vivid form, of one out of what seems several simultaneously possible objects or trains of thought” (James 1890).  The ability to selectively attend to cues, events, or thoughts while disregarding others is a key to successful performances (Gill 2nd edition 2000).  Self efficacy is a situation-specific form of self-confidence, or the belief that one is competent and can do whatever is necessary in a specific situation… (Bandura 1977b, 1982, 1986).

Successful athletes and hitters must learn to understand that arousal and heightened emotions are part of competition.  Anxiety is a negative aspect of arousal.  Successful athletes learn to recognize anxiety, learn how to interpret and control it, and how to use and channel anxiety and heightened emotions to improve performance rather than letting it detract from or inhibit performance.  Learning how to use relaxation techniques can be very helpful in dealing with heightened emotions and anxiety and using them to the athletes benefit, rather than letting them interfere with performance.  Some of these techniques are breathing exercises, meditation (relaxing the mind first and letting the muscles follow), and progressive relaxation techniques (relaxing the muscles first, and letting the mind follow).

To summarize, successful hitting is similar to other successful athletic endeavors.  It involves a physical or biomechanical component as well as a mental component.  The arguments about which is the greater percentage and to what degree is not as important as the recognition that both are required, that both must be learned, and that both must be practiced regularly and consistently to be developed to their fullest extent possible in order for the athlete to achieve their peak performance as often and as consistently as possible.