Howdy Wildcat Fans!
It’s only fitting that our next topic is hitting, so let’s talk about hitting!
What I have learned about hitting is that everyone has their own strengths and not one swing is the same! I have always thought that it takes perfect mechanics and certain techniques, but actually, everyone swings naturally in their own way that suits their strengths and abilities! There is a lot that goes into training one’s natural swing and it takes a coach that is willing to build upon and teach a swing that comes natural to you. What all goes into being a good hitter you might ask? A good hitter has body awareness of your swing mechanics, having a short term memory, and making quick adjustments!
Body awareness is something that a softball player must have no matter if they are a pitcher, a fielder, or an infielder. It is important to know exactly what you are feeling and fix it on your own or with a hitting coach. What exactly is body awareness? Body awareness is the ability to feel your mechanics, understand how you naturally hit a ball, and learn to correct and continue when adjustments need to be made. It doesn’t matter if you are hitting off a Tee, or hitting off of a machine, hitting live batting practice, or facing a live pitcher, you will be a great hitter if you know how to make quick adjustments based upon the way your swing feels according to the way your body moves to hit a pitch no matter the setting. I talk about body awareness and the importance of it because the game of softball takes much more than just spending time with coaches to teach you the game. It takes a lot of practice on your own to execute all that you are learning with your coaches. For example, taking a test in school, you cannot expect to do well on a test when you do not study for it nor can you expect to advance within that subject if you have no idea what you learned previously! Body awareness is learned and understood through training but mastered with practice.
If there is anything you learn from this article, it is that if you want to be a good hitter, you have to have a short term memory! We play a game of failure where this game will eat you alive mentally if you allow it. Hitters average about three to four at bats a game and making adjustments takes a short-term memory in order to find success. It doesn’t matter how I start the day hitting, of course it would be nice to bat 1.000 on each day I play the game, but that is a hard thing to do. If I do not start the game with a hit, this is where I make an adjustment. Where am I getting pitched? What am I getting beat on? Am I tracking the ball well? Am I seeing it with my eyes? Am I being passive or aggressive to the best pitches that I am seeing in the at bat? This kind of self talk is called ADJUSTING. Once I have a game plan and approach that has been adjusted from my previous at bat, my short term memory comes into play and all I am thinking about now is playing defense to get my team back in the dugout to hit and focusing on my next at bat and my adjusted hitting approach.
Trust me, I know it is tough to not think about your previous at bats no matter if you were successful or not, but being able to be in the moment, make adjustments and be ready for the next at bat is the key to consistency and success when it comes to the art of hitting. In speaking in detail about hitting, always remember that you are only as good as your last at bat. This means that just because you went 4 for 4 does not mean you are the best hitter that day, there is always something to work on! As a hitter, it is important to be consistent in not only your mental approach, but also how you put the ball into play. This means that putting the ball hard into play consistently is also very important as a hitter as well. As hitters who have great awareness, a short term memory, and knows how to make quick adjustments to pitchers we are facing, putting the ball hard into play should always be the goal. On paper it might not show, but going 4 for 4 or going 0 for 4 does not mean anything to me! At the end of the day, a hit is a hit, and on paper it does not tell me if a hit was a hard hit ball or not. I could go 0 for 4 and still walk away from that game knowing that I put pressure on the pitcher and the defense because I put the ball hard into play each time. And then the next day, I could go 4 for 4 and know that each at bat led me to that successful day knowing that my goal wasn’t just to get a hit but put the ball hard into play each at bat.
Overall, I am only as good as my last at bat and in my opinion, having body awareness, a short term memory, and making quick adjustments no matter what the setting is the key to being a successful and coachable hitter at this level. So if you take away anything in this article about my approach to hitting, it is simply to work on being present as a hitter and always focus on the next pitch!
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