Don’t Put the Cart before the HORSE

Traditions are passed down …. innocently –
and are often accepted … ignorantly –
An example,  people believed the traditional thinking,  the world was flat .. people passed this position to one another .. innocently ..and examinations of the BIBLE tells you the world was a sphere, but people accepted the traditional thinking .. ignorantly –
Obviously, more science removed “the world is flat theory..”
How about baseball and softball coaching traditions.  Innocently, we pass along to generations behind us.. Fixing your mechanics will fix your hitting. Season after season, year after year coaches are programming players to believe, fix your mechanics, you’ll fix your swing.
Simple thinking, simple analysis shows us what preludes and determines “swing mechanics” .. Review the hitting swing from this perspective…the end to the beginning.
  • (1) Last, for the simplicity, IMPACT is last.. bat hits ball..
  • (2) Before bat hits ball, player needed “swing mechanics”
  • (3) Before “swing mechanics”. player needs to see ball’s flight path..Seeing the ball late in it’s flight path .. destroys “swing mechanics”..Seeing the early in flight path.. makes “swing mechanics” smooth.
  • (4) Before player SEES flight path, player TIMES the pitcher’s delivery.
  • (5) Before player TIMES the pitcher’s delivery,  the batting stance and what the player is looking at and thinking effects how he/she will TIME the delivery ..
Traditionally and Innocently, coaches parents emphasize “swing mechanics” so much, but ignorantly forget to realize:
 (1) Stance, (2) Timing Pitcher’s Delivery, (3) Seeing ball early in flight path ALL effect the swing mechanics.
For most coaches and players, when they refer to TIMING and Seeing the ball they talk with generic phrases that don’t explain much like,..
“keep it simple”.. “feel my rhythm” ..”get my foot down” ..
We all learn through different stimuli .. LANGUAGE, or language with specific details can help players make major breakthroughs with their understanding of what makes TIMING work. ..