Hitters are always striving for consistency. They want to know that they are prepared to take their best swing when they need it the most. They want to have faith that their preparation will allow them to come through when the game is on the line.
Well, if we want to be consistent we need to practice consistency!
Too many hitters spend too much time taking too many different swings!
You’ve all seen the kid who takes warm up swings at 50%, then hits off the tee at 60%, then does side toss at 70%, then hits front toss at 80%, then goes into the on-deck circle and takes warm up swings at 90% and then thinks they can now go into the game and swing at 100% against real pitching.
Yes, I get it. It is okay to take a few warm-up swings to get the blood pumping and to get your body loosened up. We are not talking about a few warm-up swings here, we are talking about kids who are consciously choosing to practice five or six different swings every time they hit.
So what’s the problem, you ask?
Hitting is a very difficult skill to master. If we spend time swinging at all these different levels of effort, we are practicing five or six different swings. How many players do you know who work hard enough to perfect that many different sings? Crickets! And that is the problem.
Once a hitter is warmed up, they need to spend all their time practicing the swing they intend to take in the games. If they want to be ready to hit in games at 100%, then they need to practice swinging at 100% effort as much of the time as they possibly can. Their goal has to be to work at 100%, 100% of the time! Or they need to practice a whole lot more!
