Have you ever noticed that some players almost seem to know what is going to happen before it does? They appear to have some sort of magic ability to see the game unfold in their mind before it actually takes place on the field. Wouldn’t it be nice to be one of those players or to coach a team of players who have that ability?
It isn’t a magic ability. Anticipation is a skill that can be learned and improved upon just like everything else that happens in our game.
The player who seems to have the ability to predict the future isn’t really performing magic. What they are doing is using the information that is readily available to us all and processing it in a way that gives them an edge.
Where is the hitter standing? What pitch is being thrown? What does the hitters swing look like? How hard is our pitcher throwing? How fast is the runner? How fast is the hitter? Does the field play fast or slow? And on the list goes.
The player we all admire for being ahead of the game is constantly evaluating all these factors and using that information to help them get a better jump on the ball or know where the play should be made or have a better idea where the ball will be hit. This knowledge allows this player to do things that another player can not do.
Magic? Of course not!
Simple? Of course not!
Learnable? Of course!
