Hitting is an art and it is a science.
There are quantifiable and measurable factors that contribute to someone becoming a very good hitter. But, there are just as many things that a hitter needs to feel and sense — which is where the art comes in.
We all know that ten people can look at a painting and leave with 10 different impressions of what they just saw. They’ll all have different reactions and different emotional responses. This is what makes art so powerful.
Combining art and science is what, I believe, makes hitting such a challenge.
The hitter must understand the science part of bat speed and angles and loading and geometry while also understanding how all these things feel.
Without the feel there is no understanding. And without understanding there can be no consistency.
Which leads us to the moral of the story:
Hitters must be willing to accept the fact that they are going to spend the rest of their lives working on something that never ends. Hitting is like a race with no finish line. No matter how good you get, you can always get better. And much of the process of getting better requires a mind-numbing commitment to doing the same basic things, over and over and over again! Really good hitting is a combination of about 12-15 really simple things that combined create a very difficult jig saw puzzle.
Marathons ain’t got nothing on hitting! The marathon has a finish line…
About the Author: Tory Acheson brings a wealth of knowledge to the Fastpitch Prep staff. He has coached at all levels of the game, including the last 25 years at the college level at the University of Wisconsin – Parkside, Tennessee Tech and Kennesaw State. He began his coaching career at the high school level spending 9 years Whitnall High School in Greenfield, Wis. and is now working as a professional softball instructor.
