Hitters, let’s talk.
Too many of you are missing out on a very important, but really simple concept. When we swing one of two things is going to happen, either you hit the ball or you miss the ball, that’s it, right.
Of course, but that simple transaction creates all kinds of problems for us as players, coaches and parents.
When we miss, we almost always make more out of it than we should. We are always asking “What did I do wrong?”
Quite often, we didn’t do anything wrong and that is why this discussion is so important.
After a hitter has reached a certain level of consistency they have to come to grips with a pretty simple concept. There are going to be times when you take a really good swing, maybe even a great swing, and you just flat out miss. You have to remember that the pitcher is also working really hard at her craft and once in a while you are going to miss, even with a great swing.
Now that doesn’t mean that all “misses” are created equal. Some of our “misses” are just that, a great swing a a miss. Some others, however, are mistakes and knowing the difference is one of the most important things a hitter can come to realize.
If you take a great swing and miss, all you should be thinking about is throw another pitch, nothing more! When you take a great swing and miss, you don’t need or want to over analyze what happened. You took a great swing, you did your job and you should be excited about the opportunity to get another crack at the pitcher.
On the other hand, we do sometimes make a mistake. That means, as a hitter, I did something that short-circuited my efforts. Maybe I was late, maybe I was off balance, maybe I lost my focus, maybe I did any of a hundred different things that made me miss. This swing wasn’t about the pitcher beating me at my best but, rather, me beating myself.
Why is it so important for hitters to know the difference?
Mistakes require you to make corrections. — to make adjustments that fix the mistake. To do something to make sure that the next swing is your best effort. We need to recognize that this miss was my fault, a mistake I made and that I can correct.
Misses require you to do nothing but get back in the box and get hacking, again. Don’t turn a miss into a mistake!
