Calm, Comfortable, Confident, Hitting
Tonight we had a small spring break hitting practice. It went fairly well at first, everyone was hitting well and the seven girls that were there were very comfortable. I had to ask a few of them why they didn’t hit like that in the game?
Magic Moment
Then the magic happened! One of our best hitter hit the ball so hard she broke her bat! This turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to the team!
The fact is, I wanted her to switch bats anyway but was reluctant to ask her because she was using her own bat. The bat she was using was OK, but it wasn’t a catalyst! We happen to be fortunate enough to have a player on our team who is the lucky recipient of demo catalysts every year because of his job. She has four in her bag! Yes, over $1,200 worth of bats in her bag! Her cousin, also on our team, has one too and my daughter has another that was given to us by them.
Once she broke her bat, I suggested she used this other girls catalyst. She immediately ripped the ball down the line harder than she had ever hit the ball. Her next hit landed 5′ short of clearing a 225′ fence! At most of the parks we visit, it would have been gone. The boys do this all the time, the girls not so much.
Infectious Hitting
Her hitting was infectious as hitting often is. Suddenly everyone was using that bat and everyone was swinging hard. Everyone was ripping balls over the outfielder’s head, who happened to be one of our girl’s dads. He was exhausted by the end of the night. I have to ask myself, why did they hit so well tonight? and How do I get them to do it in the games?
Confidence
First and foremost, I think it was confidence. Once this girl broke her bat, she was confident she could hit hard. The fact that her first hit was a shot down the line only fed that confidence. She swung hard and confidently from that point forward. This confidence was infectious and that is all it took to ignite the other girls. I have to remind them how hard they hit the ball so they can continue to do so in the games.
Calm
Second, they were calm. There was no stress of a game situation and they were having fun. They calmly stepped into the box and hit the ball. There was no fear because I was pitching and they knew what to expect. This calmness has to be transferred from me to them in game situations. I am not sure how I will do this, but I will attempt to remind them and maybe have them do some visioning drills before the game putting themselves back into that place that they were tonight and trying to bring that place with them to the game.
Comfortable
Third, they were comfortable. It was a beautiful night with a slight breeze blowing and they are very comfortable with one another. They way they get along is what chemistry is all about. This is something I didn’t coach, they just love each other and that is fine by me! They are comfortable around each other and they feed off that comfort. Hopefully, when we travel, we can take some of the comfort with us.
The Bottom Line
The bottom line is that hitting is all about cool, calm, comfort in the batters box. Rather than thinking “oh no, I have to hit now”, you have to step into the box and say “Yeah baby, bring it, cause I am going to turn it around!”. That makes all the difference in the world. It is the difference between a shot in the gap and a meager dribbler or strike out.
What techniques do you use to instill confidence in your batters?
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