Hitting Visualization is Crucial
Studies have shown that people can learn to do things just by watching and visualizing themselves doing the same things. Unfortunately, many of today’s ballplayers do not watch the game of baseball very often. Therefore, they lack the hitting visualization that can help them develop as hitters.
With that in mind, youth baseball coaches must give players ways of learning and observing how things should be done when it comes to the most difficult sports task of all – hitting a baseball. Following are things that coaches can do to spur the hitting development in inexperienced ballplayers. These hitting visualization tips can also help hitters get out of hitting slumps without swinging the bat.
Hitting Visualization tips
- Have players watch a major league player’s swing on YouTube over and over again. It helps to see positive swing actions and seeing oneself mimicking the swing.
- Ask players to review the sequence of a good swing in their mind – stride and preparation, hips, knob, barrel and extension.
- Have players study the pitcher’s delivery to get the rhythm, timing and release point ingrained in their mind before getting in the batter’s box. Mentally rehearsing facing that pitcher is important so there are no surprises.
- Have players review the best hit they ever had before every at-bat.
- Have players mentally review the strike zone along with visualizing themselves taking bad pitches and swinging at good ones.
- Have players set their goals on having quality at-bats and not just hits. They can control the quality but not always the results.
Jack Perconte has dedicated his post-major league baseball career to helping youth. He has taught baseball and softball for the past 28 years. His playing, coaching and parenting stories create better experiences for athletes and parents. Jack has written over a thousand articles on coaching baseball and youth sports. Jack is the author of “The Making of a Hitter” and “Raising an Athlete.” His third book “Creating a Season to Remember” is now available. Jack is a featured writer for Baseball the Magazine. You can also find Jack Perconte on YouTube with over 120 fun and innovative baseball instructional videos.
Hey Jack great stuff.
As a mental trainer who has studied the power of mental training, I would only add that the more you visualize specifically, the better the results. Example:
Everything you explained is the right way as I would like to add a couple things ( age 12 and up ) specifically to add even more confidence, ( and that is the magic formula for hitting ) for the hitter.
1. During visualization exercises try to see the field, smell the grass, feel the breeze of wind, feel the bat in your hands, focus on that pitcher and release point, see the pitch ( down the middle,inside, outside corner ) then mentally explode your swing to the area of the pitch you want to hit ( practice all three ) and feel the hips turn, the hand quickness, feel the barrel of the bat through the hitting zone, making solid contact with the ball, hear the sound ) The closer to reality this drill is practiced, the better it prepares the hitter to acquire a level of KNOWING. This is done pregame with eyes closed and takes just a few minutes. Studies show that what the mind can conceive, it sees a REAL experience, so by being successful at this mental drill, it will help with the kinetic motion to make the proper swing coverage.This builds the neuronal pathways as if you were PHYSICALLY doing this drill.
Hope this helps.
Val,
That does help – I remember back in the day when I was with Mariners where we would have a sports psychologist take us through your routine every Tuesday and at season’s end, Tuesday was the teams highest batting average of any day. Thanks for adding. Jack
Jack,
Thanks. That is very interesting, but not surprised. Every team should have a mental coach assigned to work with the hitting coach. Hey, Morehead State won the OVC and plays Clemson Friday evening at Clemson in Regional. Excited!! Tech got a bid.
Val