Game time batting adjustments every player should know about

Every player will run into a series of games where he will have to use on the fly batting adjustments to put him in the best position to succeed.  Although it’s great to think that your baseball batting training will always prepare you for the game, in reality, that simply isn’t the case.  Between being physically tired, and battling other mechanical issues, it is good to have a few quick fixes in your bag of tricks.

First, if you find yourself opening up or striding open during the load, try to step on the outside of your front foot.  Trying to step on outside of your front foot will naturally help you square off your front side allowing you transition your weight into the ball, instead of flying open.

Second, create better body posture in your batting stance.  Many players begin to lean over the plate during their swing causing a disconnect between their lower half and their upper body.  By “pinching” your lower back during your batting stance, it will keep you more upright during your swing.  This will allow your eyes to be stable and keep your weight balanced throughout your entire swing.

Third, drive you knee to the ground to clear your hips.  With so many things to concentrate on during the baseball swing, certain elements of the swing can suffer.  The first thing to usually go is the hips.  As a quick fix, drive your knee to the ground the next time up.  This is a guaranteed action that will cause you to drive your hips and restore you power.

Last, scrape your knuckles on the inside part of the ball.  Rolling over pitches constantly is enough to drive any player nuts.  By actively trying to scrape your knuckles on the inside part of the ball you will see the ball longer and keep your hands inside the ball.  As a result, you will see better contact in no time.

These on the fly adjustments are designed to help you battle through a tough series of games or a weekend, but they are not crutches to rely on for long term success.  However, they will help you get the job done for the day until you can focus on building more repeatable mechanics during your next batting training session.

The one thing you need to do everyday in baseball

What are your baseball batting goals for 2013?   How do you plan to achieve those goals?

If you have been a part of the Hot Streak HittingTraining Program than you know I take the mental part of the game and goals  very seriously because I know the power behind strong mental foundation. In fact, it’s arguably the most important aspect of hitting which is why I use the Daily Player Contract before all of my hitting training sessions.

The Daily Player Contract

If you haven’t had the chance to give your baseball batting goals much thought, I want you to watch the video below by Tony Robbins who considered one of the top motivational speakers in the world.   He begins the six minute segment with a short story and then gives you the science and the power of how clarity and purpose in your goal setting will unlock your natural ability to succeed at whatever you put your mind too.

If you follow this formula you will experience unparalleled success on and off the baseball field because you will overcome your obstacles, continuously search for solutions to solve you problems, and work hard enough to make your game a success.

How hard do you need to train for baseball season?

How hard are you willing to work to make your 2013 baseball season the best season you have every played?

As the 2013 season begins to ramp up, I wanted to share a video that I want you to compare yourself too in terms of motivation, commitment, and overall drive to reach your peak performance  on the baseball field.   Mississippi  State Baseball posted this video to youtube last January and it does a great job of showing just how hard  top baseball players are willing to work to be the best they can possibly be.

If you want it bad enough, you’ll take this video and use it as motivation for the upcoming season.

Nick Saban speaks on how your attitude can make you great player

In light of the BCS Championship I want to share a video from one of the greatest coaches in football today in Nick Saban.  This is just an outstanding video that covers mental toughness and how to be successful.  Every coach, player, parent, etc. should watch this video because it paints a clear picture of what it takes to be a confident and successful person that improves every single day.   If you take this attitude into your upcoming baseball  season you can only do great things!

 

New Blog Post: The Best Motivation

For those of you who have followed the Hot Streak Hitting Blog for awhile you know about Brain Cain and his work in Sports Psychology and the mental approach to the game.  Today I saw him upload a link and I had to share it.   It’s titled “The Best Motivation”.  Enjoy!

YouTube Batting Instruction for Free

For those of you who subscribe to my YouTube Channel you know I have a couple of free baseball training videos that you can comment on or ask questions.  I’m sure some of you have the same types of questions as the followers below.   This all sparked from the video Baseball Hitting Training: Step 1 The Load.  Feel free to hop on and ask questions of your own and get great hitting instruction on my YouTube Channel for free.

How would you incorporate the step with a hitter who has more of an open stance. Sorry if this is a stupid question. Lol

DFTT2121 

It’s not a stupid question at all. Many players who bat with an open stance struggle to find a consistent stride point when they start open. The mistake most players make when the load with an open stance is stepping across their body as they load. Instead have his front knee come in towards the plate and slightly back to get his body parallel with the plate then stride forward. This will keep him in line with the pitcher and bring great consistency in his stride length and tempo.

Jim Chapman in reply to DFTT2121 

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@hotstreakhittting-thanks 4 the vid.just a question.the stride u do i think is known as a pre step,at what point in the pitchers motion do u wanna do ur load and take that step forward?

BCELTICS224 

@BCELTICS224 Great question. The cookie cutter answer is you want to take your step and your front foot to hit the ground just as the pitcher is releasing the ball. Your foot should be down early enough to give yourself time to read the pitch. Saying that, your are trying to keep your “timing” as consistent as possible. When timing a pitch, focus on getting your foot down with the same amount of time to read the pitch before engaging the rest of your swing. Do you have any other questions?

HotStreakHitting 

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yes.the bat angle (im guna b a sophmore in HS)how far should the bat get behind ur head? without wrappping the bat bc i had that problem

BCELTICS224 in reply to HotStreakHitting

The key to a good bat angle is what you are doing with your bottom hand when you load. They next time you load focus on you bottom hand wrist. When you load, focus on taking your wrist straight back an allowing your hand to slide or “cock” slight upward to the sky. You’ll notice that this will up you at a nice angle almost 45 degrees which is roughly the angle you want to be at. The key is not to lift your arms or back elbow up towards the sky, simply load straight back.

Jim Chapman in reply to BCELTICS224 

Achieving your baseball goals taking too long?

At the beginning of every day what is the first thing that you do?  Are you person that goes right to kitchen for breakfast, brushes your teeth, hits the snooze button?  Chances are you have some daily routine to get your ready for the day and accomplish the list of activities you need to get done.  But before too long, you are out the door on the way to school, work, practice etc. and life starts to take over.

The next thing you know, it is time for bed and you haven’t accomplished nearly half of the things that was on your list for the day.  How would your day change if the first thing you did was set a game plan for how you were going to accomplish your goals for that day? I’m not taking about running through a list in your head, I’m taking about writing down each individual goal for the day and exactly how you plan to accomplish that goal.  Instead of drifting through day picking out activities randomly you give yourself a schedule and budget your time wisely in order to cross activity after activity off you list.

The same thing applies when it comes to your baseball training.  Most players and coaches go into baseball practice with a general outline of what they want to accomplish.  Infield/Outfield followed by batting practice, next comes team plays, etc.  For which my questions are, what batting drills are you going to do?  How long for each drill?  Why these batting drills on this days?  What are the infielders working on today?  What is the theme of practice today?

There is a sign in the front of my office that says, “Think”.   If I ask you to tell me the reasons you are training for the day and you are not able to tell me what you are working, why you or working on it, and for how long your are working on it for then you are done training for the day.  If you not thinking about making progress and working towards your goals then your working backwards.

I encourage all of my baseball players to use what I call The Daily Player Contract.  Before they work out I encourage them fill out this short form to keep their mind and goals focused on what they really want to get out of today’s baseball training session.  I ask my players to sign the sheet at the end of their workout as authorization that they honored their contract and made the commitment to get better.

Daily Player Contract  

If achieving your baseball goals is taking to long, start using the Daily Player Contract and start getting the results you are looking for!