Quality At-Bats

Many players get frustrated with the results of their at-bats and as coaches or parents we find it very hard sometimes to highlight, praise or communicate the many things that a hitter can do correctly during an at-bat when the hitter is upset or dissapointed after that at-bat ended with an out, a walk or even a strikeout.

And the main reason is that many players are not completely clear on, #1 what's their job or what they should be trying to do when they go to home plate and #2 what makes a good at-bat.

During a recent practice I asked the team what was their job, as hitters, when they walked to home plate. And the answers went from: "to get a base hit", to "get on base", to "move a runner over", to "not to strikeout". These are all great "results" from an at-bat, but a hitter that walks to home plate thinking that this is his job, is setting himself up for a lot of dissapointment and frustration.

Not all at-bats end up with a base hit. In fact not even half of the at-bats end up with a base hit. So for a hitter that thinks this is his job when he's in the batter's box, he's already set up to fail most of the time. The same applies to the hitter that thinks his job is to get on base --- not all at-bats end up with the hitter safely reaching base. If the hitter mistakenly thinks that this is his job, he will be unhappy most of the time after his at-bats. And the same applies to everything else: we won't be able to move the runner all the time (and sometimes that's not what the team needs); and we all know that strikeouts are part of the game and even the best hitters have their fair share of them. So it is no wonder why there are so many unhappy and frustrated players; and in turn so many frustrated coaches and parents.

Hitters are mistakenly putting their focus, or thinking that their job is based, on "results". Results that, no matter how good they are as players, they have no control over!

Instead I would like to challenge hitters to have a whole different approach and focus and I'm willing to guarantee that they will enjoy the game more, be more productive as hitters, and get rid of the "results" oriented mind-set that leads them to be frustrated and upset after games.

I want hitters to have this simple mindset: the job of a hitter is not to get a hit, or get on base, or move a runner over or not strikeout. The job of a hitter is to have a GOOD AT-BAT. As simple as it sounds. Understand the situation and have the best possible at-bat. No manager or coach will complain, regardless of the result, about a hitter that has a good at-bat (managers like to call them Quality At-Bats or QuABs).

But now the biggest challenge to have a Good At-Bat is to actually understand and know what makes a quality at-bat.

So What Makes a Good At-Bat?
There are many philosophies and even books written about hitting -- but I have found that philosophy and books don't really help you very much when you're at home plate facing a pitcher. So I have just three simple points for hitters to remember and understand on what makes a good at-bat.

1. Let Balls Be Balls -- sounds simple, so lets make it simple. Many hitters get themselves out by swinging at pitches that are out of reach or that are not going to allow them to have a good at-bat. So recognizing Balls from Strikes is very important. And tracking pitches in the cage or tracking pitches when a teammate is warming up in the bullpen is a great way to improve a hitter's pitch-recognition skills. So if you're at home plate and the pitcher throws a breaking ball in the dirt (ball one), a change-up just slightly off the outside corner (ball two), a high fastball (ball three), and another fastball away (ball four) -- and the hitter holds his ground and let those balls be balls, then he can sprint to first base with pride knowing he just had a very good at-bat. Now as a parent or coach -- how many times have you seen that same sequence of pitches go like this: first pitch breaking ball in the dirt / swing and miss (hitter starts to get anxious because he just looked like a fool); change-up away / swing and miss (now the hitter is even more anxious because he's lost at the plate and dad yells from the stands "you got to protect now!"); high fastball / big swing and miss (head down, slow walk to the dugout and a player that is now out mentally for the rest of the game). So we make it a habit of having a "pitch recognition" or a "read round" in batting practice for each player to work on recognizing pitches and understand that, even though we "are not out here to walk" like some parents like to say, we are not out here to get ourselves out either.

2. Swing at Good Pitches to Hit -- swing at good pitches to hit; notice that I did not say swing at "strikes"; I make it clear to hitters that sometimes (depending on the situation), what an umpire calls a strike, is not neccessarily a good pitch to hit. For example: bases loaded situation with less than two outs and a 1-0, 2-0 or 3-1 count, an umpire may call a fastball, a curveball or a change-up low and away a strike, but in that situation, that's not a good pitch to hit. With a runner at third, the infield playing back and no outs, on an 0-2 count -- that very same fastball, curveball or change-up low and away, may be a great pitch to hit and get a ground ball to second base and score a run. A 1-0, 2-0 or 3-1 "letter high" fastball may or may not be called a strike -- but it's not a good pitch to hit in that situation. But an 0-0 "letter high" fastball, with a runner at third and no outs, again, that may or may not be a strike -- it's a great pitch to hit in that situation to drive the ball into the outfield and score a run.

So letting Balls be Balls and Swinging at Good Pitches to Hit are two great things for a hitter to constantly have in mind when they make that walk from the on-deck circle and into home plate and they're trying to have a good, quality at-bat. And these are two things that any hitter, from any level can work on, do, and get better at.

The third point I use and the most difficult one to achieve is:

3. Hit the Ball "Square" -- at any level, a hitter needs to hit the ball on the barrel of the bat to be able to drive the ball and make something happen. This holds true for all situations: when you're hitting the ball to the opposite field, when you're hitting an inside pitch and even when you're laying down a bunt! The barrel needs to meet the ball on the "sweet" spot to be able to get the most out of the effort. I was surprised to find out that many hitters don't understand or don't know what hitting the ball square means. Or they don't understand that, within their $100, $200 or even $300 bats, there's a "sweet" spot where, when you hit the ball there, it will travel further and faster than when you hit it at the end of the bat or in the shaft. These hitters just swing the bat and whatever happens, happens; and they don't fully understand why their ground balls are fielded by the pitcher, shortstop or second baseman, while the good hitters on the team hit balls that shoot right through into the outfield. Most hitters just swing the bat, really good hitters try to put "good wood" into the ball. When I find players that don't know what hitting the ball square means, I explain it and then I take them into the cage and have them hit a few, and after each hit I ask them -- did you hit that one square? Yes/No; how did it feel?; how about that one? did you hit it square? Yes/No; how did it feel?; without knowing where each went (since we're inside the cage), which one felt better? -- and I make sure they understand what hitting the ball square means so when they swing they can work on hitting the ball square so they can drive it. With all these aluminum and composite bats that they have now, hitting balls square can make the game a lot of fun even for kids that don't have natural power or above average strength.

Now, knowing that you need to do that is one thing, and having the ability to do it is another. But I think that understanding the concept goes a long way for a hitter. Now that the hitter understands what his job is, he will pay more attention to his pitch selection, he will pay more attention to what are the pitches that he can hit good and with authority and, hopefully, he will be more focused when he's working on the Tee or in the cage trying to hit the ball square.

And now armed with the understanding of what his job is as a hitter --- to have a Good At-Bat --- and with this quick, 3-point checklist of what makes a good at-bat (Let Balls Be Balls, Swing at Good Pitches to Hit and Hit the Ball Square), a hitter can go to home plate and make the most out of his opportunity. And by replacing a "results" oriented approach with this simple approach --- that is 100% controlled by the hitter, not the pitcher, not the umpire and not the fielders --- a young hitter can start understanding the game better, have a more satisfying experience, and have a good reference to mentally review after each at-bat and easily "coach" himself on what he did right or what needs improvement.

If you want drills for your players to address any of these concepts, feel free to email me at ltoyens@ltgsports.com and I will be more than happy to share some drills with you. Or, if you have good drills that have worked for you and your players and you want to share them, please send them to me at that email. We run practices and training sessions almost every day, at different levels, and we are always looking for new things to do; so we will definitely put them to good use!

Repetition-Repetition-Repetition

The key to elite level performance in baseball is to be able to execute fundamentals and techniques, the right way, under pressure. Simply put, the ability to hit your cut offs, turn an inning-ending, bases loaded double play, lay down a bunt, execute a hit & run, stay back on a curveball and hit the ball hard the other way or execute an important pitch with the game on the line is what separates big time players from the rest.

Without the context of a game, or without the pressure situation, these are just baseball fundamentals. What it takes to put players in position to execute them under pressure is consistent repetition and concentrated drills. These are two of the most critical components of making the complete ball player. As baseball players, we are what we repeatedly do. And success on the baseball field then becomes the sum of small efforts repeated day in and day out.

However, drills must be creative, fun, and stressed to the athlete of how important they are. It is very easy for a player to lose focus, concentration, and interest in the drill as it is often seen as unnecessary and boring. Many players have a high level of competitiveness and intensity so when they are forced to do a drill that breaks down their flaws and mechanics, they get frustrated or bored and would just rather go at full speed. At times you can tell when they are just going through the motions to make you happy as the coach or instructor.

But doing drills is important because it isolates problem areas. Do you think the players you see on TV don't do drills or are "too good" to do them now? NO chance! It is the complete opposite, they understands that to be able to play at their level it takes a total comitment to the basics of the game.

Recognizing what a player needs to work on is a large part of the battle, but then knowing which drills to consistently do to cure the problem is just as important. The key word is consistent! Drills specific to a particular mechanical flaw must be executed on a routine basis and done PROPERLY. It takes another set of eyes to ensure the player is doing the drill the right way, otherwise, he could "think" he is doing it the right way when in reality he is simply practicing more wrong fundamentals and developing even worse habits. These must be done in front of a coach or instructor who knows what to look for. There are many drills out there for even the smallest corrections in baseball mechanics. I encourage to mix the drills up and keep them short, fun and entertaining because that will only make the player want to do them more AND do them correctly with complete dedication. I am always looking for new drills because there will always be a certain drill that works for one player - but it may not work for another. And in those instances, you must have a few back up drills that accomplish the same task. I have learned that the most effective coaches or instructors use drills to fix mechanical flaws, without even bringing attention to what that flaw is.

If any of your players, or your son, have specific mechanical flaws that you would like to address and you are not sure what drills to use - feel free to email me at ltoyens@ltgsports.com and I will be more than happy to share some drills with you.