What are YOUR players doing on deck?

The photo to the right was forwarded to me by a good friend who said it was making the rounds on social media.  As you can see, a total of four hitters are currently in their hitting routine.  To see this many hitters involved leads me to think that Clemson demands this of their hitters as part of an official hitting routine they want their hitters to move through.

Most coaches would be satisfied if just their on-deck hitter was going through some sort of planned routine but a double-deck guy and triple-deck guy doing it too?  That’s pretty impressive!

Creating such a routine is of enormous importance because a good one gets you ready both physically and mentally.  Below is a reprint of a post I wrote way back called Hitting: Five stages of focus.  In it you will see that each stage requires specific physical and mental adjustments that either get you ready for an upcoming at-bat or help you get over one you just had.  All routines will vary based on each hitter’s individual needs, strengths, and weaknesses so the content below is certainly not a one-size-fits-all.

More posts about hitting routines to come!

Hitting: Five stages of focus

Pre-game to Double-Deck.  Focus should be broad

• Physically preparing to hit.  Batting practice, soft-toss, proper warm-up, proper mechanics, etc.
• Thoughts on hitting involve gathering information about the pitcher, staying positive, and noticing how the game is evolving
  • How does he pitch righties vs lefties?
  • Majority of pitches in or away?  Up or down?
  • What seems to be his “out” pitch or “go-to” pitch when in trouble?

On-Deck. Focus begins to narrow.

• Recognizing the situation you will be batting in.  Runners on?, outs?, score?, inning?, bunting situation?, etc.
• Much less focus on overall mechanics and more on a batter’s “keys” – hands back, stay on top, be aggressive, etc.  NOTE: Each batter should create a short list of “keys” that are specific to their individual success.    Ask a coach if you are not sure what they might be.  Keep your thoughts to these keys only.  Stick with short positive phrases like “Stay on top” or “aggressive through the ball.”  Avoid negative commands like “Don’t loop the bat” or “Don’t swing at bad pitches.”  Tell your body what you want it to do as opposed to what you don’t want it to do.
• Keep breathing deeply and slowly to relax the body and mind to control nervousness and/or anxiety.

In the box.  Focus is very narrow.

• Focus on the pitcher.  See the “whole pitcher” on the mound and gradually shrink your vision to his release point when he lets go of the pitch.
• All thoughts about mechanics are erased.  After a pitch or swing, a batter can step out and give a positive reminder about one of his keys but that’s all.
• See the pitch and just react.  Trust your preparation.

Post at-bat.  Keep it simple, keep it positive.

• Quickly process what went right and what went wrong.
• Shift to “defense thinking” as you run to your position.  Hitting is over.  Leave all hitting thoughts in the dugout.
• Give yourself a break.  Hitting is hard.  Find a positive no matter how small it may be.  A first pitch swing at a pitch over your head resulting in an easy pop-up becomes “Good job being ready to swing at the first pitch!” in your head.  You can just add “get a good pitch to hit” to your keys the next time you are on deck.
• Circle back to “Pre-game to Double-deck” focus when you return to the bench.

Post-game.  Return to a broader focus.

• Honestly evaluate your at-bats.  Three or four hard hit balls is a successful day at the plate regardless of how many turned into hits.  Four hits off the end of the bat may have improved your average but it should be a sign of concern and a need for possible adjustments as well.
• Replace thoughts of “I’m awesome!” or “I stink!” with “what do I need to work on before the next game to get better?”
• Once again … Give yourself a break.  Hitting is hard.  Find the positives no matter how small they may be.

With the use of these stages and creating their own routine, players hopefully will get a greater sense of control over their body and mind as a hitter.  Great hitters have many of the same thoughts as others.  Great hitters just do a better job of knowing what to focus on, when to focus on them, and for how long.