Is this bad.....

[Go Cardinals]

Is it bad to do theese 2 things?

1- I don't pick up release points like focusing on the release point. I try to, but I forget to, but instincually I figure it out. For example I will instinctually get ready to hit a pitch (Like prepare to) when I see it out of the hands, but it happens instincually.

2- I sometimes don't watch the ball all the way, and I instinctually hit the ball dead on. Like my head is their and not in left field or something, but I don't always remember seeing the ball. But I know I am instictually watching it.

Is doing both of those ok, or will I die at a higher lever? In other words is instinctually picking up release points and watching the ball a good thing or not?

[kylebee]

Is it bad to do theese 2 things?

1- I don't pick up release points like focusing on the release point. I try to, but I forget to, but instincually I figure it out. For example I will instinctually get ready to hit a pitch (Like prepare to) when I see it out of the hands, but it happens instincually.

2- I sometimes don't watch the ball all the way, and I instinctually hit the ball dead on. Like my head is their and not in left field or something, but I don't always remember seeing the ball. But I know I am instictually watching it.

Is doing both of those ok, or will I die at a higher lever? In other words is instinctually picking up release points and watching the ball a good thing or not?

Yeah, this isn't good. You have the time to react now since you're young, but when pitchers start throwing 82+, this won't work.

What my college coaches developed in me was the ability to "soft focus" on the bill of the cap of the pitcher (eyes fuzzy, not locked in) during the windup, and when the pitcher started his arm circle by breaking his hands, I would hard focus in a small square box where his arm is most likely to come through. For pitchers I have not faced, I typically take the first pitch to gauge the release point and work from there.

[Go Cardinals]

Yeah, this isn't good. You have the time to react now since you're young, but when pitchers start throwing 82+, this won't work.

What my college coaches developed in me was the ability to "soft focus" on the bill of the cap of the pitcher (eyes fuzzy, not locked in) during the windup, and when the pitcher started his arm circle by breaking his hands, I would hard focus in a small square box where his arm is most likely to come through. For pitchers I have not faced, I typically take the first pitch to gauge the release point and work from there.

Ok, great! Thank You!

[cosmo34]

Is it bad to do theese 2 things?

1- I don't pick up release points like focusing on the release point. I try to, but I forget to, but instincually I figure it out. For example I will instinctually get ready to hit a pitch (Like prepare to) when I see it out of the hands, but it happens instincually.

2- I sometimes don't watch the ball all the way, and I instinctually hit the ball dead on. Like my head is their and not in left field or something, but I don't always remember seeing the ball. But I know I am instictually watching it.

Is doing both of those ok, or will I die at a higher lever? In other words is instinctually picking up release points and watching the ball a good thing or not?

Actually, for #1, some of the most solid hits I've hit in my life were off pitches I didn't see real well, but just reacted.

[korp]

Picking up a release point will help you significantly when pitchers throw harder because you can see the ball's spin and possibly the grip from the pitcher if they show it early enough. Also as for tracking the ball you want to track it all the way. How I look at is ... You want to follow the ball all the way from the pitchers hand to off your bat and briefly know where it goes because you do have to start running. To know where his release point is you should be watching this long before you are in the box and this will help you know where to look.

[Go Cardinals]

Yeah I did that in my game today (Picking up release point), and it helped alot..... I could tell where the pitch was going. Also, It helped on 1 at bat, because I noticed that the pitcher left his pitch up (he made a mistake). As a result I hit something that could of been a homer, but it dropped because of the wind. The wind was really blowing in....

Thank you Kyle, I did the box thing, and it helped alot.

[kylebee]

Yeah I did that in my game today (Picking up release point), and it helped alot..... I could tell where the pitch was going. Also, It helped on 1 at bat, because I noticed that the pitcher left his pitch up (he made a mistake). As a result I hit something that could of been a homer, but it dropped because of the wind. The wind was really blowing in....

Thank you Kyle, I did the box thing, and it helped alot.

Cool! It's pretty common advice - most HS/college coaches who know anything will tell you that (I think hiddengem also posted something similar on the board). The reason you use a "soft focus" early is because studies have shown that trying to "hard focus" on an object only works for a few seconds before you naturally switch out to soft mode. You don't want to tax your Central Nervous System (CNS) too much.

When using the box approach, you'll find a whole class of pitchers that you can destroy despite their velocity and/or movement: The ones that show the ball to you very early. If you can pick up the ball and release point well before the pitcher actually throws it, you're getting a huge jump on the pitch. This is one reason why pitchers like Greg Maddux are still effective despite a below-average fastball - they are "sneaky fast" by shielding the ball with their glove arm and mechanics, making the release point apparent to the batter as late as possible, turning that 87 mph fastball into something that looks like a 92+ mph fastball due to the slashing of reaction time.

As a RH batter, I absolutely love hitting off lefties who have this problem.

[Whitesoxnut]

One things that drives me nuts is batters not paying attention, while waiting to hit, and while a pitcher is warming up before "play ball". I tell my kid to, unobtrusively, swing the bat, as if hitting, while the pitcher is warming in order to see and time his release point.

While I'm grousing another thing I cant stand is batters the first few innings that dont pay attention, while on the bench, to the pitchers mechanics, his stuff, and his ability to hold runners on. By the 2nd inning there shouldn't be any surprises if a teams hitters are paying attention before the first at bats.

Cardinals I think you have discovered the power of mental preparation. Its sounds like you simply found your stroke and your confidence. The reason your saying you aren't seeing the ball when you hit it is because you aren't over-thinking the at bat.

I always thought a hitter is dialed into a release point when hes able to react well to an off-speed. Again, another reason to watch warm ups. Many young pitchers have release point variations when they throw off speed and being able to pick up on it is a huge advantage for a batter.

It sounds like you have the motivation to not only play ball Cardinal, but also, to be a student of the game. That mindset will pay huge dividends for you in the future.

[CanadianKid]

One things that drives me nuts is batters not paying attention, while waiting to hit, and while a pitcher is warming up before "play ball". I tell my kid to, unobtrusively, swing the bat, as if hitting, while the pitcher is warming in order to see and time his release point.

While I'm grousing another thing I cant stand is batters the first few innings that dont pay attention, while on the bench, to the pitchers mechanics, his stuff, and his ability to hold runners on. By the 2nd inning there shouldn't be any surprises if a teams hitters are paying attention before the first at bats.

Cardinals I think you have discovered the power of mental preparation. Its sounds like you simply found your stroke and your confidence. The reason your saying you aren't seeing the ball when you hit it is because you aren't over-thinking the at bat.

I always thought a hitter is dialed into a release point when hes able to react well to an off-speed. Again, another reason to watch warm ups. Many young pitchers have release point variations when they throw off speed and being able to pick up on it is a huge advantage for a batter.

It sounds like you have the motivation to not only play ball Cardinal, but also, to be a student of the game. That mindset will pay huge dividends for you in the future.

Ya, I get frustrated when some of my teammates don't watch the pitcher in the bullpen or when he's in his warmup and then after they had their first at bat they come back and say something like "oh my god did you see that curve?" or "man he's throwing gas out there" and my response to this is "if you were paying attention earlier you'd have known what he throws, how hard he throws and how he throws".

[korp]

That is another thing thats helpful is to talk to people who have hit before you against the pitcher. Sometimes you can't pick up if they are sneaky fast or sometimes what the spin is coming off the hand unless you see it in the box but other hitters can help you. When a pitcher starts warming up in the bullpen you should be watching with a bat in hand. Getting your timing down, getting a good idea at his break and everything else you can notice that will help. One big mistake is hitters will wait till they are on deck or up to bat and not know what they have. Other things you should watch for during the game or even when they are warming up what their out pitch is because they will tend to throw their strike out pitches a few more than other pitches, what they like to do in certain counts, are they starting every batter off with the same thing and maybe following it with something else? ... these are all things that you can notice and will help you get a big advantage over the pitcher.

[Go Cardinals]

Yeah thank you for all of your advice, I used it in my game today.....

It would have been nice to use it more, but I got Intentionally walked twice, but I was 2-4 with 3 rbi's, a single, a double, and 3 rs....I never got a chance to steal wich upsets me, because when they walked me, their were slow runners ahead of me.

But thank you for all of you advice, picking up release points is fun.....