Swinging for the lights...

[DLC11]

Our team right now is currently struggling at the plate (26 K's in 2 games), and I think a lot has to do with our attitude at the plate.

I am not a believer in labels. I don't use the term rotational or linear, this is what we teach.

We do not teach to swing down at the ball, we teach a circular path (armpit to armpit).

Load at release point, hands go back, and short (stepping on ice) stride.

Just to name a few.

I think right now we have become very passive at the plate. Almost just trying to put the ball in play mentality, which I hate.

We have a game today and are not going to be able to hit before, but I almost want to tell every single hitter on our team that if you see a fastball strike, you better swing like it's the last time you will be able to swing again. Try to hit the light posts with every swing you make today. With the hope that this will give us a much more aggressive approach.

Do you guys think this is a good idea?

[virg]

mistaken post

[virg]

How old and experienced are they?

[DLC11]

How old and experienced are they?

High school.

[Jon Doyle]

If they have ben slumping why not?

I've been on teams where the coach has done this and it worked out in our favor.

You know your kids best. And if they are mentally paralyzed by thinking too much about mechanics the best thing you can do IMO is to do something like you've mentioned.

[skipper5]

Here's my take on this: it's not their age and experience level, it's the fact that it's HS ball. (as opposed to AAU or Legion). These kids are choking because each individual at- bat is overly important. These are the best hitters in your town. Why, now, are they all of a sudden passive?

In HS, the batters are not only competing against the opposing pitcher, they're competing against their team-mates to preserve their place in the line-up. This can cause tentative performances both at bat and in the field.

Some coaches make their HS batters feel secure about their spot. This is bad news for the guys on the bench, but good for the batters--and for the team--because they're up there in their normal frame-of-mind, playing to win instead of playing to not-lose.

If Pujols or Arod knew that they might get benched if they had a couple of bad games in a row, they might be tentative at the plate. Especially if they knew that a full season would only give them 75 at bats even under the best circumstances, which is the case in HS.

If HS baseball used a continuous batting order, and the coaches didn't show up to the games, the kids would step up to the plate and rip the ball. (Of course I'm not in favor of either thing).