Pro Hitters' Mental Prep

Pro hitters clear their heads and gear up for the next pitch by practicing something called recycling. During this process, which takes about a twenty second cycle to complete and helps the hitter forget the previous pitch and focus on the next pitch, is accomplished by using his or her (for pro fast pitch softball hitters) own personal hitting mantra. 
Caveat: The "Hitting Mantra" must be practiced in the off season and repeated often to take root in the subconscious mind. The mental work required for hitting takes just as much hard work as the physical and visual training work to become a good hitter...even more to become a great hitter. From my experience, there are no short cuts.

An improved Hitting Mantra (HM) contains metaphysical, spiritual, and epigenetic thoughts along with powerful hitting affirmations. For those that want or need more details or definitions of the aspects that make up an amped up Hitting Mantra, feel free to email me.

Each HM begins with giving thanks to a HIGHER BEING which inferences your ultimate goal of playing for something greater than yourself. As long as you believe in a Higher Power, doors seem to open with this approach from my experience.
Consequently, if you love GOD, then you should also love yourself. The love yourself message in the Hitting Mantra can make you into a new, confident hitter and more. The more relates to the internal changes that begin happening from advanced recycling. Epigenetics is proving that an 'I love me' belief has a genetic re-engineering effect. Therefore, you can re-wire yourself to a better hitting career with love yourself thoughts included in your recycling process. 

Just as important in the recycling Hitting Mantra are powerful affirmations to develop yourself into a better hitter by consciously thinking that you ARE a better hitter than you are and a “gear up”, aggressive belief that every pitch is your pitch to hit.

An example of a personalized HM for a recently traded major leaguer now playing for the Baltimore Orioles in the American League would be:
Praise GOD. I love power hitting American League All-Star first baseman that is bettering mankind and baseball ME. Every pitch is MY pitch (to hit). (I) Expect fastball and adjust to the curve.

A California HS player’s HM might be: Praise GOD. I love line drive hitting California HS All-State second baseman bettering mankind and baseball ME. Every pitch is MY pitch. Expect fastball and adjust to the curve.

In conclusion, the HM can be amended and structured for each hitter’s level and league that he/she plays in, and remember, it is recommended to be used in practice at hitting stations, etc., and during a game where it is repeated each at bat... before the first pitch in an at bat and following each sequential pitch as part of the recycling process.
If you choose to work at being the best hitter that you can be, I highly recommend that you mentally prep yourself by recycling as the pro hitters do.

Dominican Trip with Santa Clara coach Eddie Smith

Del,
I am emailing on behalf of Coach Eddie Smith, assistant baseball coach at Santa Clara.  Coach Smith is putting together a group of players to travel to the Dominican Republic this December.   Any 2012 or 2013 graduate that you can think of who would be a good fit for this trip is invited to be a part of this group.  The trip will involve:

• Practices with Coach Smith and his staff of Dominican coaches (including Kansas City Royals coach Victor Baez)
• Series of games against strong Dominican competition
• Tour of historic sights
• Free time at the beach
• Attendance at a Dominican Winter League game

Coach Smith travelled to the Dominican in 2009 while coaching at the University of Virginia and had a wonderful experience.  The Dominican Republic is famous for producing major leaguers and this trip is an opportunity for your players to learn the way the game is approached in the Dominican Republic while spending a fun week in the tropics with a Division I coach.

For complete details, and to register, please go to www.dominicanbaseballcamp.com.  We are currently accepting registration and expect the roster to be filled over the next month.
Please call or email if you have any questions.
Sincerely

Sam LeBeau
On behalf of Eddie Smith
Santa Clara Baseball
(434) 466-2128
Website:  www.dominicanbaseballcamp.com
Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/dominicanbaseballcamp
Youtube:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsIxwBjykzo

Dellin Betences, Yankees' RHP Prospect

   Dellin Betances

   Bats: Right, Throws: Right
   Height: 6' 8", Weight: 255 lb.

Born: March 23, 1988 in New York, New York, US (Age 23)

Drafted by the New York Yankees in the 8th round of the 2006 MLB June Amateur Draft.

Next Spring, Yankees fans can expect Dellin to be given every opportunity to compete for a spot in the Yankees’ rotation for the 2012 season. Despite having surgery earlier in his career, he has the stuff and the minor league experience of more than enough innings to warrant a legitimate shot at being a starter for the best team in the “The Show” next season.

His stuff is very impressive. He has a live fastball that’s consistently in the mid 90s with plenty of movement (he’s averaging 9+ strikeouts per 9 innings). As a side note due to his height, when he gets older and loses some velocity, he’ll still have movement on his fastball. Additionally, his curve is a plus curve and can drop off the table when he’s on and has had flashes of a plus change. At his age and experience, the fact that he already has an average change is very encouraging.

Despite needing to upgrade his change and improve his control, as he’s averaging around 4 walks per 9 innings, he has fairly sound mechanics. I really like the way he emphasizes tucking in his glove and elbow during the release point of his delivery. From what looks like a more deliberate and intentional action in comparison to other pitchers, he’s reducing rotary inertia and substantially increasing hip rotation in his delivery by doing this. Someone has taught him well. More importantly, I’m taking this as a sign that Dellin is not only a pitcher with superb talent, but he’s also a receptive learner. With that thought in mind, I’m going to go out on a limb and make the bold prediction that in the future Larry Rothschild, New York Yankees pitching coach, is going to love working with this guy.
http://nyyuniverse.com/nyy/yankees-prospect-dellin-betances/

In Season Game Hitting Routine

On Deck Circle

Begin mental prepping with your pre-pitch Hitting Mantra while reinforcing your muscle memory with the MP30 Training Bat.  Avoid overloading with extra wt. which include the use of a batting weight, sledge hammer, swinging with 2 bats, etc. See previous post on the kinesthetic overload effect causing weakness after 20 seconds of discontinuation of the on-deck overload work.

Get rid of anything that you're chewing before stepping into the batter's box. Chewing will blur your vision by using more than the ideal number of eye muscles for hitting. Limiting the number of eye muscles to 4 of the 13 muscles facilitates the eye-brain visual effect phenomena of slowing the pitch down and enlarging the ball to occur while tracking a pitch. See vision and hitting post.

Lastly, have a towel on deck to wipe sweat from the hands before you apply rosin and pine tar to help get a grip on your game bat.


NEXT

Repeat before the 1^st pitch and after each sequential pitch...

Outside box if league rules allow:

      Situational Awareness:

          Know outs and base runners' locations

      Depth Perception Tune Up:

          Focus on 2B’s cap logo, then shift focus to Pitcher’s cap logo

          Begin Pre-Pitch Personal Hitting Mantra (See Hitting Mantra/Mental

          Routine Blog)

          Night Game… Close eyes for 5 seconds for improved vision  (See

          Retina/Vision Trick)

In box or “half and half” if league rules allow:

      One Deep Breath…In through the nose; out through pursed lips

      Look to third base coach, receive signs, square up to the pitcher, and re-focus

      mentally

      Begin Fine Centering-Soft Centering (Focus on Pitcher’s Logo & then re-focus

      visually to the Release Point  (Avoid being hypnotized by watching the Pitcher’s

      Windup

      Gently shift your weight from back to front repeatedly over your center

      point (40-60) as you are fine centering and soft centering visually. Continue the

      rhythm rocking breathing in through the nose going back and breathing out  

      through a slightly open mouth going forward. This keeps the jaw relaxed to

      prevent teeth clinching which can lead to blurred vision. Plus, on contact

      keeping the internal organs compressed through breath control helps to optimize

      power. (Key emphasis is to do this simultaneously with a controlled, calculated

      rhythmic weight shift.)

      From Release Point:

         Identify pitch and velocity

         Begin Tracking  Mentally…Yes, Yes, Yes, YES* or Yes, Yes, Yes, NO.

         *(At contact, squeezing the handle in the palms helps add more power

         from a neuromuscular response)

Post Hit:

       In the dugout, enjoy the congratulations and the pats on the back. Reward

       yourself with a cup of water. Funny as it sounds, you should do this.
 (behavioral conditioning)                  

Scouting Report: Manny Banuelos Yankees' LHP Prospect

Manny Banuelos

Position: LHP     Birthdate: 3/23/1991
Height: 5'10" and sometimes listed as 5'11”
Weight: 165 lbs to 175 1bs depending on which baseball program, yearbook, or bio writer you get, but he looks like he’s filled out from last year’s 155 lbs listing
B/T: L/L
Signed as an International Free Agent in 2008 by the Yankees out of Mexico
Manny may be young in age, but the first thing you notice about him is that he pitches older than he is. He has mastered cool, calm, and collected. If Fonzie had been a pitcher, he would have been Manny.
He is consistently fluid in his delivery which starts with a very deliberate, almost robotic-like, effort to stay balanced while getting into a strong power position. This produces a smooth, effortless delivery with no signs of rushing.
The next thing you notice about Manny is that possesses a plus fastball (I’ve seen him hit 96 on the gun), a plus curve, and a plus change. What’s not to like with a left hander with this much talent, es verdad? Well, this season he has struggled a little more with walks.
I would like to see him with a deeper follow through because he has a tendency to finish a little high. This is probably the reason he has struggled with the other 3 C’s (command, control, and confidence) this year at a higher level than he did last year at a lower level. With that adjustment to his mechanics, he’ll improve his accuracy on his fastball and maybe get a little more bite on an already good curve. Seasoning should polish this hurler to premier status.
Caveat:  While I appreciate his Fonzie demeanor on the mound, I’d love to see him “channel” a little more Whitey Ford. If he can do this, in the future, expect Manny Banuelos to be the Ace of the Yankees’ rotation. This talented prospect has that kind of potential.

http://nyyuniverse.com/pitching-staff/yankees-prospect-manny-banuelos-have-major-league-potential/