Hitting in the Clutch

Whether there are runners in scoring position (RISP) with two outs or bases loaded with two outs or less, this is where you are most valuable as a hitter to your team. So the next time there are ducks on the pond, and they want to get on the merry-go-round, get the merry-go-round started or keep it going. BE THAT CLUTCH HITTER.

Hitting

Conditioned Hitting Response

On Deck Circle

It's important to understand that you get your hits here before you ever get into the batter's box.

Begin by reinforcing your slot position swing muscle memory with the MP30 Training Bat (see Jaime Cevallos' Swing Mechanic MP30 blog post).

Now proceed with mental prepping your pre-pitch Timing Activation (see Timing Activation blog post), desensitize your nervous system (see On Deck Drill To Desensitize The Nervous System blog post), and lastly before heading to the batter's box -do a quick depth perception drill by looking at your fine centering-soft centering reference points*.

NEXT

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

Outside box or half and half if league rules allow:

Night Game… Close eyes for 5 seconds for improved vision (See Retina/Vision Trick blog post)...You may have to remind your 3rd base coach that you'll be doing this.

Situational Awareness:

Know outs and base runners' locations and then look to 3rd Base Coach

IN BOX:

Pre-Pitch Recycling Timing Activation (See Recycling and Timing Activation Blog Posts if needed).
Once completed...

Start getting in rhythm with the pitcher, initiate small c knuckle of hand movement (see KEEPING YOUR HEAD STILL IN YOUR SWING FROM THE START blog post) and pre-Oxygenation phase:

Gently shift your weight from back to front repeatedly over your center point (40-60) and draw a small c with your knuckle 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 and prevents teeth clinching which can lead to blurred vision.  (Key emphasis is to do this simultaneously with a controlled, calculated rhythmic weight shift.)

Begin Oxygenation phase  ( see Oxygenating Your Blood With Breathing During an At Bat and Its Importance in Hitting blog), complete Fine Centering-Soft Centering (Focus on Pitcher’s Cap logo & then re-focus visually to the Release Point (Avoid being hypnotized by watching the Pitcher’s Windup)*, and start stride/launch sequence.

*See Dr. Bill Harrison's Slow The Game Down blog post for fine centering-soft centering pitch tracking...

From Pitcher's Cap Logo to Timing of the Release Point:

Identify pitch and velocity

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

You either pull the trigger or you don't, but if you do pull the trigger...

(At contact during your slot position swing in the blocking phase with a firm front side, squeezing the handle in the palms helps add more power as a result of an additional neuromuscular response used in conjunction with compressed organs in the oxygenation/breathing process)

Post Hit:

In the dugout, enjoy the congratulations and the pats on the back.
Then, reward yourself with a cup of water. Funny as it sounds...you should do this.

(behavioral conditioning)

THE ABOVE CONDITIONED HITTING RESPONSE CAN BE DONE WITHOUT THINKING ONCE IT BECOMES HABIT FROM MULTIPLE REPS IN PRACTICE

Conditioned Hitting Response

On Deck Circle

It's important to understand that you get your hits here before you ever get into the batter's box.

Begin by reinforcing your slot position swing muscle memory with the MP30 Training Bat (see Jaime Cevallos' Swing Mechanic MP30 blog post).

Now proceed with mental prepping your pre-pitch Timing Activation (see Timing Activation blog post), desensitize your nervous system (see On Deck Drill To Desensitize The Nervous System blog post), and lastly before heading to the batter's box -do a quick depth perception drill by looking at your fine centering-soft centering reference points*.

NEXT

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

Outside box or half and half if league rules allow:

Night Game… Close eyes for 5 seconds for improved vision (See Retina/Vision Trick blog post)...You may have to remind your 3rd base coach that you'll be doing this.

Situational Awareness:

Know outs and base runners' locations and then look to 3rd Base Coach

IN BOX:

Pre-Pitch Recycling Timing Activation (See Recycling and Timing Activation Blog Posts if needed).
Once completed...

Start getting in rhythm with the pitcher, initiate small c knuckle of hand movement (see KEEPING YOUR HEAD STILL IN YOUR SWING FROM THE START blog post) and pre-Oxygenation phase:

Gently shift your weight from back to front repeatedly over your center point (40-60) and draw a small c with your knuckle 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 and prevents teeth clinching which can lead to blurred vision.  (Key emphasis is to do this simultaneously with a controlled, calculated rhythmic weight shift.)

Begin Oxygenation phase  ( see Oxygenating Your Blood With Breathing During an At Bat and Its Importance in Hitting blog), complete Fine Centering-Soft Centering (Focus on Pitcher’s Cap logo & then re-focus visually to the Release Point (Avoid being hypnotized by watching the Pitcher’s Windup)*, and start stride/launch sequence.

*See Dr. Bill Harrison's Slow The Game Down blog post for fine centering-soft centering pitch tracking...

From Pitcher's Cap Logo to Timing of the Release Point:

Identify pitch and velocity

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

You either pull the trigger or you don't, but if you do pull the trigger...

(At contact during your slot position swing in the blocking phase with a firm front side, squeezing the handle in the palms helps add more power as a result of an additional neuromuscular response used in conjunction with compressed organs in the oxygenation/breathing process)

Post Hit:

In the dugout, enjoy the congratulations and the pats on the back.
Then, reward yourself with a cup of water. Funny as it sounds...you should do this.

(behavioral conditioning)

THE ABOVE CONDITIONED HITTING RESPONSE CAN BE DONE WITHOUT THINKING ONCE IT BECOMES HABIT FROM MULTIPLE REPS IN PRACTICE

On Deck Drill To Desensitize The Nervous System

Desensitizing the nervous system by using breathing techniques followed with slaps and pats* from toe to head will have a positive effect towards achieving relaxation which improves focus, quiets the mind, and prepares the hitter to be aggressive and confident when he faces the pitcher. Additional on deck prep steps include using your timing activation affirmation along with muscle memory work with a MP30 Training Bat, quick depth perception drills, and fine tuning your dynamic visual acuity with fine centering and soft centering reference points...all are reinforced here in the on deck circle. After this, you're ready "to see the ball; hit the ball".

*The "pat down" technique is a better pre-at bat technique than "tapping" or the acupressure T.A.T. technique...both of which are good techniques, but are better practiced in a different time and place than in the on deck circle...at least from my experience.

Oxygenating Your Blood With Breathing During an At Bat and Its Importance in Hitting

Oxygenating your blood with 3 deep breaths during pre-pitch soft centering-fine centering will improve your dynamic visual acuity, and exhaling half of your 3^rd deep breath and timing the holding of it as you shift your focus from the pitcher’s emblem on the front of his cap to his release point in the final phase of soft centering-fine centering enables a clearer focus on the type of pitch followed with clearer pitch tracking. As a side benefit of holding the breath*, which compresses the internal organs, will cause a neuromuscular strength gain at contact.

*For those that don’t know it, the breath can be held up to 7 seconds before focus becomes blurry. This shouldn’t concern the hitter, as the pitch should go from release point to contact point in 2/10s of a second…unless the pitcher’s specialty is the Eephus pitch or the Folly Floater.

New York Yankees' RHP Phil Hughes OIP Pitching Mechanics Breakdown

Phil Hughes: Better suited to be a Starter or Reliever?

That is the proverbial mystery wrapped in a riddle inside an enigma because he has the mental make up to be a successful starter, but is lacking the mechanics to be a big innings eater in the rotation. This will be one of those questions that’ll have to be addressed after the season...the kind of question that organizations are faced with when addressing what’s best for the organization and what’s best for the player. From my experience, the New York Yankees do put a high priority on doing what’s best for their players, and they do this better than any organization in baseball.

Phil has not purged himself of some of the mechanical issues that's affecting him once again this season, i.e., he’s a bit of a short armer which affects his endurance, the amount of movement on his fastball, cuts down on the potential leverage on his new harder curve, and has not changed his shallow follow through which prevents him from having the more desirable shoulder to shoulder rotation for improved control.

One very important and notable mechanical change he seems to have made is that he has softened his deceleration phase in his follow through. This change is a real plus because a hard deceleration causes wear and tear on the arm- especially the shoulder. This should help him to alleviate any additional damage that can potentially happen because of the other mechanical flaws Phil is working through. Although, his deceleration was never as violent as Jim Bouton or Darryl Kile’s deceleration phase of their delivery, it was just a hard enough of a recoil to see he was heading possibly to a shorter career via circulatory and rotator cuff problems.

RE: Phil’s new, improved faster curve…

The ball may be gripped more with his finger tips and fingers now instead of closer to his palm. Being farther out on his fingers, that’ll also allow him to have more flexibility in his wrist. With more flexibility, he’ll be able to get his thumb to come over the top more efficiently when snapping off his curve. As an extra pitching note, getting the ball out farther on the fingers increases the velocity of any type of pitch-not just the curve. Conversely, any pitch grip that is choked or closer to the palm-reduces velocity.

OIP Breakdown Numbers:

Leg Extension: -6

Hip Rotation: -10

Follow Through: -12

Short Arm Delivery: -8

Deceleration: -5

OIP 2013:  41%

Possible Rangers' Trade Target, RHP Dan Haren

Haren's Pitching Mechanics' OIP Breakdown

Leg Extension: -5
Hip Rotation: -10
Follow Through: -5

OIP:  20%

Combining Pieces of the Hitting Puzzle With A Drag Racing Analogy

Top Fuel Drag Racing Drivetrain Analogy for Hitting

Nitro Methane Fuel : Recycling Before and After Each Pitch With Your Timing Activation

Engine : Mental Discipline

Transmission : Dynamic Visual Acuity Using Soft Centering and Fine Centering

Rear End : Physical Discipline Using Slot Position Hitting Mechanics



Being confident and aggressive in each swing at the plate will bring you success as a hitter in every level of the game.

Thoughts on the Texas Rangers' Starting Pitcher Experiment, Alexi Ogando

If they can't correct his mechanics, they should put him back in the pen before he destroys his arm. The Yankees were smart enough to see this with their starter experiment, Joba Chamberlain.
Of course, there's a danger he'd be overworked as a reliever as well. Poor mechanics are still poor mechanics, and the results to the arm will still be the same...it's just in delay mode out of the pen.

UPDATE:  From ESPN MLB

Game notes

RHP Alexi Ogando had a CT scan on his right shoulder Wednesday after complaining of soreness following Tuesday's start. Ogando (5-4) pitched 6 1/3 innings and threw only 73 pitches in the loss. Ogando has been on the DL twice this season, the last time ending on July 23 because of shoulder inflammation.

Cleveland Indians Release Power Hitter Mark Reynolds

This is a shame, but also an opportunity for him. Mark is one swing adjustment and one revamped pre-pitch Recycling Timing Activation affirmation away from being a consistent contact and power hitter in the big leagues. I'd love the opportunity to convert him to a positional slot hitter with a longer area of impact and help him to have a confident, aggressive approach at the plate.

Houston Astros' LHP Brett Oberholtzer's OIP

OIP Mechanics Breakdown Grading:
Follow Through -5
Leg Extension -5
Hip Rotation -3
Deceleration Phase -5
Throws Across Body -10

OIP: 28%