School News Paper

Question
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Followup To
Question - Thank you Mr. Colombo. I have one more question if thats ok? If i could just have a few things on catching the ball. Since most kids are afraid that they will get hit. So that would be great if i could have a couple things on that. And agian it is with the same age group and everything.

Travis
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Followup To
Question -
Hi my name is Travis Haggerty, I am a sports editor for a school newspaper. I am doing a story on sports tips. Yes sir my target audience is about 7th grade till out of high school. If i put sport's tips in the paper maybe i can help a few kids out with some problems that they are having. It would be great if you could give me some tips on hitting. Because that is what most kids have trouble with.

Travis Haggerty
Answer -
Travis,

I'd like to help, but I need more information.  Who is your target audience?  What do you hope to accomplish with your story?

Give me some more info and I'll be happy to help.
Answer -
Hello Travis,

Every hitter has his or her own issues that neede to be dealt with.  Thus, any tips that you provide need to be general in nature.  I will give you a list of points that I often use when working with hitters. I hope these are of help to you.

First, the hitter must have a plan for the at bat.  He or she must go to the plate looking to hit a certain type of pitch.  In most cases, this is a fastball over the plate.  I instruct my hitters to be very selective with the pitches they swing at until they have two strikes.  Then, they must protect the plate.  So, the plan is to look for a fastball over the plate and be aggressive when one is thrown.  If there are two strikes, the plan changes to include any pitch that is hittable.

Another important point is to take control of the at bat.  Having a plan goes a long way toward accomplishing this, but the hitter must also be stubborn and smart.  Don't be psyched out by the pitcher or the situation in the game.  Make the plate belong to you and not the pitcher, catcher or umpire.  Decide that whatever happens will be the result of what you do, not what is done to you.  Simply put- be confident and you'll have a better chance at succeeding.

I think it is more important to have a "fast" swing than a powerful one.  A hitter needs to practice hard and often in order to create muscle memory that leads to a greater bat speed.  The faster the bat travels through the hitting zone and through the ball, the harder the ball will be hit.

A major problem that hitters have is not using their eyes well.  The eyes must work INDEPENDENT of head movement if good contact is to be made.  The goal is to try and keep the head as still as possible throughout the swing.  Follow the ball with your eyes-not your head.  When preparing to hit, the batter should be able to see the pitcher's hand AND the hitting zone without moving the head.  Basically, the eyes give directions to the brain, which in turn directs the hands to move the bat to a certain spot for contact.  If the head moves a lot, the message that the eyes send to the brain gets changed mid0stream and the hands cannot get proper direction.  A steady head leads to smooth communication between the eyes and the hands--and better contact.

I'll end there for now. Let me know if this type of info is suitable or if you need something different.

Good luck,

Pete

Answer
Hi Travis.

Catching a ball requires two things:  the ability to see the ball and trusting that your hands will make the catch.

Once again, the eyes give the brain all the information needed to make the catch.  The brain then sends the info to the hands, which move to the correct position to make the catch.

The problem that many kids have is they don't trust their hands.  They try to aim the ball into the glove--moving the glove to the ball while at the same time trying to judge where the ball will go.  They are giving too much info to the brain.  In addition, by aiming the ball in, they often block their own vision to the ball, causing disaster.

Now, you should know that even very good baseball players get hit by balls from time to time.  There are bad hops on grounders or bad throws that "short-hop" the guy making the catch.  Also, the ball is hit so hard sometimes, that all the guy can do is put his body in the way like a hockey goalie and take the hit.

Fly balls:  When catching fly balls, the player must first get to the ball, then catch it.  Many players "drift" to the ball, trying to judge it and never getting into the right position to make the catch.  Run on your toes.  Every time your heels hit the ground, your eye-balls bounce up and down, altering your perception a bit.

Hope these notes help.

Pete