Hitting Attitude

and other hitting related news

I. How your hitting attitude affects your hitting

II. The results of my video title poll

III. My thoughts on Fever Pitch

IV. Fall Ball and other helps to your game

Let me tell you how slo-pitch softball can help you in your fastpitch or baseball hitting.

A number of you play slo-pitch, either as parents of kids playing the other or since this is the best hitting newsletter out there, the tips are helpful enough, even when they're not specifically targeted to you. So this article is for you and how you can raise your batting average 100 - 200 points.

This article is also for the baseball and fastpitch softball players so look for the lessons in hitting attitude that can help you.

When I was playing slo-pitch, I was always the lead off batter for my ability to get on base and a high batting average (and my lack of power, so this article is for the attitude of batting average, not for home run hitting).

Attitude #1. What I did was always go up thinking I could get a hit.

Attitude #2. I never worried about striking out.

Attitude #3. I was always focused on where I wanted to hit the ball and what pitch location I needed to hit the ball there (for baseball and fastpitch, you'd need to add the speed and type of pitch as well, but mostly focus on location).

Attitude #4. Getting my pitch, in the proper zone, was more important than if it were a strike or not.

Attitude #5. If it wasn't that pitch I wouldn't swing, until I was down to my last strike. (It might be a great pitch to hit it someplace else, but your mind is set to hit it one place and won't adjust properly to the other place).

Attitude #6. If I was down to my last strike, I'd still look for the same pitch as before to hit it to the same place as before, but I had a secondary place I wanted to hit it if it's the opposite pitch (i.e. If I were looking for high and outside to hit it over the 2nd baseman's head or into the Right Center gap, then when I'm down to my last strike, I may want to go down the 3rd base line if I get an inside pitch).

Attitude #7. If the rules allow me to foul them off or allow for 1 foul, I'll hit it foul on one I didn't like, so that I have a chance that the next pitch would be the one I wanted.

I know these hitting attitudes work. Try them out and see if your batting average doesn't come up. For more on hitting attitude from the best hitters of all time check out this resource.

If you've ever spent more than $50 on a bat or anything else related to hitting, I don't know how you can pass up the mind set of Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle. This was a great resource when it was $20, but I think this guy is making a marketing test for a while for 1/2 price, so I would get it as soon as possible before he puts it back up. I paid the $20 for my copies and don't regret any of it. I just reread some of the chapters in each of the booklets again. Go here now for the hitting attitude of Babe Ruth & Mickey Mantle.

The results of my video title poll

It was a close vote between "Two Swings, One Result - Better Hitting" and "Rotational vs. Linear - Which Swing Helps You Hit Best?" with only a 6.7% point difference. So I'm naming it with the winner on the front cover and referencing the other title's theme on the back of the jacket, where it tells about the video.

A lot of you did take the time to give me new titles, but they were all over. There was no recurring theme among them to have them beat out these other two.

So which one won? And how soon will it be ready? -- Answer further down the newsletter (I'm learning the "keep them guessing" technique from TV talk shows, "the answer, after the break").

My thoughts on Fever Pitch

Fortunately, some of the time was taken up by watching the movie "Fever Pitch".

I had wanted to see it in the theaters, but something always came up.

I absolutely loved it. The more you know about baseball and the history of the Red Sox, the better and if you have a wife or girl friend that doesn't quite get baseball as I do, the parallels make this movie really funny. You could also enjoy the movie purely on the romantic comedy side of any person having a passion for something that the world and the other person don't quite understand.

Considering the context, I think only adults and very older teenagers will get most of it and probably will be boring for the rest.

I trust this review helps you in whatever life stage you or your kids are in.

Fall Ball and other helps to your game

I encourage you to get into a low pressure Fall league if you can.

Or at least commit yourself to working on something a few times a week so that you will be better before the new season rolls around.

Maybe now's the time to experiment with a different swing. Maybe try out that "new" swing you've been hearing about from me and others.

UCLA softball, with their two 1st place and two 2nd place finishes in the last 4 years, with their head coach Sue Enquist are leading the charge in teaching that swing.

Go here to learn more about UCLA advanced hitting techniques.

What about my video? Well it seems like since it's off season, I've been pushed back behind some football videos they're trying to get to market. So as soon as I know, you'll know. Thank you so much for so many of you that are telling me how much you want to get it as soon as it comes out. And as far as the title, the winner was (Drum roll please ...) "Two Swings, One Result - Better Hitting".

If you can't wait, there's still the audio recording I did with Phil Bruder.

For other hitting learning, go to the past issues of my hitting newsletter page.

Welcome to you who are new to my hitting e-zine.

This newsletter is getting famous. Last month's article has already found itself on the web at Baseball Tips website. They even posted my picture. Check out the other baseball tips they have. They also have a sister site called softballtips.com.

If you too have a website (even if it's just for your team or league), I'd love to have you spread the word about my coaching help. There are articles I have and some items from the newsletters that could add real value to your readers. All I ask in return is like these folks did, include the resource box about me at the bottom of the article.

If you find it of value, could you please do that now, while you're thinking of it?

Thanks, talk to you next time.

Coach Andy