Batting def.
The sequential unlocking of all necessary body parts to maximize bat speed at the point of impact.
Above is the ever so scientific definition of batting that was ingrained in my brain from the first time I attended hitting camp as a plump 12-year-old kid wearing a South Park Beefcake t-shirt.
As if a fancy pants definition like that wasn’t indicative enough, the art of hitting a baseball is certainly a tricky thing. It requires one to master several small, yet essential, steps to craft a successful swing.
Naturally, one has to understand the basic mechanics of hitting before he steps up to the plate. He must learn how to grip the bat, how to position his arms, how to twist his hips, how to lightly step with his lead foot and “squash the bug” as he turns, where to shift his weight, how to follow through, etc.
After learning all of this, he can shift his attention to a few other aspects of hitting. He must learn to be patient, keep his eye on the ball, perfectly time each of the several sequences of his swing, instill discipline in himself, develop a rhythm, etc.
Oh, and I almost forgot, he must practice these things hundreds and hundreds (probably more like thousands and thousands) of times. And then he must practice some more.
If a player does all of these things, he will surely develop a beautiful swing.
But for some players with an excellent mechanical swing…looking beyond developing good fundamentals. And practicing their hearts out, taking thousands of swings in the batting cage. And knocking the snot out of the ball in practice, leading teammates to believe they are witnessing the second coming of Babe Ruth… face an interesting dilemma.
Why is it that I can hit the ball so well in practice but fail so miserably in a game? Why can I approach the plate with cocksure confidence during BP, slugging the ball all over the place, and then buckle with noodle-like nerves against live pitching?
Even if you master the mechanics of hitting, if you are unable to have the same confidence in a game as you do in practice, then you won’t fair so well. At this point, you can’t think. You just have to do. If you get caught up in thinking about the at bat too much or about the mechanics of your swing, then your brain will become your enemy and disallow your body from preforming the necessary actions that lead to connecting the meat of the bat with the center of the baseball.
Above all else, there is one thing a batter must do in order to be successful:
Get out of his own damn head.
The most important (and cliché) remedy for this:
Go out and just have some damn fun.
That’s why you’re out there in the first place. In the case of our amateur league, nobody is coming along to give any of us a major league contract or a college scholarship. We are a bunch of grown ass men with other occupations who happen to love the game of baseball.
If you go up and strike out, so what. If you pop one up to end the game, you’ll live to see another day. And if you hit a nice line drive, awesome!
Now, telling yourself to have confidence and enjoy swinging the stick is a lot easier said than done. But the more you tell yourself that and the more you embrace the joy of the game, the better you will perform.
So far this season, I haven’t done a good job reminding myself of this joy. But I’m looking forward to changing that.
Wish me some fun at the plate tonight!