The 3 Elements to Hitting

The three basic elements to hitting are (in the order of increasing importance): Mechanics, hand-eye coordination, and mental makeup, where the mental makeup of a hitter is divided into mental preparation, and focus. No matter what the hitter, the latter element will always override the previous, and will determine how hitters perform in different situations. There is a large spectrum of hitters out there, and each one is strong or weak for different reasons, and in different situations. Situations range from hitting off a tee, to a pitching machine, in an exhibition game, and in a tight championship game, with each being effected by the 3 elements of hitting.

Mechanics are what a player works on the most, taking many hours in the batting cage to work on creating the most efficient swing. Unfortunately, when it comes to game time and live pitching, mechanics is the least contributing factor when it comes to making contact. We try to train ourselves to take the same swing from practice into the game, but it's not very often we can replicate it perfectly since it is our natural reaction in a stressful situation is to simply make contact. Stress is any situation where the chance of success is reduced and therefore giving the player the opportunity to perform less than perfect. Perfect is a relative term that is in the eyes of the player, and effects the element of mental makeup which will be discussed later.

We rely more on hand-eye coordination when presented with higher stressed situations (aka games). This is why someone who has poor mechanics can still be a good hitter if she has great hand-eye coordination. This is especially true if she is big and strong, because whenever she makes contact she is still able to hit it hard enough to hit it through the infield to produce scored hits. However, this does not make her the most efficient hitter. Therefore, when faced against pitchers who cannot exploit her weaknesses, she is very effective, but as pitchers get better her ability to hit for average drops more rapidly than the hitter with a more efficient swing, or better mental makeup.

As mentioned earlier, the mental makeup of a hitter is broken up into two parts, mental preparation and focus. The mental preparation is related to how a hitter approaches her at bats. Being prepared includes scouting the pitcher, and knowing what her tendencies are. A hitter should always be prepared, and have a plan before each at bat. Again, this preparation will ALWAYS override both the hitter's hand-eye coordination and swing mechanics. The art of hitting is not how well one swings, it is knowing WHEN to swing. Refer back to the "Hitting vs Pitching" post. The mental focus of a hitter is the ability to block out extraneous things that would distract her from the game. Examples of distractions include fans, school, weather delays, or conflicts with friends or teammates. The better one can block out distractions, the more focused the player is on the game and on his or her performance. Many books and professions are devoted to teaching athletes better mental focus, but it should be noted that if one puts too much effort into blocking out extra emotions or thoughts, this effort can be a distraction in itself. Those who perform well at the highest level are able to manage their emotions, and maintain a high level of focus.

Hitting is a balance of physical and mental skill, but without the mental skill a great swing is just a swing without a purpose. A less efficient swing can become more effective if the hitter understands how and when to use it. In other words, using her swing to her own strengths. For example, if a hitter has a swing that is good at hitting low pitches, but bad at hitting high pitches, she would be most successful if she only swung at low pitches. She would be very unsuccessful if she was unaware of her strength and only swung at high pitches, or if she were to face a pitcher who only throws high. This is a simple concept that often eludes a hitter during a bout of a dreaded slump. Therefore, hitters should assess an unsuccessful at-bat with the question, "Did I swing at the right pitch?" before, "What went wrong with my swing?" Most likely she will come out with a more definitive answer, and a plan for next time to improve.

One could argue that baseball/softball is the hardest sport out there due to the high level of skill and mental ability that is required. After all, the best hitters only get a hit in 3 out of 10 at bats, and on average a player will swing 39 times in 10 at bats therefore a swinging success rate of 1 out of 13 swings. This is quite a significant rate of failure, which can go as far as deter a player from the sport. Those who choose to play this sport know that one can never be perfect, so learning how to deal with failure is very important in learning how to improve and be successful.