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Baseball coaching tips: practice vs game hitting. Performing under pressure

As a coach committed to continuous improvement, I share my baseball drills, tips, and techniques here so that you will, in turn, inspire and motivate young players to improve their game.

So let\'s get started.

I often get the question, why is it that a player seems to have correct hitting mechanics, and practices well—particularly in tee drills and soft toss where form and technique are good—and then loses it during the game.

The Problem: Performing under pressure.

During practice, hitting off a tee or soft-toss mode requires only mechanical skill; no judgment or confidence factors are called into play.  Games however—particularly high-pressure competitions where every hit counts—require each batter to rely on sound judgment and solid self-confidence, in addition to skilled mechanics. Arguably, a hitter with sound mechanical skills but no confidence or ability to judge the pitch is less likely to perform to potential.

The Solution: Build confidence in your players by building tension into practices.

Let\'s understand three important principles when we talk about how to hit in baseball:

1. Mechanics—focusing on form and technique

2. Principles of judgment—including reading the pitch

3. Self-confidence—combining all skill sets into one great hit

Hitting is a conditioned reflex. At practice, hitters must practice to 'groove' the stroke, and then trust it. In other words, no stinkin\' thinkin\' at the plate. It\'s see-ball, hit-ball, have fun!

Some baseball coaches use toss and tee drills exclusively during practices, and are doing their players a disservice.  Toss and tee hitting only provides practice of mechanics, and the hitter needs much more than that to succeed at the plate. When we practice with soft toss, it is 'pitch – hit.' However, when we hit in the game, the sequence is 'pitch –trajectory – hit.  Successful hitters achieve a level of proficiency that enables them to combine mechanical skills with principles of judgment and self-confidence. And doing so requires the ability to withstand pressure, which should be simulated during practices.

Play like you practice and practice like you play.

Tension forces a player to do things he/she would not do during practice. So how do we make the transition from practice to high-pressure game? Here are some ideas to help accomplish this:

1. During practice, position batters where they get some distance from the pitcher or pitching machine.
2. Incorporate tension into practices by creating performance scores, calling strikes, and holding contests between players.
3. In every batting cage practice session, include a 'Power-10'—seven or eight hard hits out of ten—to increase confidence level and a good feeling of performance.
4. Use drills and techniques that simulate game situations and encourage players to feel good about their performance.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/baseball-articles/baseball-coaching-tips-practice-vs-game-hitting-performing-under-pressure-2892483.html

Learn more about the Coach Brockoff\'s baseball hitting tips and techniques, including his proven methods for improving batting speed by visiting the Super 8 Hitting System—a bestselling baseball training web site and instructional video package, which includes many free youth baseball drills and tips.

Coach Joe Brockoff, a Division I Head Baseball Coach for Tulane University for more than 19 years, and former minor league player for the New York Yankees, has sent 45 baseball players to the major leagues, and coached thousands of college level and youth players using his proven Super 8 Baseball Hitting System.  Coach Brockoff\'s unique drills, tips, and techniques have increased many players\' batting average by more than 200 points.

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