Transitioning From Batting Cage to the Game

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Here is a question I got recently from the parent of one of my students: How can I get my son to translate the success he has in the batting practice cage into the game?

To answer this question, I will make some assumptions. One, in batting practice, the coach is closer than normal. Two, he is not throwing as hard. Three, it's practice. No pressure. And four, the fear factor.

Without getting into all the possible things that can go wrong, I will focus on one thing, the approach. Poor swings are the results of poor approaches.  When the stride foot lands, the body has to be in a strong position to swing the bat. The two major flaws that occur during the approach are the stride foot landing in the bucket and the dropping of the hands. Make sure the stride goes back toward the pitcher keeping the front side "closed," make sure the hands are up and off the back shoulder at stride toe touch and the hitter is in a balanced athletic position.

A simple philosophy is to have the hitter envision the pitch out over the plate and drive the ball up the middle or to the opposite field gap. This will help keep his front side “closed.” A great drill for this is simply have the hitter stand in the box and have a coach throw from the mound or mound distance at approximately the speed of the pitch they will face in the game. The hitter does not swing, so there is no pressure to hit. Just get used to seeing the ball and the repetition of taking a perfect approach. When the stride foot lands make sure the feet, hands and balance are perfect. Repeat as many times as necessary until it becomes a habit.

I know it takes time, but the hitter has to get used to the idea of getting his body in the right position consistently. The more consistently he can do this, the better swings he'll take. Create muscle memory. Then work into batting practice.