Swing vs. Hitting

 On social media recently, a hitting instructor was essentially saying that tee work, side toss, front toss, and "feel good" batting practice were a waste of time. His point was that these drills did not really prepare a hitter for game-like at bats. I agree to a certain extent; however, I disagree that the aforementioned basic drills do not have value. I believe it depends on what you are working on - your swing or hitting. There is definitely a difference!

If you are working on the swing itself, as a hitter you need hundreds and thousands of reps over the course of many weeks and months to hone the swing that that you will take with you into at-bats. To suggest that you do not benefit from repetitive drill work is incorrect. Once your swing is developed, then comes the time for challenging, game-like work to prepare for live ABs. 

Hitting is about hitting the ball hard to help your team win. Competing against the pitcher is the number one focal point of a hitter. If you are at the plate are worried about your swing mechanics, the pitcher has a tremendous advantage already. Remember, you are already trying to do the most difficult thing in all of sports. Removing the thought process of swing mechanics can only come from developing the trust in your stroke over those thousands of reps that will allow you to focus on the important things - seeing a ball you can hit hard and attacking with controlled violence!


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