You do not swing down or “chop down” on the ball. This technique was popular in the 90’s. There are coaches and “hitting instruction” web sites that still teach this method of hitting. It’s wrong – Why? Here are three simple facts about a pitched baseball: The pitching rubber is 10 inches above the ground therefore the pitcher is elevated/ ...
Read More »Author Archives: Matt Helke
Batted Ball Speed – The Holy Grail of Hitting and Where to Find It
Simple physics description of hitting a baseball: It’s the transferred energy from a batters body to his bat. Then from the bat to the ball. The transfer of energy from bat to ball creates Batted Ball Speed (BBS) which propels the baseball forward. So how do we get optimal BBS? Let’s face it, BBS is what everyone cares about. BBS ...
Read More »The Best Hitters in the World Fail 70% of the Time – WRONG!
How many times have you heard: “The game of baseball is a game of failure – even the best hitters fail 70% percent of the time.” This statement is wrong and factually untrue yet most believe it because you’ve been told it over and over. That belief alone already puts you in a negative mental state before you ever get ...
Read More »Go With the Pitch – Every Pitch!
Every player at one time in their life has heard their coach tell them to “go with the pitch”. Unfortunately, the only time players usually hear that phrase is when it’s an outside pitch. What most players don’t understand (and some coaches) is that you should be doing that for every pitch. The batter must be taught to “go with ...
Read More »4 Reality Checks for Young Baseball Players
Two real stories: I was speaking to a New York Mets scout out in the parking lot before a game. He told me when he goes to a game to scout a player, he likes to sit in the parking lot before the game and watch for the prospect. He went on to say that he already knows the kid ...
Read More »Why I Love BBCOR Bats
I love to hear the discussions over the BBCOR bats. Well here’s my two cents on the subject. I love it! I’m not getting into the safety argument, that’s a whole other conversation. I’m talking about making hitters hit and let pitchers pitch. The days of the wimpy swing with a BESR bat that’s a double in the right center ...
Read More »