A Totally Bizarre Way To Raise Your Batting Average!
If you are player, a coach or a baseball parent and your child is struggling at the plate, you might want to give this a try. It is not one of your typical baseball tips on hitting and by my own admission, it is completely bizarre. But hey, don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. You just might be pleasantly surprised!
If you are not one of the stronger hitters and are really struggling at the plate, what you should attempt to do is to hit every pitch at the pitcher’s belt buckle. And no, I haven’t lost my mind and I resent that you’re thinking that I’ve lost it. Try to do this on every pitch, no matter what type of pitch it is or where the pitch is located. There is a good chance that it will improve your batting average and let me explain why.
First of all, the big question may be that if this works, why don’t all of the weaker baseball hitters try it? That’s a very fair question and the answer is quite simple. First of all, they don’t try it because they don’t know about it. Obviously, it’s probably not at the top of your list of baseball tips on hitting. Another reason is that ego comes into play, that’s why! Smart hitters are very well aware of their strengths but just as important, they are aware of their weaknesses. You must know your limitations if you truly want to be successful as a baseball hitter.
Too many baseball hitters want to clobber everything and are in love with the long ball. Not all baseball hitters possess great power and some of them are not willing to face that fact. I completely enjoy watching a terrific power hitter hit a bomb. But I also thoroughly enjoy a baseball hitter who stays within his limits, does not over swing and just makes decent contact and hits for a high batting average.
Too many baseball hitters would rather hit bombs over the fences or into the gaps. They should really do a reality check. By trying to hit the ball toward the pitcher’s belt buckle, even though you are aiming up the middle, you will also hit to all fields because you won’t always hit the ball straight up the middle. When trying to hit it up the middle, it forces the hitter to watch the pitch carefully and there is a very good chance that their baseball hitting mechanics will improve.
It’s identical to why some outstanding professional hitters take batting practice with a smaller bat than they use in a live game. That may seem a little bizarre too, right? Why wouldn’t they use the same exact bat that they use in a game? Their reasoning is that with the smaller bat it encourages them to have better mechanics or they may very well not even hit the ball at all. Please note that I said outstanding professional hitters. And aiming for the pitcher’s belt buckle will do the same exact thing. Are you starting to get the feeling that this just might not be so bizarre after all?
Another added plus is that by aiming for the pitcher’s belt buckle, you will not be trying to “do too much” with your baseball swing. A very common baseball hitting problem is that hitters have way too much going on. It’s referred to as the swing “being too busy.” Don’t try to do to much at the plate. Keep it simple and don’t complicate hitting.
A player who is struggling at the plate should at least give this an attempt to get on the right track! The expression “sometimes less is more” definitely applies here. Hopefully, it will be helpful and they will overcome any baseball hitting struggles. Like I said, don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. You just may be pleasantly surprised.
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