If You Don’t Pre-Hab or Rehab Your Ankles Now, You’ll Hate Yourself Later
I sought out to do a 4-week case study – on myself – to see what the Freo Board could do for the chronic tightness on the inside of my right knee.
This was caused by playing 17 years of an unbalanced one-sided sport, baseball…along with a bad ankle sprain my Freshman year in college, and jamming my right leg into the hip climbing a wall going back on fly ball during a game against Fullerton my Sophomore year.
Also dumb knuckle-headed-ness like running a marathon in 2008, and doing high repetition Cross-fit WOD’s post marathon were straws that FINALLY broke the camel’s back (or in my case my knee).
I had been using a Foam Roll, Trigger Point, and stretching strategies in the past, and would feel better that day, but the tightness would return the next day.
And I’m happy to report that after one week of using the Freo Board, I haven’t had to Foam Roll or Trigger Point my TFL or IT Bands, or stretch out my hamstrings and calves in the last 3 weeks!
Some benefits I’ve felt:
Little to no tension on the inside of my right knee,
Better stability when changing direction,
More hamstring flexibility when bending over and picking things up,
Less calf tightness, and
Lighter on my feet.
Overall benefits of using a Freo or Slant Board…
Build better ankle mobility,
Secure better knee stability,
Make hip mobility better,
Overall better balance,
Great pre-rehabilitation for ankle, knee, and hip, and
Superb ankle, knee, or hip rehabilitation post injury.
Benefits for hitters…
Better dynamic balance on off-speed and breaking balls,
Will move better, therefore will perform better,
Boost in running speed and agility, and
More effective in dealing with and transferring Gravitational Forces.
Training Protocol
At least 4-5 days per week,
5-10 minutes per day,
Do the “cross” foot positions on Days-1-3-5, and
Do the “X” foot positions on Days-2-4
Progressions: move the non-balancing leg in front, to the side, and behind the athlete
GymBoss – Interval timer which I suggest setting at 20-secs work time, and 5-secs foot position switch time.
Look, whether you’re trying to reduce your risk for injury, currently rehabbing a recent injury, or the injury was a decade ago, the Freo Board will help…A LOT.
Please keep me updated on the progress of your hitters by using the Freo or Slant Board by sharing your thoughts in the comments section below…
https://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/freo-board-ankle-mobility-blog-post.png615664Joey Myershttps://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/hitting-performance-labs_c90c0362088ef1d3d528f3078f4f8ac1-300x75.pngJoey Myers2017-03-18 01:58:092018-09-03 05:19:41Take 10 Minutes/Day To Bulletproof Your Ankles…You’ll Be Happy You Did!
And see how beneficial doing group swing analysis would be for coaches.
A hitting “think tank” if you will.
The rules:
Video is one swing in three speeds (100%, 50%, & 25%, in that order)
NO background info about hitter,
Be constructive with suggestions, NOT destructive,
Share top-2 high priority fixes in featured swing, and
Suggest drills and/or coaching cues to correct.
The benefit to coaches is the opportunity to objectively see a swing “snapshot”, make mind up about offering correction, then learn what others would do with the same information.
I don’t do free swing analysis anymore because I don’t have the time. And I feel bad because the readers reaching out need some help.
So, what I’m thinking is tapping on my audience for that help.
And if you coaches like this, then we’ll do more of these in the future.
Also, don’t feel like you have to write a novel…just offer up a couple sentences.
THANK YOU in advance for your comments.
Please leave a reply down below in the comments section…
https://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/hitting-performance-labs_c90c0362088ef1d3d528f3078f4f8ac1-300x75.png00Joey Myershttps://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/hitting-performance-labs_c90c0362088ef1d3d528f3078f4f8ac1-300x75.pngJoey Myers2016-11-11 23:54:512017-02-22 03:55:06What Do You Think About…?
A Simple Way To Make Adjustments, Build Swing Tempo, AND Elevate The Ball That Works For Mike Trout & Josh Donaldson
I have a treat for you…
A “grab-bag” of golden nuggets…
The following 11 hitting tips come from my most popular social media non-HPL links of 2016.
To give you an idea,
I typically promote 1 non-HPL link per day on the socials, so that’s 365 links getting put in front of my 20K+ followers.
I get a front row seat to see what coaches think interesting and worth their time.
The following creme-of-the-crop link montage, is arranged in descending order, least clicks to the most.
You’ll find these somewhat of a random sort, but they all relate to hitting, albeit indirectly in some cases.
Happy learning!
#11: 30 Clubs in 30 Days: How Mike Trout Approaches Hitting
This is the featured video above.
Sean Casey interviewed Mike Trout during Spring Training of 2016, where Trout discusses his hitting routine…I jotted down 9 key notes for you:
First few rounds he works on hitting to RCF,
Stay up the middle,
A few times hit the ball to LCF, to stay square with the pitcher,
He mentions not getting too ‘chicken wing’,
Tee work: set it high and ‘get on top of the ball’ (to counteract dropping the shoulder and barrel too much),
10-20 swings trying to hit a ground-ball every time,
In games, sit fastball, react to off-speed and breaking balls,
On top of the plate, back of the batter’s box, and
Work up the middle in games.
All these tips are pretty solid…
…for Mike Trout.
When I posted this, and made a note that Mike Trout is definitely not looking to optimize hitting the high pitch in games,
AND
He’s most definitely NOT trying to ‘get on top of the ball’ in games (both in reference to tip #5 above)…
There were a few men on Facebook that got their panties in a bunch, saying I was calling Mike Trout a liar…yada, yada, yada.
If we look at Mike Trout’s Sabermetrics at FanGraphs.com, the reality is, he’s THE BEST at hitting the low ball…and THE WORST at hitting the high ball.
So WHY does he practice hitting off a high tee?
Another look at Mike Trout’s metrics, and we see he’s:
Well below average in Ground-ball percentage (39.6% v. league average is 44%),
Above average in Line Drive percentage (22.1% v. league average is 20%),
Above average in Fly-ball percentage (38.2% v. league average is 36%), AND
Well above average in his Fly-ball to Home-run ratio (19.6% v. league average is 9.5%).
What does this mean?
It’s a ‘what’s real’ AND ‘what’s feel’ sort of thing…
Because he’s definitely NOT trying to hit ground-balls in games (contradicting hitting tips #5 & #6 from above).
So am I calling Mike Trout a liar…
And, WHY would he practice like this?
Earlier, notice how I said,
“All these tips are pretty solid…for Mike Trout.”
No, I didn’t say that because Mike Trout is a mutant, and only Mike Trout can do that and get away with it.
When coaches say this, it’s a cop out. It means they have no REAL clue what’s REALLY going on.
Here’s where I’m going with this,
And it’s VERY important…
And also WHY I made popular link hitting tip #11 the featured video…
What John Doe Coach missed in the interview was when Trout mentioned he has a tendency to ‘chicken-wing’ and ‘drop his back shoulder and barrel’ too much.
In other words, uppercut too much.
Mike Trout is using these seemingly counter-intuitive hitting tips to make adjustments to his swing’s extreme tendencies.
I’m not calling Mike Trout a liar.
He’s a friggin’ smart competitive athlete.
He knows himself and his swing, and makes the necessary adjustments to stay in the black, and not get too far in the red.
There’s no secret,
Mike Trout is trying to get the ball in the air.
It’s like the advice Lightning McQueen heard in the animated movie Cars, “Turn left to go right”…when attempting to correct a spin-out.
#10: Hitting A Baseball – “The Hardest Thing To Do In Sports”
The parent and player behavior is probably not going to surprise you…
However, I want you to ask yourself the question as you read this,
“How did the coaches respond to the parents that clearly didn’t work?”
How could coach be more effective in dealing with parents in this environment, if a million dollar bet was on the line?
Look, maybe the athletes are spoiled brats, or maybe the coaches just don’t have an effective strategy for dealing with this situation.
In other words, don’t label the players or parents “mean” right away…
Be creative, brainstorm, and future pace how you’d handle this situation.
Because chances are, you will run across this scenario, in some form, in your lifetime.
Grab 'Finger Pressure' Video
Frustrated with fixing BAT DRAG? Beat it!
Swing Study reveals how majority of hitters are correcting 'racing back elbow' bat drag within 1-2 weeks WITHOUT overhauling swing mechanics OR buying fancy and expensive hitting aids.
Click button below to access FREE video that has been downloaded over 20K times!
Most understand Line Drives MUST be the main hitting objective (for a majority of swings), however I want you to compare the Ground-ball metrics to the Fly-ball metrics from the chart above:
A 32-point increase in Batting Average with Ground-ball over a Fly-ball,
A 358-point INCREASE in ISO (or raw power) with Fly-balls over Ground-balls…AND
A 115-point INCREASE in weighted On-Base Average with Fly-Balls over Ground-balls, which according to FanGraphs.com…
“Weighted On-Base Average combines all the different aspects of hitting into one metric, weighting each of them in proportion to their actual run value. While batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage fall short in accuracy and scope, wOBA measures and captures offensive value more accurately and comprehensively.”
So, WHY are we still teaching hitters to hit ground-balls, and NOT to elevate? Beside situational hitting of course.
“Scooter Gennett’s offense has declined every year since he broke into Major League Baseball, are ground balls the reason?”
After careful metric analysis, Shawn Brody the post’s author, says:
“In my mind, Gennett should be closer to his 2014 level of production, which is something he could return to if he put the ball in the air more often.”
Hitting consistent ground-balls will land you on the bench at the higher levels, unless of course you have plus running speed.
In which case, analysis shows that any launch angle above 10-degrees, makes faster running speed irrelevant.
So, what if a hitter hits the ball just plain hard?
Maybe the following #1 link post from my 20K+ followers will shed light on that…
The great case study article discusses how Jon Lester ranks second among Major League hitting pitchers with an average Ball Exit Speed of 92.5-mph.
So, what’s the problem?
Quoted from the article:
“…(He ended up with four hits on the season in 71 plate appearances, a .065/.108/.065 line.) Part of it is that, like many pitchers, contact was an issue — Lester’s 42.3 percent strikeout rate was above the 37.7 percent average for pitchers.”
How could Lester hit the ball so hard without finding much hitting success?
Again, quoted from the article:
“…it’s because 19 of Lester’s 24 tracked batted balls failed to get above 7 degrees of launch angle. Sixteen of those 19 failed to even achieve positive launch angle, which is to say that he pounded the ball into the ground constantly.”
In other words, to get the ball in the air, the hitter MUST have a positive launch angle. About 10-degrees positive will get the ball to the outfield grass…on the “big” field.
If the hitter has a negative or less than 10-degree positive launch angle, THEY WILL:
Hit A LOT of worm burners,
Strikeout more,
NOT get many hits, and
Professionally speaking, NOT make it past A-ball(if they’re lucky enough to make it that far).
Even if they’re lighting up the BES radar guns.
Here’s a BONUS link for ya…
CLICK HERE to read a Cut4 article highlighting Giancarlo Stanton hitting the hardest ball ever recorded by Statcast at 123.9-mph, but it was hit into a 4-6-3 double play.
Here’s the lesson folks…
Line drives tend to be between 10-20 degree positive launch angles (see image above).
Dingers tend to be between 20-40 degree positive launch angles (see image above).
Of course, whether it’s over the fence or not will depend on the Ball Exit Speed.
It’s not enough to hit the ball hard.
Teach hitters to elevate.
Get barrel on path of incoming pitch.
Focus on striking bottom half of ball.
That, my coaching friend, is how to decrease strikeouts, mishits, and weak fly-balls…AND increase BA, ISO, and wOBA.
Grab 'Finger Pressure' Video
Frustrated with fixing BAT DRAG? Beat it!
Swing Study reveals how majority of hitters are correcting 'racing back elbow' bat drag within 1-2 weeks WITHOUT overhauling swing mechanics OR buying fancy and expensive hitting aids.
Click button below to access FREE video that has been downloaded over 20K times!
https://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/josh-donaldson-interview-sean-casey-timing.png432649Joey Myershttps://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/hitting-performance-labs_c90c0362088ef1d3d528f3078f4f8ac1-300x75.pngJoey Myers2016-10-21 01:36:392018-12-24 04:53:4911 Popular 2016 Links Revealing How To Make Hitting Great Again
Typically, Big League players don’t dive into Sabermetrics, as readily as they will in the coming years, so it was refreshing to see Homer Bush taking a hard look at ways hitters can exploit inefficiencies at the Big League level by spotting Metric patterns.
Not only do his strategies work at the elite level, but do at the lower levels as well.
I read his book in a week, and thought he did a great job of showing hard evidence of WHY hitters MUST:
Learn how to elevate low pitches, and
Figure out how to hit with power to ALL fields.
If you aren’t helping your hitters grow, then they’re dying.
Here’s a short bio of Homer Bush:
Homer Bush was selected by the San Diego Padres in the 7th round of the 1991 amateur draft.
He went on to play 13 years of professional baseball.
Homer also played for the New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays and the Florida Marlins.
He was a member of the record setting 1998 Yankees World Series Championship team.
Homer is currently Director of Youth Programs for the Texas Rangers and lives in Southlake, Texas with his wife and 2 children.
Without further adieu,
Here is the…
Interview with Homer Bush…
Homer Bush with the Yankees. Photo courtesy: bleedingyankeeblue.blogspot.com
If you were to train me for four weeks for a HUGE tournament and had a million dollars on the line, what would the training look like? What if I trained for eight weeks?
With 4 weeks of training, we’d spend 50% of the time working on proper hitting mechanics–grip & stance, load and swing path.
We’d spend 25% of the time understanding the hitting zone, as opposed to the the strike zone.
And the last 25% of the time, we’d work on your mental approach at the plate as far as focus and building on the positives, so that adjustments can be made from pitch to pitch.
With the additional 4 weeks, we’d just build on these areas with emphasis on repetition.
What makes you different? Who trained you or influenced you?
My major league experience allowed me to see hitting at its highest level on a daily basis. When reflecting back, it is clear that all of the elite players that I played with or against were good low ball hitters.
Some of my influences were… Tony Gwynn, Tim Raines, Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams, Chili Davis, Darryl Strawberry, too many to name them all.
What are your favorite instructional books or resources on the subject? If people had to teach themselves, what would you suggest they use?
Tanner Low Ball Custom Tee 16-23 inches(this isn’t a link to the custom tee, but maybe contacting Tanner Tee, and they may do one for you for an extra cost).
Frustrated with fixing BAT DRAG? Beat it!
Swing Study reveals how majority of hitters are correcting 'racing back elbow' bat drag within 1-2 weeks WITHOUT overhauling swing mechanics OR buying fancy and expensive hitting aids.
Click button below to access FREE video that has been downloaded over 20K times!
What are the biggest mistakes and myths you see in hitting? What are the biggest wastes of time?
I find that there are several myths…
That the swing is level.
There is no such thing as swinging through the baseball.
Rotating the back hip through the zone is necessary for power.
Everyone has their own way of hitting. Every batter must have similarities in their mechanics at a certain point in the hitting process.
‘Squishing the Bug’ philosophy is a joke. In my opinion the biggest waste of time is hitting off of pitching machines in indoor academies because they are too erratic and almost impossible to time.
Who is good at hitting despite being poorly built for it? Who’s good at this who shouldn’t be?
Yadier Molina, average height, wide body and not very fast (not your idea baseball player build) but very productive at the plate.
Who are the most controversial or unorthodox hitters? Why? What do you think of them?
One of the most unorthodox hitters was my former teammate, Tony Batista— unusual, open batting stance but very effective with good power.
Who are the most impressive lesser-known teachers?
Besides Homer Bush, Tim Raines
Have you trained others to do this? Have they replicated your results?
Yes, when I was coaching in the minors with the Padres, my players improved in every offensive category (runs, hits, team batting average, on-base percentage, doubles, home runs) in just one season of me working with them. I’ve also taught my own hitting clients, youth, high school and college players how to execute my hitting philosophy for immediate and consistent success at the plate.
…
Thank you Homer Bush for sharing such great insight.
His strategy works for softball, just as much as baseball. And believe me, defensive shifts are on their way to the lower levels… (if you haven’t seen them already)
Especially once the metrics get easier to collect and manage with a score-book software, such as Game Changer.
Did you know…
Pitchers are consistently taught to keep the ball down in the zone? (I bet you already knew that),
BUT, did you know…
The Oakland Athletics recently recruited hitters with swing paths that were optimal for balls down in the zone!!!?
What do pitchers do then, when hitters begin to elevate the low pitch?! lol
Remember guys and gals, knowledge IS NOT power…it’s POTENTIAL power. Please put Homer’s study and research to use.
Please direct any questions or comments to Homer Bush below…
Grab 'Finger Pressure' Video
Frustrated with fixing BAT DRAG? Beat it!
Swing Study reveals how majority of hitters are correcting 'racing back elbow' bat drag within 1-2 weeks WITHOUT overhauling swing mechanics OR buying fancy and expensive hitting aids.
Click button below to access FREE video that has been downloaded over 20K times!
https://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/homer-bush-hitting-low-in-the-zone2.jpg417360Joey Myershttps://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/hitting-performance-labs_c90c0362088ef1d3d528f3078f4f8ac1-300x75.pngJoey Myers2016-10-06 00:18:182019-01-18 18:06:30Homer Bush Interview: How To Turn A Pitcher’s Best Weapon Against Them
https://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/baseball-swing-plane-experiment-cage.png557413Joey Myershttps://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/hitting-performance-labs_c90c0362088ef1d3d528f3078f4f8ac1-300x75.pngJoey Myers2016-09-22 03:18:082018-07-18 04:48:49Cargo Cult Science May Be Causing You To Lose Out On “The Truth”
To People That Want To Fix Baseball Swing Mechanics But Can’t Get Started
About 4 months between these synced frames. Notice: better weight shift forward, knee action, better barrel launch angle, NO more racing back elbow bat drag…Thomas is in ATTACK MODE on the right!
With permission from Dad, I wanted to share 9-year-old Thomas P.’s hitting journey after 12 baseball swing mechanics slow motion online video feedback sessions with me at The Feedback Lab.
We started session #1 January 18th, 2016, and finished session #12 June 2nd, 2016. The video above is an actual Feedback Session I routinely do for my online hitting students.
I’m so proud of Thomas persevering through the struggle and frustration that comes with honing effective mechanics.
AND, the same can be said for Scot, his Dad, who’s persevered right alongside his son. Not to mention how much Scot learned in the process…
How to train Thomas in these mechanics at home,
How to offer just the right amount of feedback, and
Finding out when too much is too much when it comes to learning a new skill.
In this video post, I wanted to share:
How far Thomas’s swing has come,
What he’s working on next, and
Some of the ‘Ah-Ha Moments’ for Thomas along the way.
https://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/baseball-swing-mechanics-slow-motion-thomas-p.png441810Joey Myershttps://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/hitting-performance-labs_c90c0362088ef1d3d528f3078f4f8ac1-300x75.pngJoey Myers2016-06-08 21:30:282018-09-22 05:26:409yo 5-Month Swing Transformation Case Study
Hitting Lessons From A Primary Firearms and Tactical Instructor?
Nick Coast, Senior at Rancho Bernardo High School is crushing it, along with younger brother – and Sophomore – Alex Coast.
In this post, I want to share a testimonial from one of the dads who drove up from San Diego (about 7-hour drive to me) with his two sons, Alex and Nick, to hit with me for a weekend, about 9 months ago.
Both young men are playing at the highest level in the Open Division in the CIF San Diego Section, Rancho Bernardo High School. Alex is a Sophomore playing J.V., and Nick is a Senior playing Varsity this year. Nick’s Varsity Coach Sam Black, is the same one General Manager of the Oakland A’s played for.
The reason I’m sharing this is because dad, Mark Coast, has a VERY credible background in human movement science. THIS is what caused him to reach out to me after rummaging through HPL. The following testimonial is VERY validating to the things we teach at HPL.
SDSU Website for Homeland Security
Here’s the bio of Col. Mark Coast:
“I graduated from Cal State Northridge with a BS in Physics and Minor in Engineering in 1990. The same day I graduated college I was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps Reserve. Nearly 30 years later I am now a colonel in USMCR. Since the time I graduated college I have served a combination of 8 years on active duty and nearly 22 in the reserve. During that period I deployed to Iraq four times (2003-2006), retired from DEA after 20 years (1996-2016) as a Special Agent, worked a few years as an optical mechanical design engineer, Adjunct Faculty at San Diego State University (2009 to present) and now a founder of a new company Ceveal Solutions, LLC. I have been a professional trainer for over 25 years experience. First, as an artillery officer with USMC, Non-lethal Weapons Instructor #1 for the Department of Defense, and as the Primary Firearms and Tactical Instructor for DEA. I completely understand the scientific process and apply proven training techniques of integrating gross and fine motor skills with hand-eye coordination in shooting, very similar to hitting and golf.”
Now, here’s the email he recently sent, updating me on the boys’ progress this season.
Grab This FREE 'Timing Master Class' Video
Struggling to get your hitters ON-TIME in games? Discover HOW TO build effective laser-focused timing, so your hitters can be ON-TIME more often. These principles are validated by REAL science.
Click the button below to access the FREE video that has been downloaded over 6K times!
It’s a little long, but don’t worry – if you stick through it – you’ll get a few golden training nuggets…
Without further adieu, ENTER Col. Mark Coast…
“Joey,
I hope things are going well. I know you may not get much detailed feedback so I wanted to pass along something we learned the last couple weeks. We have been hitting like crazy and the results were good. One of the things we stressed was your recommendation of the two plate drill and it helped timing tremendously. Additionally, we worked hard on balance. We also increased reps off the pitching machine to adjust to velocity. They worked very hard to make balanced swings whether they hit or missed. This really improved their contact and consistently hitting with the same swing. However, I wanted to determine why the boys were popping up occasionally in clutch situations, which was unusual (pop ups). Thus, I set up a video camera and recorded their ABs. Here’s what I learned…
Upon review of video after games I was seeing the boys take a damn hard cut at a ball for the first couple strikes. I would notice they would take a subtle step towards the plate on the follow through. I asked them why they were taking a step in the game and not in the cage? Their response, “I want to crush the ball so I’m swinging harder during the game because we are pumped up.”
I told them, this comes down to discipline and training. You play like you practice and practice like you play. You either swing like that in the cage or don’t do it in the game. They said they wanted to swing hard like that in the cage, but they couldn’t swing that hard for 10 pitches. I said that is exactly why Joey wants you to limit your swings to 3-5 reps.
They were very resistant to that because they “get in a rhythm” and like hitting for 10-12 reps. I told them it was reinforcing bad habits for game situations. The light bulb went on for them!
Nick has taken physics already and we drew a static diagram of a harder swing and asked him to show me and Alex where his barrel head will be when he swings with a larger angular velocity. He figured out the bat created a larger moment arm from his center of gravity [COG]. He realized his COG moved toward the plate (causing the slight step) and causing his barrel head to drop slightly causing the pop ups or foul tips.
They realized game time ABs creates adrenaline pumps and they swing harder in games and don’t train with the same intensity in the cages, thus missing balls low. They NEVER drive a ball into the ground with less than two strikes! Always swinging harder than the cage during the game. However, they are damn good two strike hitters when they purposely dial back their swings with 2 strikes.
BTW, Nick has only 6 K’s on the season and Alex has 2 K’s. They rarely miss a pitch. Again, these boys are playing at the highest level in the Open Division in the CIF San Diego Section. BTW, not too bad on defense too. Nick has a 1.000 fielding percentage as a catcher and .800 caught stealing rate. Alex only has one E playing the corners.
Experiment: Go into the cage and take full momentum swings for no more than 3 reps and rotate for three rounds.
Hypothesis: Their barrel heads would be under the ball in the first round. Second round they would apply bold adjustment method (standard artillery round adjustment method); swing below, above and then split the difference. Third round they will have taught themselves how much they need to raise their barrels heads to square up balls when swinging as hard as they can.
Results: It went exactly as predicted. They rebalanced with the harder swing by moving their hips out (away from the plate). CLICK HERE for the results during the games (Max Preps screen shots through today). They are absolutely crushing the ball. Nick is tied for leading doubles on his team, moved to hitting in the 5 hole. Alex similar results.
The last couple weeks they are coming through in clutch situations. Just this week, Nick walk off single in one game and lead off double to score winning run. Alex on Wed (btm of 12th) lead off double and was the winning run. Varsity coach (Billy Beane’s HS coach Sam Black) said, damn the Coast boys are killing it and starting game ending rallies.
Last year when we came to you in Fresno, Nick was hitting .111 (popping most everything up). Alex was similar. Now they realize how to replicate their game swings. They are disciplined with their training of limiting reps to 3-5 per round. Their friends are now adapting this training method. I think it’s ironic “The Factory” has kids coming over to hit in the cage at our house and adapting to your scientific approach to hitting. It is so cool to watch them adapt to technology and the collected scientific evidence and apply it effectively to the most difficult task in sports. I know when they coach later in life they will be better coaches. Thanks again for all your support and continued success.
Thanks, Mark”
In addition, Col. Mark Coast added this to one of my replies…
“When their teammates see the results on the field they do not argue with success they just want to duplicate it. It’s funny how many boys are now asking them and me what are they doing other than hitting. I keep telling them it’s not the quantity, but the quality of the reps. It’s the same stuff I teach my students with shooting pistols, rifles or cannons. Spray and pray is not a method. Putting a single calculated round downrange is all the matters. The same in hitting. One well placed ball is all that matters. They are old enough to be believers now. If you want to see two snippets of video of Nick you can go to his web site on MaxPreps and see his walk off hit and a double he hit Wed. I’m in the process of getting Alex’s video from Wed uploaded too.
Keep up the great work! I don’t know how often you get feedback as scientific as mine, but I hope it helps. It is a testament to your approach. Additionally, the confidence it gives them is amazing. Nick says, I have hit off and sometimes crush all these D1 commits. I know there isn’t a kid in the country I can’t hit. That’s a bold statement!”
I can’t thank Col. Coast enough for sharing this.
I always tell my hitters that I’m just a flashlight in the dark, illuminating the most effective path to being an outstanding hitter.
The biggest part – I feel – is for them to do the reps. The Coast brothers are definitely doing that, and combined with dad’s background, knowledge, and guidance…40 years from now, both boys can look back and say they did all they could to maximize their abilities.
Listen, the moral of the story is that we’re applying human movement rules, that are validated by science, to hitting a ball. Whether we’re talking about using variance in the cage or the standard artillery round adjustment method…these are the PRINCIPLES (See RWE quote above).
Keep up the good work Coast Bros!
Grab This FREE 'Timing Master Class' Video
Struggling to get your hitters ON-TIME in games? Discover HOW TO build effective laser-focused timing, so your hitters can be ON-TIME more often. These principles are validated by REAL science.
Click the button below to access the FREE video that has been downloaded over 6K times!
About two weeks after our initial conversation, Nick Coast (Senior in H.S.) was hitting .333, and his younger brother Alex was hitting over .400 in J.V. ball.
UPDATE #2
The Monday before I published this testimonial from Col. Mark Coast, I had a dad by the name of Jeff Pope reach out to me on my Facebook fan page, asking me where I could point him to improve his son’s game swing, which in the cage were fantastic.
I told him to be patient for this post (which I published on Thursday).
And here’s Jeff’s response, the Monday following this post’s publication (he gave me the go-ahead to share with you):
“I spoke with you last week about my son bringing his bp swing to the game and he did just that, hard work in the cage and in our garage has paid off. He hit ridiculous this weekend. He hit 2 monster home runs in 4 games. Kid just turned 11 last week, can’t wait to see what he is now capable of. I believe the home run flood gates may have just opened! Thanks for the insight and knowledge.”
His reply to my attaboy comment back…
“Something clicked, like I said he’s always been a great hitter but as big and strong as he is hitting clean up i wanted more for him. Game changing more. He took on the top ranked team with a kid throwing absolute gas and he took the second pitch he saw and hit it about 270 ft over the left field wall, he caught it out front and it looked effortless. His other shot he hit was an 0-2 fastball and he hit it over the centerfield wall with his contact swing. So much fun to be apart of.”
I asked him what exact changes they made, and here’s how he responded:
“What we changed in his practice habits before the tournament he played in was the shortening of the reps going all out if you will for 3-5 reps. I have noticed before the longer we went on a bucket the better his focus and adjustments got… But the swing obviously got weaker. I did notice the short reps really made him focus on making the most of the pitches he got but also keeping his strength and bat speed up the entire time. I really tried to get him to focus on being fast and powerful on those limited swings. You normally don’t see more than 3-5 pitches per at bat which really got in his head, make the most of what you have a priority. I really stressed that he needed to play how he practiced keeping the mind set of focus and making the most of what u got. We also focused more on increasing his reps off the pitching machine using that as a great tool to incorporate that powerful swing with speed. Well he played like he practiced going yard twice, one being a 270 footer on a kid throwing gas, then another on an 0-2 count with a 2 strike swing that was still powerful enough to hit it over the wall in centerfield. Both kids threw really fast which made him faster and he took advantage. He just turned 11 last week, look forward to many more of these sessions and hopeful success to keep him playing in games how he practices…which is all out!!”
This IS NOT rocket science people! Practice like you play, so you play like you practice.
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https://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/nick-coast-stats.png251667Joey Myershttps://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/hitting-performance-labs_c90c0362088ef1d3d528f3078f4f8ac1-300x75.pngJoey Myers2016-05-11 22:35:042018-12-17 05:36:29How To Get Hitters On-Time Using The ‘Standard Artillery Round Adjustment Method’
What follows is a recommended post for my parents who jump into my online lesson program The Feedback Lab.
I’ve done a tremendous amount of research and study into the science of successful learning over the last two years, and wanted to share 17 quick down-and-dirty tips with you.
As many of you parents know, the work involved to progress a swing DOES NOT stop after the local or online lesson is over. Many times, it’s the parent and hitter that bares more of a burden, than I do as the teacher.
So that being said, I hope this list helps. There are also recommended book resources peppered throughout, so…
Enjoy!
Guiding the Rider, Motivating the Elephant, and Shaping the Path
Photo courtesy: blog.iprofs.nl
There are three important ingredients to have success in The Feedback Lab:
Goals,
Steps, and
Reps.
“Goals” are relatively simple to uncover with young athletes using the “So What” Method.
Ask your hitter what they want to accomplish at the plate, and respond to them with “So What”. Keep responding that way until you’ve reached the root of their motivation.
“The Steps” are very important and require a certain sequence. Like dialing a phone number in the old days…if you dialed a friend’s digits, but were one number off, you wouldn’t reach them. Much like email addresses nowadays.
We base “The Steps” in our pattern on human movement rules that are validated by science. Neuro Linguistic Programming calls this modeling. The NLP, according to Wikipedia:
“Its creators, Richard Bandler and John Grinder, claim a connection between the neurological processes (“neuro”), language (“linguistic”) and behavioral patterns learned through experience (“programming”) and that these can be changed to achieve specific goals in life.”
For a quite a few of my hitting students (and parents), “The Reps” are the hard part. Which leads me to the following analogy…
The Directing the Rider, Motivating the Elephant, and Shaping the Path analogy I borrowed from: Switch: How To Change Things When Change Is Hard, by Dan & Chip Heath. The metaphor helps with “The Reps”.
Here’s the context:
Guiding the Rider (Neo-Cortex): the part of our brain that is responsible for analytics and logic. Information has to make sense, and be presented in a way that’s comprehensible to learners. I often refer to this as ‘sticky’ coaching. This can also be “The Goal”.
Motivating the Elephant (Limbic System): emotional part of our brain. I often describe this by asking the question, “How would you eat an elephant?” One piece at a time. As John Wooden says, “Seek small improvement, one day at a time…don’t seek the big improvements.” If we overwhelm the Elephant with too much ‘stuff’, then de-motivation ensues, and as a result, limited action will be taken.
Shaping the Path: the actual roadmap of where to go. We could have the Rider and Elephant onboard, but if neither knows how to get to their destination, then they’re both stuck. This is “The Steps” part of the equation above.
You see, without one of these puzzle pieces, the remaining two don’t have a chance.
Focus on Developing Better Movements. Don’t focus on outcomes/results at first. For instance, focus on “showing the numbers to the pitcher”, versus how much of a fiery hole the hitter can punch through the batting cage net. Later, we’ll use ball flight outcomes to reverse engineer where the hitter is being ineffective with their mechanics.
DOWNLOAD the Weekly Accountability Worksheet. This is for tracking the training and results. Also keeps the hitter accountable because it requires the parent or coach to sign off on training. CLICK to Download the Excel Spreadsheet Version – for those looking to fill in online, save to their computer, and send back to the instructor via email. CLICK to Download the PDF Version – for those looking to print out, write on, and either scan or take a camera-phone snapshot and email to the instructor.
RAMP Warmup Before Training. R.A.M.P. stands for Range of Motion, Activation, and Movement Preparation. I have my hitters take 7-10 mins at the beginning of our session to do this exact same warm up.
Stress Discipline (to build Self-Discipline). Again, I refer back to the Rider, Elephant, and Path metaphor from above. According to The Talent Code: Greatness Isn’t Born. It’s Grown. Here’s How. by author Daniel Coyle, self-discipline is twice as accurate at predicting high GPA scores than IQ is. The more self-discipline, the better the student, and better the athlete can be. Self-discipline starts with discipline. Making their bed as soon as the feet hit the ground in the morning, cleaning up after themselves, doing chores around the house, reading a book before bed, etc. One of my parents creates and laminates a checklist, their kids have to get signed off (by the parent) for doing things mentioned above.
“How Did that Feel?” Get your hitters to be aware of their body positioning with each movement they perform. They need to know how it felt to do it wrong. And they need to know what it felt like to do it right. Check in every five swings or so. Or else they won’t learn to do this on there own. Keep feedback to a minimum. CLICK HERE for a post I did on “Giving Feedback to Hitters”.
The ‘Right Way’ Sandwich. According to John Wooden, for his players, he’d modeled the right way to do it, then the wrong way, then the right way again. The advantage of the Reptilian (primitive-automatic) part of our brain is it does really well with pictures. In other words, copying another person’s movements.
Being Constructive with Criticism. In Tony LaRussa’s book One Last Strike, he talks about the “Pat & Pop”. You offer the ‘pat on the back’ of what the hitter is doing great, then offer up the ‘pop in the face’ of what they will be working on. Works great with my local and online lessons!
No Hyper-Parenting ALLOWED. Also known as “Helicopter Parenting”. It stunts learning, according to John Medina in his book, Brain Rules For Baby: How-To Raise a Smarter and Happy Child from Zero to Five. It can hurt a kid in three ways: 1) Extreme expectations stunt higher-level thinking, 2) Pressure can extinguish curiosity, and 3) Continual anger or disappointment becomes toxic stress.
Perfecting the Fine Art of Empathy. Just like Steven Covey says from his book The 7 Habits Of Highly Successful People, “Seek first to understand, then to be understood”. John Medina in his book Brain Rules for Baby, said you can use this while interacting with your hitter in these two steps: 1) Describe what emotional changes you think you see, and 2) Make a guess as to where those emotional changes came from.
Praise for Effort. NOT praise for intellect. Good praise: “You must have worked really hard!” Bad praise: “You must be really smart” or saying “Good job”. I could give you studies and go on and on about why you should be praising for effort, but I’d urge you to read this article titled, “5 Reasons to Stop Saying “Good Job!” It’s shocking actually, how two words can turn off the motivation to be self-disciplined and self-reliant.
Model a Favorite Player. Every hitter needs to experiment and tinker with their swing after a favorite player’s. Ideal ones include: Hank Aaron, David Wright, Jose Bautista, Robinson Cano, Andrew McCutchen, Chris Davis, and Miguel Cabrera. Have them get FatHeads of these guys, and put them all over their bedroom walls. The deepest darkest corner of our brain responds to and remembers pictures very well!
Speed & Tempo. According to Daniel Coyle in his book The Talent Code, “It’s not how fast you can do it, but how slow you can do it correctly.” Make the hitter slow the movement down if they can’t execute it at game speeds. Speed and tempo play an important role in the learning process.
Struggling isn’t an Option. It’s a Biological Requirement. Daniel Coyle said this in The Talent Code. If a young hitter isn’t wrestling enough with a specific movement, then they never engage in the deeper learning process necessary for skill mastery. It’s okay to be frustrated. When you sense your hitter getting frustrated, take a break, and come back to it when they’ve cooled off. Coyle adds these three things: 1) Fire the circuit, 2) Attend to mistakes, then 3) Fire it again. The brain and body only learn by DOING!!
Data Collection. To transfer practice to game repetitions, the hitter has to see a lot of LIVE pitching. Meaning, it must see a flesh and blood human throwing to them. NO wheel machines! Timing is everything. Have the hitter passively (and safely) sit in on pitchers’ bullpens. No swinging, just Floating and Falling to the Fight Position.
How Many Reps Per Day? I stopped using how many reps with my students because it tends to overwhelm the Elephant. So I use time now. I tell my Little Leaguers to start off with five minutes a day, with perfect reps. Then as they get consistent with their work, we up the ante. Set an alarm, and when it sounds, the player is done! They should be doing their drills everyday.
Focus. Consistency. Fun. Remember, one movement focus at a time until you begin to see them be more proficient at repeating the movement, then add another mechanical layer. Keep it simple (elephant)…and most importantly, stay consistent with the work, everyday (Rider). To make it fun…one of my parents shared a point system they use at home for productive and unproductive tasks (elephant) with their kids. Productive tasks includes: doing homework, reading a book, or doing their prescribed hitting drill. Unproductive tasks includes: video games, watching television, or eating McDonalds. The key is to reward productivity with a fraction of unproductive behavior.
Swing Progressions. Dry run swings, utilizing slower tempos until the body can catch up to the brain. I drill this usually in front of a mirror. Then graduate to hitting off the tee, slow down or break apart the swing if necessary until hitter gets more fluent with the new movement. Once we get about 60-70% consistent with the new movement, then progress to a moving ball, both soft toss, LIVE front toss, and/or batting practice. Then regress if their mechanics “meltdown”.
If you have any points to add that piggy-back on how to optimize learning at home, please share them below…
https://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/elephant_rider_path-e1447885907840.jpg298500Joey Myershttps://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/hitting-performance-labs_c90c0362088ef1d3d528f3078f4f8ac1-300x75.pngJoey Myers2015-11-19 03:08:232021-05-28 05:03:37How-To Optimize Learning At Home
Softball Coaching Tips: How-to Use Jedi Mind Tricks on Big Egos
Yoda photo courtesy: karingillespie.net
This softball coaching tips “Hit-Bit”, or hitting tid-bit, is an answer to questions from my readers when I asked them, “If you could have a private conversation with me, what two questions would you ask?”The answers are meant to be short, actionable, and tips you can use today.
Today’s Hit-Bit answers the reader questions:
“How do you deal with a coach or league board member who has an ego problem and don’t know shit about baseball?”
Baseball/Softball knowledge problem. Also, look into league training through Positive Coaching Alliance (positivecoaching.org).
And yes, these tips work in baseball too…
Ego Problem Book Resource #1
I’m sure you’ve heard the strategy: make the other person think it’s their idea? In fact, Warren Buffett took Dale Carnegie’s courses in his early days of investing.
Ego Problem Book Resource #2
“The 7 Habits” book rocked my world when I first read it, particularly Habit 5. As you probably already know, “pissing contests” rarely ever work. And if you still not catching any fish, then it’s time to take your pole to another pond. Try something else!!
A good buddy (and college teammate of mine), who’s spent over 10 years selling tires to trucking companies, shared this sales tactic with me awhile back, and I thought it was brilliant. Use it in talking with Big Egos:
Feel – I feel how frustrated you are with…
Felt – I felt the same way when I…
Found – I found that I could do better by…
Softball/Baseball Knowledge Problem
Just because you saw a softball coaching tips video on YouTube, doesn’t make its content effective. Here are second-to-none books on coaching strategy:
Fresno State college baseball coach Bob Bennett, book: “Baseball Strategies” (CLICK HERE for an audio interview I did with Coach Bennett on coaching)
I get asked about how my local sessions go, or how I teach, using the latest in empirical research on learning. This video is a Ball Exit Speed challenge that I put on in Fresno, CA. It’s a practical look into how I teach hitting mechanics. What follows is the local news coverage this challenge received, and afterward you’ll see the session itself.
Please post any comments or questions below…Enjoy!
, Trigger Point
, and stretching strategies in the past, and would feel better that day, but the tightness would return the next day.
,
,
,
– Interval timer which I suggest setting at 20-secs work time, and 5-secs foot position switch time.
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, by Ted Williams
, by Robert K. Adair Ph.D.
, by David Epstein
, by Homer Bush
(this isn’t a link to the custom tee, but maybe contacting Tanner Tee, and they may do one for you for an extra cost).
Hitting Aid with ball feeder
“, by Dr. Ben Goldacre,
“, by Dr. Richard Feynman,
.
book goes into more depth on the following points. I’ve scraped the most relative 16 tips for our purposes in 
, he talks about the “Pat & Pop”. You offer the ‘pat on the back’ of what the hitter is doing great, then offer up the ‘pop in the face’ of what they will be working on. Works great with my local and online lessons!
” by Dale Carnegie
” by Stephen Covey (Particularly Habit #5: Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood), and
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