The Importance Of An At-Bat Routine For Successful Hitting

The Importance Of An At-Bat Routine For Successful Hitting Written By: Shaun Smith

Baseball is a mental game. No matter what you think of mental training there is no arguing this statement. Most of baseball happens between the ears. From the pitcher who must block out all distractions and hit a very small area with multiple types of pitches on a consistent basis to the fielder who has been standing in the field for much of the game but gets that one ball hit to him and has to make the big play to keep his team in the game to the hitter who must go up to the plate with a game plan and ensure that he has no doubts otherwise the pitch will be by him before he has even started to swing the bat. For this article I wanted to discuss the mental demands that are placed on a hitter and how an at-bat routine will yield success for when you are at the plate. Hitting is very mentally demanding. Hitters must have mental toughness and have a good plan to succeed at the plate. As a hitter your challenge is to stay confident even though most successful batters fail six out of ten times when at the plate. The demands on a hitter are mental and an at-bat routine can be the key to helping you achieve a successful approach to hitting every time.

Before we look at how mental training can help you become a more successful batter let’s look at what it is that success hitters do that make them successful. Successful hitters at all levels take to each at bat with a special mindset or what I call an at-bat routine which is used every time they are at the dish. They come up to the plate with a plan on how they are going to handle the pitcher that they are facing. Some of the questions they may ask themselves include: Are they going to swing away or wait for the perfect pitch? Are they looking for fastballs or junk? By coming up to the plate with a plan they feel confident and ready to face the pitcher which they are facing and will experience success more often because of this. As well, successful hitters know how to use the time in between pitches to their benefit. With much time between pitches successful hitters use this time to review but ensure that they release any thoughts that they may be having that will interfere with their next pitch. They also use this time to think strategy about the pitches which they have seen and what they think will becoming next. Baseball is a unique sport in that after every swing you have a very rare and unique opportunity to settle yourself down or regain your lost focus and prepare mentally for the next pitch. Do you think that you use an effective routine for each at-bat which allows you to perform at your best? Many hitters which I have worked have shocked me because for the most part they don’t have a pre-swing routine or that they do not approach the bat as effectively as they should. Many hitters do not have an effective at‐bat routine because they have way too many doubts, negative thoughts, or distractions in the batter’s box.

How you mentally prepare for each at‐bat is critical to you performing at your best. Although you can’t be a perfect hitter every time at the plate you can prepare yourself for good at‐bats. Preparation yields success. In fact, you spend more time preparing for a pitch than actually swinging the bat. How you prepare can have a huge impact on how your at-bat will go. I have worked with hitters who have negative thoughts and feelings even before reaching the batter’s box. Negative thinking creates a downward spiral effect during your at‐bat. If you allow negative thinking, such as "I can’t get a hit off of this pitcher," "This pitcher throws too fast for me," or "His curve ball is too good," your self‐doubt and negative thinking will cause you to fail at the plate every time. Your at‐bat routine does not start when you step foot in the batter’s box, as you might think. Hitting begins well before you take the first pitch. Your routine actually begins when you analyze the pitcher, predict what pitches you may expect, speed, movement, etc. and recognize the game situation, runners on base, and score, even before you step into the batter’s box. Your at-bat routine must start when you are in the on-deck circle and continue to the end of your at-bat.

I hope that through this article you have been able to understand the importance of an at-bat routine in ensuring that you experience success at the plate. I hope that through this article you will be able to analyze your current batting performance and make the appropriate changes to ensure that you experience success. As a mental training coach I hope to help you develop an at-bat routine that will help you to obtain success. Visit www.absolutementaltraining.com or email me at ssmith@absolutementaltraining.com