MUSCLE MEMORY IS THE KEY!
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The key to successful baseball hitting is muscle memory. Properly utilized, muscle memory frees the hitter from thinking about 'how' to hit. Instead the hitter can place all of his/her focus on the three characteristics of each pitch: 1) the type of pitch, i.e. curveball; 2) the speed of the pitch; 3) the location of the pitch.
Muscle memory is the memory utilized by your motor skills. We use muscle memory often each and every day to accomplish tasks that we do on a repetitive basis. For example, you do not have think about what muscles you need to use when you chew. Hitting a baseball is simply a controlled utilization of a series of muscles. If a hitter utilizes muscle memory for his/her hitting, a significant and exponential increase in hitting production will result.
"My dad used to throw me the ball and tell me I had to hit it up the middle, hit the other way," Atkins said. "It was so ingrained it just seemed natural." Baseball Digest, July 2007, Garrett Atkins -- From Stopgap Third Baseman to One of the Top Pure Hitters
The best way to attain the ability to direct the batted ball is through muscle memory. What is implied in Garrett Atkins' statement is that his father had him practice on a repetitive basis directing his hit. It is this repetition that allowed him to achieve muscle memory. He reached a point after enough repetition that he did not have to think about how to hit the ball, but rather he could focus mentally on where he wanted to hit the ball.
A very slow and unsure way to achieve muscle memory is to utilize a live person as the pitcher in batting practice. The reason this is a slow and unsure way is because of the inability of the live person to be consistent with each and every pitch. If the live person is a particularly bad pitcher, like some youth baseball coaches, the young hitters become more concerned with developing the muscle memory to get out of the way of pitches that would hit them, instead of the hitting the pitches in the strike zone. This is a self-defeating practice. It absolutely does not prepare the hitter to become an effective hitter.
On the other hand, you may have a live person who is quite good at pitching batting practice. They are able to exercise good control, possibly getting nine out of ten pitches in the strike zone. However, the energy expended on pitching is much more than the energy spent on hitting. Invariably, the pitcher will fatigue much faster than the hitter. This degrades the potential and actual achievement for muscle memory for the hitter.
Repetition is the key to acquiring muscle memory. This is why the vast majority of successful professional baseball hitters utilize pitching machines. With a pitching machine there is no fatigue factor on the part of the pitcher. Also, every pitch has the potential of being a quality pitch, allowing the hitter to focus on the three important aspects of each pitch: 1) the type of pitch, i.e. curveball; 2) the speed of the pitch; 3) the location of the pitch.
Additionally, the hitter can practice on a particular type or speed or location of pitch with the repetition necessary to effectively hit that particular pitch. In this case the hitter can learn to more quickly recognize the pitch, allowing him/her more time to effectively utilize the powerful effects of the muscle memory they have developed.
Professional baseball hitters, typically only see a live person pitching to them in limited situations, aside from game situations. These would include warm-up or tune-up times before each game that are brief, often only about ten pitches, and whenever a pitcher needs to practice with live hitters.
The mechanics of hitting are those things involving the physical movements and motions involved in hitting. These are not a complete constant for every hitter. A professional, like Vladimir Guerrero, has a style and approach to hitting that would not be a good way for most young hitters to emulate. His approach is very free-wheeling in which he swings (and hits) most any pitch that is between his eyes and his ankles. On the other hand, he is an excellent example of a hitter who excels because of the muscle memory that he has developed. He does not have to put mental focus on how to hit, he simply reacts to each pitch that he likes.
Closed or open stance, hands held high or low, elbow up or down; these are just some of the elements of hitting mechanics. There is no perfect or even best way for everyone. From Craig Counsell's 'hold the bat as high as you can and corkscrew your body' style to Joe Morgan's 'flap the left elbow to remember to keep it in place' style, each hitter has to find what stance, hand position, elbow position, and even crouch, is best suited for him/her. Once the best batting stance is found for the hitter then the next best step is to develop the muscle memory to just naturally step into the batter's box and assume that best stance without thinking about it.
Whenever a hitter finds themself in a hitting slump, the most likely cause is a loss of muscle memory. If they have film they can review, it is possible that they can see what has changed. It could be that maybe they have dropped their hands, or inadvertantly opened their stance. Once the problem is identified then it is important to move on to the solution that will solve the problem quickly and effectively. That solution is repetition of the correct positioning and renewing the muscle memory that allows the hitter to achieve success once again. This repetition is best accomplished through the use of a pitching machine.
Here at JC Pitching Machines we offer a product line with an excellent mix of types of pitching machines, among the leaders in the industry. We are pleased to offer you these quality machines and the accessories to go with them to maximize your baseball batting skills. Please click on any of the links below to learn more about any of our product lines.
