The Ultimate Hitting Training Guide utilizes modern training methods, with 140 functional drills containing over 500 individual steps to develop the fundamentals and techniques described in The Ultimate Hitting Fundamentals, Techniques, and Strategy Guide (a separate book in Building the High-Level Swing Series). We hope our customers find both these baseball and fastpitch softball hitting guides to be valuable training tools!
For fastpitch coaches and players, one significant difference between baseball and softball is that fastpitch pitchers can throw an effective rise ball. We dedicate drill steps to train swing plane and plate approach to help the fastpitch player to hit the rise ball pitcher productively. We also include drills to increase proficiency for hitting fastpitch drops and curves. And we note slight differences in training fastpitch hitters in numerous specific exercises. Use the exercises in The Ultimate Hitting Training Guide to train powerful and dominant hitters in both baseball and fastpitch softball.
The Ultimate Hitting Training Guide incorporates:
◆ Swing fixes for common hitting issues.
◆ New persuasive scientific methods of learning relating to the development of motor skills.
◆ How to deliberately practice to make the best use of the time available.
◆ How to test whether swing adjustments are game-ready.
◆ The mental processes used by great hitters during practice and games.
◆ How to plan a hitting practice for any age group.
◆ How to build strength, conditioning, and speed for baseball and fastpitch softball hitters.
Critical Training Elements.
What is primarily essential is that the hitter is quick to contact, adjustable to various speeds and movements, and swinging with force. The critical training components are:
◆ For the highest skill development rate, utilize specific drills that directly target the swing's essential elements. The hitter should never wonder about any drill's purpose – it is immediately apparent what function the exercise improves.
◆Emphasize and coach powerful and productive intentions. "The mind can achieve what the mind can conceive."
◆Work within the hitter's strengths while improving weaknesses that affect these strengths. Building Rome Series trains techniques optimizing the abilities of the unique hitter. .
Functional Drills.
All training exercises meet the following criteria:
◆No Irregular Movements. Drills require a standard batting position and motion.
◆ Directly Learned vs. Self-Organizing/Constraint Training. By setting the right tasks and encouraging play/exploration of different variables, the hitter can use their body's inherent intelligence to hone in on the most productive swing. Great drills balance directly learned (internal focus) movements with these self-organizing training techniques.
◆ Test for Game Readiness. Players look great when doing drills, but then in games, they often fail to translate the new skills. To combat this prevailing tendency, drills include a final step to test the improved mechanics for automaticity.
