Even though there are no games to prepare for yet, there's a lot of mental work that can be done in the cage and at practice to get our hitters ready to crush the ball! In today's blog I'm going to talk about how a simple adjustment to our approach at the plate can unleash extra bat speed in every hitter.

Here are some things Little Leaguers can't control on the baseball field.

The umpire.

The weather.

Bad hops.

Who our opponents are.

The batting order.

How tall we are.

How strong we are.

Here are some things Little Leaguers can control on the baseball field.

Our attitude.

Our effort.

Our hustle.

Our approach.

I've talked and written pretty extensively about attitude, effort, and hustle and how the way we play the game is just as important as what shows up in Gamechanger. Today I want to talk about "approach."

You might have heard the word approach used around baseball in the following way: "That guy's got a great 2-strike approach." (Meaning, when he's hitting in 2-strike counts, maybe he chokes up on the bat, shortens his swing, and just tries to the put the ball in play. "Approach" is just another word for "strategy" in this context.)

While having a hitting strategy for different counts is certainly something worth learning as kids get older, for my students, I tackle hitting strategy in a bigger picture way by posing the following question:

"Who do you want to be as a hitter?"

Often when I ask that question, I'm met with a blank stare.

I continue. "Do you want to be the type of hitter who, when you step into the batter's box, everyone playing defense starts backing up? Or when you step into the batter's box they start creeping in?"

Without fail the answer is always, "I want them to back up!"

Excellent! Now, what about a hitter is going to make the other team want to back up?

Is it how big they are? Could be. But even when the world's biggest 9 year old steps into the batter's box, if he doesn't swing the bat aggressively, nobody playing defense is going to think he'll hit the ball hard.

But what if the smallest guy on the team really makes the bat WHOOOSH through the hitting zone? The other team knows he's got the ability to crush it.

So the secret to being a feared hitter isn't size, it's bat speed! And the easiest way to maximize bat speed is to adopt an approach at the plate that emphasizes aggression.

If a young hitter, no matter how big or small he is, steps into the batter's box and takes insanely aggressive swings that maximize his bat speed, the other team is going to notice and back up.

If a young hitter, no matter how big or small he is, steps into the batter's box and takes slow, cautious, defensive swings that lack bat speed, the other team is going to notice move in.

To my put initial question to hitters in another way: "Do you want to be a hitter who takes cautious swings, rarely strikes out, but never hits a ball out of the infield, or do you want to be a hitter who strikes outs sometimes but can hit the ball over the Centerfielder's head?"

When presented with the choice in hitting strategy this way, every young player I've ever coached (and after 20+ years of coaching ages 12 and under, that's A LOT of kids) says they want to hit the ball into the outfield even if it means they'll swing and miss and strike out more often.

This difference in attitude/strategy gets to the fundamental question of "Who do you want to be as a ballplayer?" And the answer to that question is a CHOICE.

Hitters can't choose their batting average or how many doubles they'll hit during the season, but they CAN choose to swing the bat their hardest and give themselves the best chance to hit the ball hard. They can CHOOSE to be an aggressive and feared hitter.

We're not allowed to be playing games yet in California (that's a whole other topic that will just make my blood boil if I start writing about it), but the same choice about who a player wants to be as a hitter applies to...

Do you want to be the player who sprints to his position between innings or walks to his position? CHOICE.

Do you want to be the player who is always cheering for his teammates or sits quietly on the bench? CHOICE.

Do you want to be the player who throws his glove on the ground after making an error or who quickly turns the page to get ready for the next play? CHOICE.

Do you want to be the player who thanks the umpire after the game or who blames the umpire for a loss? CHOICE.

There are so many things we can't control in baseball, but when we take ownership of our baseball character and make great decisions about the things we can control, baseball is much more fun and the positive results that show up on the scoreboard and in Gamechanger are much more likely to happen.

So while as parents and coaches we're in practice-only mode for at least the next couple of weeks, let's focus on helping our ballplayers make great choices about who they are on the field and in the batting cages.

Play Hard, Have Fun!