Not Every Strike - Is Your Strike.
What if swinging at a strike isn't always the right decision? It sounds counterintuitive. We're taught from day one that strikes get swung at and balls get taken. But there's a little more to it than that. A pitch can cross the plate for a strike and still be the wrong pitch to swing at, because not every strike lands in a spot where a hitter can be productive.
Imagine a 0-0 count. The pitcher throws a strike on the inner half, right at the top of the zone. Could you swing at it? Absolutely. But should you? Maybe not. Now compare that to a pitch over the heart of the plate, at a height where you do your most damage. Both are strikes, but they are not equally valuable pitches to hit. Good hitters don't simply ask, "Is it a strike?" They learn to ask, "Is this my pitch?"
That's called count leverage, and it's why good hitters don't take strikes just for the sake of taking a strike. Early in the count, hitters should have standards. They can hunt pitches and locations where they have the best chance to produce hard contact, and as the count changes, those standards should change too. On 0-0, a hitter can afford to be selective. On 1-0, they can hunt. In favorable counts — 2-0, 3-1 — they should have a very specific idea of what they're looking for.
The mistake we make with young hitters is teaching them that taking a called strike automatically means they made a bad decision. It's not that simple. A hitter who takes a low-quality strike early in the count, on a pitch he or she had no business trying to drive, may have made the better decision. Even though it's a strike. Compare that to the hitter who swings at that same pitch for weak contact and an out. Good hitters don't get themselves out on low-quality pitches early in the count.
At minimum, hitters need to know three things. Know your damage zone: where do you hit the ball hardest? Know the pitcher: what does he or she throw to get ahead, and what does he or she go to for a swing and miss or a chase? And know the count: your hitting zone should expand or contract depending on the situation.
The best hitters understand their strengths and have a real plan at the plate. They know what they're looking for, and just as importantly, what they're not swinging at. The goal isn't to create hitters who simply swing at strikes. It's to create hitters who make quality decisions and help their team score runs.
Swing Angry. Train Different. Get Results.
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