Understanding the Mental Aspects of Hitting

This article is a personal reflection of sorts of some of my own experiences of the mental maturing process I have gained throughout my post-collegiate career. I, in no way, claim to be an expert on this subject, but rather would like to offer examples of different ways in which I have improved mentally as an offensive threat. It is my hope that this article might aid coaches to understand what type of self-talk is really occurring in our athletes, only bettering the likelihood to guide or mature their thought process as hitters.

We have all come to understand that hitting is a state of mind. Why not first attempt to fully understand our athletes' thought process before we begin to fix things mechanically with their swing? Or, at least help them to understand how a mentally mature hitter approaches the game. All of the factors mentioned below have a correlation to one another and have helped to foster my own maturity level as a hitter.

Presence in the Box
I have learned throughout my career about the art of what it means to have a presence in the batter's box. We all know the type of hitter that steps into the box looking confident and under control throughout an entire at-bat. One of the quotes we like to use with our athletes referring to this presence is, "Fake it ʻtil you make it." I believe it is important to teach our hitters that there is no reason why they cannot approach each at-bat as if to not have success. The presence that I speak of is a developmental process, just as the mechanics of the swing are improved. It is a learned process needing to be advanced from the beginning in order to reach a more highly developed level.

There are many different factors that go with this development, the first being the athlete's knowledge hitting is a game of average. Personally, I have found it helpful to not allow our hitters to show their reaction to every ball they take a cut on, whether it is in the cage or on a tee. By practicing this habit, they will not be so inclined to demonstrate their highs and lows in the game. Keeping a consistent frame of mind allows them to not focus solely on the outcome. The most critical time to enforce this skill is most obvious when the hitter is not having the success she anticipates at the plate. This should not stop them from exuding the confident presence I am speaking about. It is important to remind the hitter that this presence is one of the few things they have control of in the batter's box.

Knowledge of Your Swing
Another key element to maturing mentally as a hitter is the knowledge you must become aware of about your own strengths and weaknesses. I believe it is important to teach each hitter to think about her own swing, and what she believes she does well, followed by what she needs to improve on. Some of the most beneficial moments I have found with my players take place when we simply discuss what they believe to be their best attributes as a hitter. It is amazing to hear how difficult it is for some players to communicate what they believe they do well as a hitter, because they have focused most of their thoughts on the glitches in their swing.

It is important to first remind them of what they do well. This communication also allows them the opportunity to brainstorm their own ideas, instead of constantly relying on the coach's instruction. I have found that gaining as much knowledge as you can as a hitter facilitates confidence in their own minds and swing. Ultimately, they must learn to trust their own swing.

Another form of knowledge I have found in my own approach is the knowledge of every pitcher in which I come into contact with. Each week before a new opponent, I focus my offensive practice around my opponent's pitcher. This has allowed me to step into the box knowing that I have prepared myself to the best of my ability, and nothing that I see at the plate will come as a surprise. I have made my mental notes; game time us left up to reacting.

Living in the Present

Taking each at-bats as an individual battle, and not focusing too much on my past or future outcomes has been valuable to my own mental maturity as a hitter. I go as far as breaking this process down pitch-by-pitch when I step into the box. We all know that our hitters are going to swing at bad pitches at some point or another. However, it is imprtant to teach them to step into the box with only the next pitch on their mind. We like to use the saying, "leave your bricks in the dugout." Hitting is a difficult skill and will only be made more difficult if your hitters are focusing too much on outcome. One way to avoid this mental mistake is by simply teaching the hitters to step out of the box, take a deep breath and clear their heads before stepping back in. Many times I will not allow our hitters during batting practice to take another cut until I see them enter the box once again with the next pitch on their mind. As simple as this skill sounds, I am amazed at how many times I see hitters fail to have this approach at the plate. 

I am fortunate enough to have been surrounded by some of softball's most influential offensive threats, each having her own mental preparation. However, I believe the earlier we discuss these approaches with our team, the earlier they are likely to understand the importance of their thought process at the plate.