By Greg Bach
Hitting help
Former Red Sox great Nomar Garciaparra, current Cardinals first baseman Adam LaRoche
and A’s hitting coach Chili Davis share their valuable insight on the art of hitting and what
it takes to be productive at the plate. Use their tips to help your players enjoy more success
swinging the bat this season.
Hitting a baseball is one of the toughest things for kids to do
in sports.
And teaching it is one of the biggest challenges for
coaches, too.
So what’s the secret to helping kids become more productive performers at the plate?
SportingKid checked in with a talented trio – Nomar
Garciaparra, Adam LaRoche and Chili Davis – to get
their thoughts on the art of hitting.
Garciaparra, a six-time All-Star as the shortstop for the Boston
Red Sox, is the owner of a sparkling .313 career batting average.
He also was a two-time American League batting champion, hitting .372 and .357 to claim the crown in back-to-back seasons.
Davis, currently the batting coach for the Oakland A’s,
enjoyed a 19-year Major League playing career where
he collected 2,380 hits, popped 350 home runs and won
three World Series titles.
IT’S ALL ABOUT CONFIDENCE
It’s vital that kids have confidence
in themselves no matter what sport
they are playing, and that certainly
applies to when they step into the
batter’s box, too.
The more confident kids are
in their ability, the more likely
they’ll enjoy greater success
Chili Davis
swinging the bat.
So it’s up to coaches to deliver messages dripping in
positives, particularly if the youngster is really struggling
to break out of a slump.
“Don’t tell him what he’s not doing,” Davis says. “Tell him
what he’s doing right and what he needs to do differently.
The emphasis should be on the positive. Tell him that he’ll
get another hit. Try to stay positive without lying.”
Remaining positive every at bat
poses a real challenge for players
of all skill levels – from the youth
leagues to the Big Leagues.
“There are times when you’re
struggling and it’s a real challenge
to keep that same confidence and
that same positive attitude,” LaRoche says. “You’ll find that some
of the best players in this game
just have a knack for doing that.”
Adds Garciaparra: “When you step
in that box, first and foremost, you
better have confidence. That’s what
hitting is, it’s about being confident.
Nomar Garciaparra (left) and, Adam LaRoche
When you step in there you have
(above) swinging at the plate.
confidence that when the ball is here
‘I’m going to hit it.’ It’s as simple as
that. See it and hit it; focus on that.”
LaRoche plays first base for the Washington Nationals
and has more than 1,200 hits in his Major League career so SHORT MEMORIES = BETTER RESULTS
far, to go along with more than 200 home runs.
When a player goes through a rough patch of strike outs,
They’ve got the credentials, the experience and the
ground outs and infield pop ups, it can be demoralizing.
knowledge that you can use to help every youngster on
During slumps, which all kids will experience at some
your team make better and more frequent contact that will point, it’s important to work with your players to push the
lead to them getting on the coveted base paths more often. last game or the last at bat out of their mind. What they did
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“When you step
in that box, first
and foremost,
you better have
confidence. That’s
what hitting is,
it’s about
being confident.”
at the plate 30 minutes ago or a week
ago doesn’t matter. Teach them to embrace the moment, not dwell on an at
bat, or a series of at bats from the past.
“There’s a lot of failure in this
game,” LaRoche says. “You’ve got to
find a way to forget about the game
before or the 0-for-10 or whatever
you are going through and still go
up there with a positive outlook on
it. Some of the best hitters I’ve been
around really couldn’t tell you if
they are 10 for their last 15 or 2 for
their last 20.”
– Nomar Garciaparra
SIMPLIFY INSTRUCTIONS
The more thoughts players have swirling in their heads
when they step to the plate, the greater the chance that
they’ll be handcuffed by too much thinking and struggle
to execute a fundamentally sound swing.
“Simplify it,” says Garciaparra. “If you tell a player ‘don’t
do this’ it puts it in their mind. Instead, say ‘hey, what you
need to do, let’s drive the ball the other way, let’s drive the
ball up the middle.’ Tell them what they need to do so when
they step in the box that’s what they’re
thinking and not the negative.”
GOOD DRILLS CREATE GOOD
HABITS
“It’s important to do drills with
players to create good habits,”
Davis says. “I want to see contact
with the ball. I don’t want to see
them looking up after the swing to
see where the ball goes. Use short
overhand drills where you throw to
him, and the object is not to swing
hard but to just make contact with
the ball.”
HAVE FUN
“I get to talk to coaches of all ages and one thing I tell
them all the time is to not make this one game the most
important thing in this kid’s life,” says LaRoche. “Whether it’s a 12-year-old or a 22-year-old in pro ball, find a
way to not take this game so seriously because when we
do that and we put all that pressure on that one at bat or
that one game and you fail, that’s a big letdown.”
Do you know a
sports parent who…
Shows support for their child’s coach and game officials?
Places the kids’ safety and fun over their own desire to win a game?
Looks out for the best interest of their child, as well as other youngsters in the program?
Does whatever is needed – from being a respectful fan in the bleachers to helping with the carpool – to
help their child enjoy the youth sports experience?
Then you know a great candidate for the
Parents Association for Youth Sports
2014 Parent of the Year!
The award winner and one guest will receive complimentary flight and accommodations to
the Youth Sports Congress in Orlando, Fla. during Nov.12-15, 2014 where the winner will
be honored during the awards ceremony.
Nominate a parent today for the 2014 Parent of the Year Award at www.nays.org/poty.
Deadline: September 1, 2014
presented by
with
For additional information call (800) 688-KIDS (5437) or email [email protected].
www.nays.org
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