The Mental Approach to Hitting

• Be positive. This is an absolute key to a successful at-bat. When you believe that you will hit, you will hit!
• Great hitters fail more than twice as many times than they succeed. You cannot carry the baggage of a previous strike-out or poor at-bat with you when you step up for your next at-bat. Your present at-bat is the only one you can do anything about! How you deal with your failures determines how successful you will be.
• "Attack" the pitcher. When you leave the bench, be ready to swing the bat. Don't be passive and dig yourself a hole. In each at bat, you want the pitcher to feel that you are the hunter and he is the prey.
• In every RBI situation, you must remember that the pitcher is the one in trouble.
• Control your emotions if you do make an out. Pitchers take great pleasure in seeing batters suffer and your anger will act as a "reward". Do not give pitchers the satisfaction of seeing your anger!
• Use the bench and on-deck circle! Watch the pitcher very carefully. What is he throwing? What is the release point? What are the pitcher's tendencies (e.g.- fast ball- fast ball- breaking ball)? When in the on-deck circle, use your warm ups to get your timing lined up with the pitcher.

Be Disciplined

• Have sound practice habits and practice with a purpose. Learn to use the whole field.
• During the game, go to the plate with a plan. Know the pitcher and the game situation.
• Once in the batter's box, trust your swing and focus on tracking the ball.

Bat Selection

• Keep it simple. The bat should be a size and weight that feels comfortable to you and one that you can handle with ease.

Grip

• The bat should be held in the base of the fingers; not back in the hands.
• Hold the bat loosely, free of tension. Tension is the number one enemy of hitters.
• For most hitters in normal situations, middle knuckles should be close to being in line.

Set Up

• BE COMFORTABLE. The set up should be whatever is comfortable as long as there is proper balance and plate coverage.

Wendell Kim is a former minor league player and is currently the third base coach of the Boston Red Sox.

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