365 Days to Better baseball - What I Love about Baseball

A New Beginning is One At-Bat Away

As a hitting coach, I drill players in the fundamentals of hitting but I am also serving as a part time psychologist, buying time for struggling players until they turn their season around.

Tip O'Neill led all players in the series with eight hits and a .400 batting average. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Psychological Hitting Tips I Preach to Players

1. It is difficult to turn ones season around in some sports, but not baseball. A batter can be hitting at a .200 point average, go out and have a good day and raise their average quite a few points. Of course, batting average is not everything, so along the same lines, a batter may be 0 for 4 in a game, come up in the last inning and win the game with a hit. It is often not what but when you hit the ball well.
2. No one remembers for very long when you do not do well, but everyone remembers for a long time when you come through in the clutch or have a great day, and the person that remembers most of all is the player himself or herself.
3. Do not get caught up with batting average and statistics but constantly try to improve.
4. Accept the challenges when they come - embracing the batting slumps, low batting averages, and game winning opportunities are what makes good ball players and successful people. Players with that type attitude are the most successful in the end.

It only takes one at-bat or one good day to turn a season around "“stay ready, stay focused, and always work to improve the fundamentals. That is the recipe for a new beginning