Communicating with Hitters During a Game

At Elite Diamond Performance, we spend are very calculated and precise with the cues and words that we use to communicate with hitters. As I continue in my career as a hitting coach, I truly believe more and more that the way that a coach or parent communicates with a player can have a profound impact on their level of success. Many coaches and parents do not realize how impactful their communication can be with a player. Today, I want to discuss how parents and coaches should communicate with hitters during a game, what they should and shouldn't focus on and how to communicate to get the most out of a hitter.

The Do's and Don'ts of in Game Communication

Don't: Talk about micro mechanics

What are micro mechanics? Anything that pertains to the nuts and bolts of the swing. There is a lot that goes into a good mechanical swing. However, the game is not the place to break things down. Thinking too much about the actual swing mechanics during a game often times leads hitters to over think, lose aggressiveness and struggle even more.

Do: Give big picture external cues

If there is a glaring issue with the swing that will no doubt impact their ability to have success through the remainder of the game, give the hitter a big picture external cue. Example: A hitter is swinging down through the zone. Instead of telling them to get more hinge and tilt over home plate and work the bat up, simply tell the hitter to drive the ball in the air. This will allow the hitter to have goal (that will get those mechanics into the swing) that won't make them over think a bunch of mechanics.

Don't: Yell at a hitter

I have been working with hitter for a long time and can't tell you how many players over that time have confided in me that they wish a certain coach or parent wasn't at their games because they yell at them after getting out. These players feel incredible pressure when they step up to the plate. I can tell you that players already put enough pressure on themselves and the fear of getting screamed at will only intensify this. Hitting is hard and hitters are not trying to get out. When hitters have this fear of getting reamed out for getting out, they will become incredibly defensive, try not to get out and struggle.

Do: Be positive. Use encouraging language.

Example: A hitter takes an aggressive swing and pops out for the 2nd time in the game. Rather than yelling a the player, tell them they took a great swing and that you loved their aggressiveness. this will allow them to focus on a positive from a bad outcome and get in the box the next at bat with aggressiveness.

Don't: Use passive cues

I truly believe that the most important thing to being a successful hitter is having an aggressive mindset at the plate. Good hitters get in the box looking to do damage and hitters who struggle are trying not to get out. The words that a hitter hears as they step in the box or during an at bat can make all the difference in how aggressive they are and in turn how much success they have.

I would consider many of the common hitting cues as passive. Some of these include: "stay short", "put it in play", "don't chase the high ones", "don't step out", and on and on.

Do: Use aggressive cues

Let's use a hitter is stepping out as they stride as an example. This could be for a variety of reasons such as the pitcher having command issues or a pure mechanical issue. In either case, telling a hitter not to do something will result in lowered aggressiveness. Instead, tell the hitter to expect a pitch on the outside corner. This could do the trick in fixing the issue of bailing out with the stride foot and still allows the hitter to be aggressive.

Conclusion

Amongst everything that goes into hitting, the way that coaches and parents communicate with hitters is vitally important. While we work a lot on the mental side of hitting with our players, much of that can be undone by poor in game communication. Try these few tips of using big pictures cues to get the swing in the right place, use positive, encouraging language and use aggressive cues. These can make a world of difference in the level of success a hitter has.