Authentic Batting Practice

Just before I was ready to get into a hitting lesson, the father of my hitter pulled me aside and asked if it was alright if his son wore his batting helmet throughout the entire lesson.  I was surprised, only because nobody had ever asked me that before, but I said “of course.”

He didn’t want his boy to wear the helmet because of the fear of the nasty, head-hunting pitcher inside of me breaking loose.  In fact, it had nothing to do with safety at all.

He said plainly, “I just want him to get used to it.”

It’s a pretty simple statement, but it was the most intelligent few words strung together I heard that didn’t come from my mouth (he he) in a little while.

Why?

Before I answer that, let’s just set up the typical batting practice scenario.

A hitter makes his way into a batting cage – usually with a pitching machine throwing to him.  (For the record, it doesn’t matter who or what is throwing to him.  The overall setting is still the same.)  He has his bat (obviously), his batting gloves, comfortable sneakers or turf shoes, and makes sure the “setting” in perfect before he starts hacking away.

1. His goals are to Take as many quality, consistent, and repeatable swings he can, and
2. Create a scene that resembles as close to the one he would have in an actual game.

But just before they step into the cage, 99% of all hitters ask the magic question: “Do I need a helmet?”

The Cool Factor

When I started to become a better ball player, it became pretty obvious that in order to look like you knew what you were doing, you didn’t wear a helmet.  It just didn’t look cool!  I mean really, who looks cool with a lid that looks like Gazoo from the Flintstones?

I vividly remember taking some swings at my local batting cages with two big league hitting studs.  None of us were wearing helmets, that is until the boss of the cages caught me without one.  He screamed and hollered how EVERYONE including big league hitters (he began name-dropping but didn’t recognize the two with me) wear a helmet in his cages, because he says so.

I put a helmet on and started taking my hacks… that is until the owner turned around to walk out the door, and one of my big league buddies yelled, “take that stupid thing off!”

Safety?  It was a non-issue.  Cool Factor?  It was off the charts.

Creating a Game-Like Atmosphere

Now more than ever, coaches and instructors (and even sports psychologists) talk about creating a setting in practice that resembles a game-like atmosphere – or getting it as close as possible.  It makes perfect sense!  More and more players show up to practice with baseball pants on instead of sweatpants.  Teams make sure they have the same warm up routine to start a practice as they would if they were getting ready for a game.  Every detail is covered to make sure practice looks and feels like a game…

Except making the hitters wear helmets whenever they have a bat in their hand.

Now I know it sounds crazy to put a helmet on when your hitting off the tee, or taking flips, soft toss, short B.P., or any other hitting exercise.  I know if someone told me to do that when I played, I would have smiled and walked away, making sure not to slip on one of the screws that came loose from that guy’s head.

But now that I look back, I can remember that putting on a helmet before an at bat, felt, well different than when I hit any other time.  I knew I had to have one on.  I never forgot to put a helmet on before I stepped into the box.  But it just felt a little out of the ordinary.

“Out of the ordinary,” is a stone’s throw away from uncomfortable.  If you’re not comfortable in the box, your at bat is compromised because you’re not totally focused on the ball coming at you, because part of your brain is feeling “different.”

Cool or Comfortable?

So it really come down to a choice.  Are you more concerned with looking cool when you hit, or feeling completely comfortable (with the elements you can control) before you step into the batter’s box in an actual game?

My thought is this: If you wear a helmet all the time, and you have great at bats AND put up some good numbers, other hitters (once they stop busting your chops) will start to copy your routine.  Of course that puts a little pressure on you to make the most out of your at bats, but don’t you want to do that in the first place?

In the end, I’m thinking I might “steal” that dad’s idea, and suggest to all my hitters to wear a helmet as long as you have a bat in your hand.  Sure, hitting off a tee, indoors, with artificial light isn’t a perfect game setting.  But wearing a helmet does help us take a step in the right direction!

Keep Swingin’

Coach Bones