Eliminating Minutia in the Baseball Swing

By Nate Barnett

It seems like the more you learn and know about the mechanics of a baseball swing, the more you think you have to learn and know about the baseball swing. Confused? It's simple. Many times baseball instruction, and specifically the area of hitting mechanics, can be taught to the extent that one loses focus on what is really important and necessary to produce a good baseball swing.

Let me explain. There are certain key movements in a hitting motion. The basics are, the stance, the load, the trigger, contact, and the finish. These five steps all have a few key mechanical movements within them that if done correctly will help a hitter develop a proper baseball swing. Notice that I paid special attention to the word few. The problem comes when one explains that there are more than a few movements in each of the five steps listed. This is what I refer to as "minutiaitis".

So what are the main reasons that coaches feel the need to instruct the minutia? Here are my top reasons.

1. Ego problems. 2. Lack of playing experience. 3. Over-analytical tendencies. 4. Enjoy having "new" answers to problems.

The reason why I am bringing to attention this problem of "minutiaitis" is simply because it confuses athletes. Heck, it confuses me! Players enjoy things that are put plainly and clearly. They enjoy a clear plan of action to solving a mechanical problem with their swing. Bringing in extra information that muddles and clutters the information flow hurts everyone involved. My suggestion is to learn the basics to hitting a baseball and then learn how to communicate those basics in a clear fashion. Athletes will learn far more with this style of instruction.

Nate Barnett is owner of BMI Baseball designed to improve the mental game of baseball in athletes. Learn how to help your game by improving the skill of mental baseball.

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