The “YES YES YES” Approach At The Plate
Once a batter steps into the batters box he has a mental decision to make. Am I going to step in with confidence or am I going to step in the box with fear? It is very natural for a hitter to be fearful or doubtful when there is a dominating pitcher on the hill. It is also natural for a hitter to gain a ton of confidence when there is a weaker pitcher on the hill, especially when the hitters before him are already hitting him pretty good. So what does this tell us, I think it means our opponent, or foe, can effect our mental approach at the plate.
I remember a time in college where I was so confident about my hitting I would tell my teammates, “put Randy Johnson on the hill and I’ll crush him, Nolan Ryan too. I don’t care who is throwing against me I’m going to be a tough out for him to get.” Of course my teammates gave me crap for it and called me cocky, but I didn’t feel that I was cocky, I felt very confident. To this day I still believe at that point in my playing days those two Hall of Famers would have gotten me out 99 times out of 100, but I believe I would have made it hard on them to get me out in many of those at bats. I think the question would be how did I approach each at bat? Would I have cowered in their presence or would I have taken the opportunity to go up against the best of the best with nothing to lose and everything to gain? I also remember many times in my playing days that no matter who was on the hill I was already beat. The difference was how I looked at the pitcher and how I felt about myself. All in all I came to find out, the pitcher on the hill could be an influence if I let him be.
The key with every hitter in every at bat is how they step into the batters box. Remember you step back into the batters box for every pitch of your at bat. There are many questions you could ask yourself when you step into that box. What pitch am I looking for? What spot do I want my pitch in? What’s the count? Where are the base runners? What’s the score? What does this pitcher like to throw in this count? Where are the fielders playing? Who’s covering 2nd base on a steal? Is there a girl I like in the crowd? What will my dad say if I don’t get a hit? What will he say if I do? Is the other team making fun of me because of how I look? Is the runner on 2nd base giving me the catcher’s signs? What’s for dinner tonight? Why did I make that error last inning? Why did I strike out in my last at bat? Should I take this pitch or swing at it? Etc. etc. etc…
The truth is we have many things that go through our minds at crucial times in the present. The question is how do we control what we are thinking about when we step in the box? Above there are some good questions to ask yourself, and some are very distracting. In the heat of the moment how do we determine what to think about and what not too?
I teach my hitters the “YES YES YES” approach. Basically meaning, when you step in the box you are ready rip the next pitch. No matter what the count is or what the situation is, every time you step into that box with your bat you better intend to use it. One thing I always hate to see is a batter step into the box with the intention to take the first pitch. Whether it be to see what the pitcher’s got, or get the timing down. I say that is what the on deck circle is for. Unless you are the leadoff hitter in the first inning you better be READY to hammer the first pitch coming at you.
I always heard the best pitch in baseball was Strike One! So what is the pitcher trying to do? Throw a fastball over the plate, or maybe a hanging curveball over the heart of the plate. In my experience the best pitch to hit can be the first one. Of course that’s not always true but again, you better be ready for it every time you step in the box!
The YES YES YES approach is all about being ready to hit. It is better for the batter to expect to swing then decide not to if the ball is out of the zone, than it is to think “if its something I want, then I’m going to swing.” Usually at that point it’s too late. At the High School level you have less than one second to decide if you’re going to swing. That means you cannot be successful if you wait to see the ball out of the pitchers hand to hit. You have to expect to hit before the ball leaves the pitchers hand and unload on it when it’s actually something you are looking for. If it’s not what you’re looking for then you can shut the swing down. It’s always harder to turn something on than it is to turn something off.
The other part of this approach is that you become physically stronger when you tell yourself “yes” than when you tell yourself “no”. If you don’t believe me come see me and I will show you a great example of this. (I’m sorry but I can’t prove it in writing, it just doesn’t work that way.) I don’t know why the body gets stronger when you think “YES YES YES” I just know that it works.
So step in the box, look the pitcher in the eye, and tell him “YES YES YES, I’M GONNA HIT YOU HARD!!!”
Then let ‘er rip!
- Caleb Allen
I remember a time in college where I was so confident about my hitting I would tell my teammates, “put Randy Johnson on the hill and I’ll crush him, Nolan Ryan too. I don’t care who is throwing against me I’m going to be a tough out for him to get.” Of course my teammates gave me crap for it and called me cocky, but I didn’t feel that I was cocky, I felt very confident. To this day I still believe at that point in my playing days those two Hall of Famers would have gotten me out 99 times out of 100, but I believe I would have made it hard on them to get me out in many of those at bats. I think the question would be how did I approach each at bat? Would I have cowered in their presence or would I have taken the opportunity to go up against the best of the best with nothing to lose and everything to gain? I also remember many times in my playing days that no matter who was on the hill I was already beat. The difference was how I looked at the pitcher and how I felt about myself. All in all I came to find out, the pitcher on the hill could be an influence if I let him be.
The key with every hitter in every at bat is how they step into the batters box. Remember you step back into the batters box for every pitch of your at bat. There are many questions you could ask yourself when you step into that box. What pitch am I looking for? What spot do I want my pitch in? What’s the count? Where are the base runners? What’s the score? What does this pitcher like to throw in this count? Where are the fielders playing? Who’s covering 2nd base on a steal? Is there a girl I like in the crowd? What will my dad say if I don’t get a hit? What will he say if I do? Is the other team making fun of me because of how I look? Is the runner on 2nd base giving me the catcher’s signs? What’s for dinner tonight? Why did I make that error last inning? Why did I strike out in my last at bat? Should I take this pitch or swing at it? Etc. etc. etc…
The truth is we have many things that go through our minds at crucial times in the present. The question is how do we control what we are thinking about when we step in the box? Above there are some good questions to ask yourself, and some are very distracting. In the heat of the moment how do we determine what to think about and what not too?
I teach my hitters the “YES YES YES” approach. Basically meaning, when you step in the box you are ready rip the next pitch. No matter what the count is or what the situation is, every time you step into that box with your bat you better intend to use it. One thing I always hate to see is a batter step into the box with the intention to take the first pitch. Whether it be to see what the pitcher’s got, or get the timing down. I say that is what the on deck circle is for. Unless you are the leadoff hitter in the first inning you better be READY to hammer the first pitch coming at you.
I always heard the best pitch in baseball was Strike One! So what is the pitcher trying to do? Throw a fastball over the plate, or maybe a hanging curveball over the heart of the plate. In my experience the best pitch to hit can be the first one. Of course that’s not always true but again, you better be ready for it every time you step in the box!
The YES YES YES approach is all about being ready to hit. It is better for the batter to expect to swing then decide not to if the ball is out of the zone, than it is to think “if its something I want, then I’m going to swing.” Usually at that point it’s too late. At the High School level you have less than one second to decide if you’re going to swing. That means you cannot be successful if you wait to see the ball out of the pitchers hand to hit. You have to expect to hit before the ball leaves the pitchers hand and unload on it when it’s actually something you are looking for. If it’s not what you’re looking for then you can shut the swing down. It’s always harder to turn something on than it is to turn something off.
The other part of this approach is that you become physically stronger when you tell yourself “yes” than when you tell yourself “no”. If you don’t believe me come see me and I will show you a great example of this. (I’m sorry but I can’t prove it in writing, it just doesn’t work that way.) I don’t know why the body gets stronger when you think “YES YES YES” I just know that it works.
So step in the box, look the pitcher in the eye, and tell him “YES YES YES, I’M GONNA HIT YOU HARD!!!”
Then let ‘er rip!
- Caleb Allen
Comment
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Comment by David young on January 8, 2010 at 7:06am -
Great advice Caleb! Thanks for all of the great blogs you guys post!
David
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