Last week, I was in the shower and one of my little league coaches randomly popped in my head.
On a whim and just out of curiosity, I did a quick Google search to see what ol' Coach Jack Motely was up to...
He had just passed at 81.
His funeral was the day before.
Coach Motley was my favorite coach.
He had quick heals, made every player feel like they had an important role on the team, and never, ever singled out a player in front of the entire group.
If he tore you down, he built you up first, tore you down, and then helped you build yourself up again.
He was a great coach, who loved coaching, and it showed.
This is what I remember the most.
I can still hear his voice quacking in the void of my memory, over 20 years later.
“SWING THE BAT!!"
“SWING THE BAT!!"
Coach Motley was a Martial Artist and owned a chain of Martial Arts schools in my area.
He’d won multiple karate championships and had even competed alongside the man, the myth the legend, Chick Norris... (See image below)
He also had an aversion to passiveness.
More than anything, he wanted to teach his young athletes how to COMPETE!
It’s amazing how powerful just simple words of encouragement and having someone want to see you succeed other than your parents, can be.
“Swing the bat...”
“Swing the bat...”
Those words translate to so many things later in life.
It’s so simple; Do the thing you need to do...to get the result you want.
It's a choice that requires zero talent.
“Stay hydrated.”
“Choose kindness.”
“Eat clean.”
“Do what scares you.”
“Swing the bat...”
Baseball is a simple game. It’s us who make it complicated.
Nothing happens until the bat leaves the shoulder.
Swing the bat!
Thank you, Jack.
Thank you, Coach Motley.
Offensive Genius.
So much of hitting is about plate awareness and pitch selection.
We spend hours in the cage hoping to become better hitters and yet we neglect hitting I.Q.
We build the perfect mechanical swing but it doesn’t translate into the at-bat because we have no approach.
There’s no plan to anticipate quality pitches, so we get beat by the fastball, chase breaking balls in the dirt, and fail to capitalize when in count leverage.
Mechanics are important, but they mean nothing when you don’t have a plan to win the at-bat.
Your ability to drive the ball to all parts of the field, get a good pitch to hit, and swing with intent to do damage...
...is how you can allow what you work on in practice to translate to the game.
This is how you can become an offensive genius in the batter’s box.
This is how you build the self-belief that no matter who you’re facing, you have what it takes to be the pitcher.
M
P.S. What's your biggest takeaway from this? Reply and let me know.
What's your approach?
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Here's a hint: "See the ball up."
Things I'd Like to Share:
Blog: How to become a dominant hitter.
Short: The Ozzie Smith Rule.
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