If you are basing your feedback on the results you produce you might try and fix something that doesn’t need fixed. An instructor can tell you what exactly you need to fix in order to improve as the practice session goes along. Now, is an instructor necessary? Well, no. However, most hitters, especially young hitters, are not educated enough in the mechanics of the swing to be able to feel, determine mistakes, and fix those mistakes on their own.
That being said there are ways that a hitter can get feedback during practice when they don’t have the opportunity to work with an instructor. I am a huge believer in the use of a mirror. Let’s say a coach tells a hitter about a particular aspect of the swing that they need to work on. That coach usually won’t be able to be around to watch and guarantee that the hitter is performing the movement correctly. In that case the best thing the hitter can use is the mirror. Swings in front of the mirror allow the hitter to get instant feedback on what aspects of their mechanics they need to improve on. The hitter can take a swing, see and feel what their body did, make the necessary adjustments, and take another swing. The mirror allows the hitter to begin to “feel” what the proper movement should feel like. When a hitter can feel what proper mechanics should feel like they are going to be more likely to be able to make adjustments when they are not in front of the mirror.
Secondly, when an athlete does work in front of the mirror it helps to reinforce good mechanics into the subconscious mind. When good mechanics are reinforced into the subconscious mind the hitter is going to learn the proper movement faster and it makes it more likely that the hitter will develop a repeatable swing.
Now I know that a lot of you believe that in order to work on hitting you must be physically hitting a ball. Remember that our goal is to develop a repeatable swing. Mirror work allows you to develop the repeatable swing and provides you with feedback during your practice session faster and more efficiently then any other form of practice. If you don’t have access to an instructor (a good one) then use the mirror. You will be surprised at how fast you improve.
So let’s review what we have covered so far. In order for a practice session to be a “deliberate practice” session it must:
- Be specific
- Be highly repeatable
- Be able to gain feedback on your performance
