Episode 54 - Coach RAC Discusses 3 Unpopular Opinions about Swinging and Missing

Welcome back to another episode of RAC's Corner! In today's episode, Coach RAC Discusses 3 Unpopular Opinions about Swinging and Missing.
Swinging and missing is bad right?
Striking out looking is bad right?
These are opinions I had growing up, and they seem to be common sense. However, I have since developed 3 unpopular opinions about what makes a great hitter, and I now believe that the best hitters actually swing and miss and strike out looking more than you think. In fact, it might just be part of what makes them so great.
Unpopular Opinions:
1. Swinging and missing is not always bad. ESPECIALLY early in counts, swinging and missing can be a great thing for a hitter. A common pitfall for a hitter is getting fooled on a breaking ball or a change up, and then manipulating their swing mechanics to make sure that they make contact. If you are fooled by a pitch early in a count, DO NOT try to hit it! Best case scenario you get a bloop hit, but these are rare. The most likely scenario is that you will get yourself out on that swing. If you swing and miss when you get fooled early in the count, then you just have another strike on you! This is a far better outcome. It is better to be down 0-1 in the count than to be 0-1 on the bench.
2. Swing Speed is overrated. Yes, higher swing speed often generates harder contact, however, the faster the swing the less time the barrel is on plane with the ball. The hitters who strike out the least in the big leagues often have the slowest swing speeds. So swing speed is definitely something to train, however, you have to realize that it has its pros and cons. Understand what kind of hitter you are, and swing accordingly.
3. Striking out looking is not as bad as you think. Growing up I was always told "NEVER K looking". But year after year, the best hitters in the big leagues strikeout looking the most. This is because they are sticking to their approach. Obviously we never want to strikeout, and you might as well go down swinging if you're going to go down. But this statistic says a lot about how well big leaguers stick to their approaches. Be the HUNTER when you're at the plate. If you don't see what you're hunting for, then don't swing.
As always, Let's Grow!
Be sure to check out all of Coach RAC's episodes at Coach RAC's Corner on the official Headbanger Sports Website!
Visit Coach RAC's Corner at: www.headbanger....
Check us out Today at: www.headbangersports.com
Questions or Suggestions?
E-mail: [e-mail]
Toll-Free Telephone: [phone]-BATS (2287)