Coaching Hitting: Keep It Simple

There are many ways a coach can teach hitting in baseball. Over the years I have seen countless approaches, philosophies, and systems. My own experience has always led me back to one simple principle: teach hitting in the manner that makes it easiest to hit the baseball.

That means eliminating unnecessary movements. Extra motion rarely helps a hitter. The goal is to get the barrel to the ball as quickly and consistently as possible while allowing the hitter to deliver full power through the swing. When coaches remove mechanical faults and techniques that slow the swing down or create inconsistency, hitters have a much better chance to succeed.

Great hitting coaches also understand something fundamental: every hitter is different. Body types, timing mechanisms, and approaches vary. But at the same time, all great hitters share certain consistent qualities. They control the barrel, they stay balanced, they are on time, and they repeat their swing. The job of a good coach is to help each player find the most efficient version of those fundamentals.

In my career, that approach produced consistent results. Across 22 college teams, our clubs never hit below .300 as a team. We developed hitters who could drive the baseball for power, but we also valued the complete offensive game. Our teams could bunt, execute the short game, and move runners when needed. Good offenses do more than swing hard—they understand how to score runs.

The final lesson we always emphasized was preparation for the best pitchers. Good hitters are taught to compete against the toughest arms they will face. When you can handle the best pitching, adjusting to everyone else becomes much easier.

In the end, hitting instruction does not need to be overly complicated. Keep it efficient, keep it repeatable, and give players the tools to put the barrel on the baseball. When that happens, good things tend to follow.