How to WRECK your swing in the on-deck circle...

Every player wants to have every swing be their best. Every batter should be standing in the on-deck circle preparing for the next at-bat to be their best.

But many hitters in both softball and baseball are wrecking their swing in the on-deck circle. How?

Two ways. The first is by taking half-hearted swings. From a motor learning standpoint, any movement has what is called a General Motor Program, or GMP. That GMP has what are called parameters that are constantly refined to execute the skill. Think of parameters like lane markers on a highway. They tell you where to drive.

But if you change the parameters, such as changing the weight of a bat, or the center of mass of the bat, then you will change how the program is executed. When a player simply goes through a half-hearted swing in the on-deck circle, they are training their muscles to move at that speed. So when they get up to bat, their first swings are going to be slower because they have just changed the speed at which the GMP is executed.

As a result of using a batting donut, a player gets up to bat and now their swing mechanics are altered and the first couple of swings are not as efficient as they could be. In addition, adding a batting donut distributes that extra weight unevenly through the bat. 

The concept behind using a heavier bat is called "post-potentiation activiation." In layman's terms it says that you'll use more fibers faster after performing a few repetitions when weighted. However, as I just stated above, using a donut adds too much weight and as a result changes the mechanics of the swing. 

So how can you use the on-deck circle to its maximal potential? Here are 3 suggestions.

1. Use the on-deck circle to actually warm up. You can do some light stretches to loosen up and then 5-8 quick "squat jacks" to prep your body for quick lightning fast muscle recruitment. Also work on hip rotations to groove the movement pattern of that "perfect swing."
2. Get rid of the batting donuts and simply have multiple bats with a range of 4-5 oz. Using a bat that is slightly heavier (2-3 oz) will give you the post-potentiation effect without altering the motor program.
3. Swing the bat as hard as you can with each swing. Each time you take a swing, you are refining the motor program of the swing - you either improve your swing, or degrade your swing. Make every swing the "perfect" swing.

Groovin' the movement

This is a quick post about learning. Many, many parents of athletes, particularly baseball and softball, choose to use weighted balls and bats in order to "make their kids stronger." 


On the surface, this makes sense. But if you look a little deeper into what there body is learning to do, you'll see that often that the intricate  motion of throwing is changed when a heavier ball is used. 

Nobody follows through like that at the plate!

Watch a player swing a bat with a donut on it, does that swing look like the swing they are going to take when they walk to the plate?  From watching youth baseball, I would hope that player doesn't take his "on-deck weighted" swing with him to the plate!

The same principle needs to be used when teaching movement to younger athletes. They are at such a prime learning age, it makes no sense to refine mechanics and then all of a sudden switch to a heavier or lighter weight that might disrupt that pattern.

What we do in our sports training is similar in concept. For kids up to age 12-13, we do minimal weight lifting. instead we focus on developing body control and awareness through body weight exercises. Then we simply try to groove the correct movements into a motor skill that can be executed without thought, essentially making the movement a "sure thing."

In summary, if you've got a younger athlete who appears to be excelling in a given sport or movement, don't confuse them by throwing another variable at them. Instead, groove that quality pattern, keep refining it over and over. Then when they get to 14-15 years old, then we can start adding some external resistance.