Swing Smarter Hitting Training Podcast | ⭐Hitting Performance Lab⭐

Derek Mayson discusses common anxiety disorders among young athletes and offers practical methods coaches and parents can use to ease pressure and enhance performance. Derek Mayson of LockedInMentalTraining.com “What Anxiety Disorders Do You See with Young Athletes Today & How to Fix?” What we go over: Give us a Little Background from where you Started – you have a Great Story... What Anxiety Disorders do you see with Young Athletes Today and How to Fix? What's your advice to a young player that is putting a lot of pressure on themselves and is almost given himself deadlines if this doesn't happen? Contrarily, what is your advice to parents who have kiddos that don’t have motivation or inspiration to practice? What was the one big thing or was it a few other factors that helped you to break out of your anxiety disorder? Explain just a little bit about what the product is and walk us through that, where we can find your website, any kind of social media, YouTube, all that kind of stuff? Click short link for transcribed interview in pdf format: http://gohpl.com/derekmtranscription Click short link for YouTube video of interview: http://gohpl.com/derekmvideo

Discover Shawn Sherman's Square1System, a unique training method proven to boost hitters’ exit speed by 5-6 MPH in just a few sessions. “Gain an Average of FIVE To SIX-mph Ball Exit Speed In A Couple Sessions Using Square1System” Here’s some of what will be discussed: What is the origin of the Square1System? What is your elevator pitch for the Square1System? Where was that aha moment where you saw the rabbit hole, then you started digging? Why is the traditional model of ‘stretch what’s tight and strengthen what’s weak’ not so effective? What does the timeline look like using your system? When do you see the benefits? After using your system, what are you seeing on the ball exit speed increase for hitters and the velocity increase for pitchers? What does the fixing movement compensation look like? What has your experience been with Tommy John, maybe athletes that are looking at that or have that? Where can people find you? What kind of projects you got going on now? Click short link for transcribed interview in pdf format: http://gohpl.com/shawntranscription Click short link for YouTube video of interview: http://gohpl.com/shawnvideo

College coach Justin Lewis breaks down exactly what recruiters seek in hitters. Get insider tips to help young players stand out and get noticed. Justin Lewis, Softball Hitting Coach for the Fresno State Bulldog softball team.  “What Are You Looking for When Recruiting Hitters?” What we go over: How did you get to being the hitting coach for Fresno State softball? What do you do when you come into a new program? What are you looking for when recruiting hitters? Do you guys do game planning? Do you have your girls hunt the rise ball? Do you do pitch recognition stuff with the girls? You're getting ready in a short amount of time? What's high priority right now? Anything else that you’re working on? Click short link for transcribed interview in pdf format: http://gohpl.com/justintranscription Click short link for YouTube video of interview: http://gohpl.com/justinvideo

Lee Comeaux discusses how precision golfing principles can transform baseball hitting techniques. Discover methods to enhance accuracy and consistency at the plate. “How to Apply The ‘Precision’ Golfing Principles to Hitting?” Here’s some of what will be discussed: “You’re going to ruin low backs if you teach that!” “Golf is about accuracy. If you ain't accurate, you're not gonna play a good score” “All of a sudden, I realized, turn your rib cage, and then boom...” “You got to understand how the fascia and these trains all play because there's layers upon layers in the body” Hitting for targets and areas on the barrel How to apply the “precision” golfing principle to hitting How to take pressure off the low back by flaring front toe out Click short link for transcribed interview in pdf format: http://gohpl.com/leepdf Click short link for YouTube video of interview: http://gohpl.com/leevideo

Perry Husband discusses how strategic fastball placement can reduce elite hitters like Mike Trout to ordinary performance. Learn how Effective Velocity makes the difference. Part-2 Perry Husband of HittingIsAGuess.com and father of Effective Velocity, interview titled:  “Mike Trout reduced to a high school baseball player on fastballs on the inside part of the plate?” What we go over: What consequence does loading up 80-90% of your weight on back leg? Powerful forward momentum demonstration so easy a 4yo can understand Mike Trout reduced to a high school baseball player on fastballs on the inside part of the plate? The hanging fastball? Why don’t instructors experiment and test hitting mechanics off the tee? Twin 13yo girls with 72 and 73-mph exit speed? Click short link for transcribed interview in pdf format: http://gohpl.com/perrytranscription Click short link for YouTube video of interview: http://gohpl.com/perryvideo2

Curtis Nelson explains random pitch training methods to help hitters effectively transition cage skills to live game situations. Boost your adaptability and in-game performance. Curtis Nelson, premier hitting instructor at Atkinson Baseball Academy in Kirkland, Washington “Random Pitch Training: How to Transition Cage Swings to The Game” Here’s some of what will be discussed: Rapsodo getting used as a paper weight? What are the top two mistakes that you see coaches doing when they're teaching hitting? Random pitch training. Explain that a little bit, how you guys do that, and how that looks... How to transition grooved cage swings into the game Do you teach your hitters any kind of plate or pitch approach? How do you evaluate hitters and teach them to make an adjustment? How do you get a pull happy hitter go oppo, and how do you get an oppo happy hitter pulling the ball? "Curtis, so and so said that timing cannot be taught?" What do you think about that? What are some of the adjustments you have hitters make to slow pitchers? Where can people who want more information find you? Click short link for transcribed interview in pdf format: http://gohpl.com/curtispdf Click short link for YouTube video of interview: http://gohpl.com/curtisvideo

Strength expert Jedd Johnson reveals powerful forearm training methods designed specifically for baseball and softball players to boost swing speed and hitting power. Jedd “Napalm” Johnson of DieselCrew.com, foremost expert on grip and forearm training “Ultimate Forearm Training for Baseball & Softball Players” What we go over: Where did the nickname “Napalm” come from? Why “finger” pullups aren’t a good decision... What are eight principles you guys work on for grip strength? Why elbow issues can be solved through the shoulder or wrist, not the elbow... Why the traditional wrist roller isn’t good for ball players, and how to make it more functional... Ultimate Forearm Training for Baseball (and Softball!) Click short link for transcribed interview in pdf format: http://gohpl.com/napalmpdf Click short link for YouTube video of interview: http://gohpl.com/napalmvideo

Jeremy Frisch discusses the controversial approach of eliminating overhead shoulder exercises for baseball and softball athletes—learn why, and if it's right for your players. Jeremy Frisch founder of Achieve Performance Training, youth athletic development “What Do you Think About Totally Shutting Down Overhead Shoulder Development for Baseball or Softball Players?” Here’s some of what will be discussed: What do you feel the biggest mistake is when those kids are being trained by strength and conditioning coaches? What do you think about something like that, where you’re totally shut down any overhead shoulder development for baseball, softball players? When you do an evaluation of a hang, what do you look at? How long if a player is poor in that, versus is good in that? How long can they hang for? When you get a kid like that a high school, junior high school on up, what do you do with that kid? Do you have to go back in time, work that out? And how long does that usually take? “...you had them wrestling or something similar?” Are you looking to do some franchising or something like that, to where people can have access to that around? Is there a certain formula like maybe the four or five things that you look for that we make sure in one hour that we're getting done? Where can people find more about you? And so that's number one. And two, are there anything new? Any kind of projects you're working on right now? Any other parting thoughts before we go? Click short link for transcribed interview in pdf format: https://gohpl.com/jeremypdf Click short link for YouTube video of interview: https://gohpl.com/jeremyvideo

Jim Macarelli emphasizes the critical connection between flexibility and effective fielding drills. Find out how improving flexibility enhances defensive skills. Jim Macarelli, hitting instructor and founder of BoomStic “I’ll have kids doing fielding drills, and then I'll stop and I'll say, I'll have mine up and I'll go you, you and you, you can't touch your toes, can you?” What we go over: People just lockstep obeyed the order, instead of questioning it, and going into the science is that about, right? Give me an example of a cue that you wouldn't use? When teaching, it goes back to something you said in the beginning, trying to have an open mind, trying to think of different ways... How do you get the kids to take their work that they've done with you and to actually work on it at home? To me, I think stay back is a good thing “I’ll have kids doing fielding drills, and then I'll stop and I'll say, I'll have mine up and I'll go you, you and you, you can't touch your toes, can you?” BombStic: Why the design and how does that benefit the hitter? Click short link for transcribed interview in pdf format: https://gohpl.com/jimtranscription Click short link for YouTube video of interview: https://gohpl.com/jimvideo

Rob Bruno shares his unique recruiting strategy modeled after Cal Berkley football’s approach. Discover how choosing 'Our Kind of Guys' builds winning baseball programs. What we go over: Very unique approach NorCal Baseball took when COVID hit If people call your program a travel ball program, why is that so offensive? Advice for players to do, evaluation wise, to get picked to play in your program? What factors do players need to pay attention to when shopping for college programs to play for? If player doesn’t have strength and conditioning program, do you guys provide them one? Where can they find some information on you guys? Click short link for transcribed interview in pdf format: https://gohpl.com/2FQhmhJ Click short link for YouTube video of interview: https://gohpl.com/2Thp5IL

Danny Cahill discusses Area Scouts, a groundbreaking platform offering detailed athletic evaluations similar to a 'Carfax Report.' See how it can shape your athlete’s future. Here’s some of what will be discussed: Tell me what the difference is in what you're doing on the scouting side... Area Scouts: The “Carfax Report” for Athletes How long has Area Scouts been online with this program? Program will reveal those effective hitting trainers, and most importantly, those ineffective Do recruiting coaches get to see a player’s injury report? Why you should not be training towards the “number” How the best make more frequent swing adjustments... What’s real and what’s feel are two totally different things What are some of those costs with Area Scouts? Click short link for transcribed interview in pdf format: https://gohpl.com/3mjbzB7

Taylor Gardner addresses common swing flaws, focusing on pivot mechanics. Discover how pivoting correctly through the hip rather than the back foot unlocks greater hitting potential. Here’s some of what will be discussed: What is the role of the hands in a swing? Removing the "arm-yness" of youth swings. I struggle getting them to not want to pull the bat forward linearly. “Because your spinal engine is what dominates our swing, we know that the swing kind of starts inside out not so much ground up...” “I like to take the weight of the bat completely out of the equation. And let them self-organize by swinging a wiffle ball bat...” Most still want to pivot on foot instead of with the Hip, a key to prevent that? “What you have to keep in mind is that there is mobility, ankle mobility issues at work here as well...” “We like to use the coaching cue of ‘hit it first, rotate second’. And it's just a cue...” “I fear for the coaches that there's a lot of them out there that don't understand timing or buying time... BOGO Sale: Buy one Pro Model Tee, and get a Pro Standard Lite FREE! Click short link for transcribed interview in pdf format: https://gohpl.com/3kLoNFN

Former MLB hitter Matt Nokes outlines how excessive lower-half rotation hurts hitting performance. Learn the right approach to balance rotation and power. What we go over: What’s the Major Benefit to “Staying Sideways”, What is Making the Hips Turn? Dangers to Performance of Over-Rotating the Lower Half, What is Directional Force? And Why is it Important?  And, Around the Zone Drill for Staying Sideways. Click short link for transcribed interview in pdf format: https://gohpl.com/33XxDcI

Former Big Leaguer Aaron Miles shares mental and physical adjustments hitters can use to make 95-MPH fastballs feel slower. Gain confidence facing elite pitching. Here’s some of what will be discussed: “...players in dealing with this COVID layoff like to return at the top of their game? What would be your advice in that?” How Bunting can help players learn how to hit better How to make 95-mph pitching look like it’s 85-mph What are the two-mission critical one or two mission critical hitting skills that you think are, that need to be really reinforced in today's game? How the lost art of “hitting” is disappearing How to use “tinkering” to get the dial on the right learning channel when teaching hitters Do the best in the game make adjustments consciously or unconsciously? Where to find Aaron Miles... Click short link for transcribed interview in pdf format: https://gohpl.com/3hBjGXu

Matt Pierce discusses the relationship between swing plane and ball flight. Learn how to correct overly steep swings to generate consistent line drives. What we go over: What kind of advice have you been giving players during this time of COVID? What advice do you give Seniors in High School? Do you see any Big Hitting Gems, like could be one or two on hitting Twitter? Please give some Advice to a New Coach coming into Twitter, what to Watch out for... “Being able to control your verticals or your horizontal, so your line to line approach on the field, I think is a lost art. Is that something you do with your hitters?” “Does the ball go up because the swing goes up? Or did the ball go up because the swing was too steep?” When you’re looking at Evaluating a player for power, what exactly are you looking for? What are the top one or two drills that you do to help with timing? What do you see the biggest mistake that some of these coaches are making? For BBQ’ing, what's your favorite meat of choice? What's your favorite method of cooking it? What kind of rubs are you using? Time on the grill? Give me your best shot. Click short link for transcribed interview in pdf format: https://gohpl.com/3jrTz6b

Jeremy Johnson explains why focusing too much on rotation in cage work can harm swings. Explore reciprocal movement for smoother, more effective hitting. What we go over: Pushing the Hands versus Getting the Hands Connected What is the Greatest of All Time Athletes Way? How did GOATA et al. Methodology Increase Ball Exit Speeds by 7-mph? Teaching Surfers the Skateboarders Halfpipe via Talent Code? When it comes to Coaching Cues, How Less is More... If you were to Choose, which would you pick? Locomotion, Reciprocal Movement, and Mentioning ‘Rotation’ in the Cage will get you Kicked Out? Where can we find out more about Jeremy Johnson? Click short link for transcribed interview in pdf format: https://gohpl.com/2WMrYUd Click for YouTube video of the conversation: https://gohpl.com/3jwJZj1

Dr. Joe LaCaze introduces Rotex Motion techniques for enhancing flexibility and movement efficiency in just minutes a day—ideal for baseball and softball athletes. Here’s some of what will be discussed: What do you Find to be the Biggest Mistake Coaches, Instructors, or Strength & Conditioning Coaches make in training Athletes? What makes Rotex Different? The Secret ‘Cat’ ‘Cow’ Rotex Exercise “Every Single Natural Movement in the Body is some Form of Rotation.” How Long do the RotexMotion Benefits Stick? Moving Better in TWO to FIVE Minutes per Day One Handheld Model: Half the Price of a Metal Bat 10% OFF Discount Code to Apply to Checkout Click short link for transcribed interview in pdf format: https://gohpl.com/2WH9GUs

Hitting guru Jaime Cevallos shares techniques to eliminate mental overload. Discover how simplifying your approach can dramatically improve your hitting. Here’s some of what will be discussed: What was the Biggest Eye Opener when you came back on the Baseball Scene with Hitting? What Changed (for better or worse) in the Hitting Community that you Noticed when you came back from Reclusion? What were Key Aha Moments in all your Research with Hitting Gurus How do you know what you’re Looking at, if you don’t know what you’re Looking for? Where can Others get more About your Work? Click short link for transcribed interview in pdf format: https://gohpl.com/2BzFdzO

Heads Up Baseball’s Dr. Tom Hanson reveals mental hitting strategies to help athletes break barriers, stay confident, and excel under pressure. What we go over: Best Mental Approach for Hitters in Coming Back from COVID Layoff? Do you find Young Hitters Nowadays are Visualization Challenged because of Mobile Devices? What do you feel is the most Underutilized Mental Skill, Approach, or Practice? How to use the Breath to Lower Game Anxiety How Building Routines can help Hitters ‘Clean the Slate’ Anything new that you’re Working on Right Now? Where can we find more about you? Click short link for transcribed interview in pdf format: https://gohpl.com/3etSad5

Daniel Robertson reveals how turning failure into flow—a technique mastered by Mike Trout—can elevate your hitting performance and resilience. Daniel Robertson played baseball at Oregon State, then played 4-years in the Big Leagues from 2014 to 2017 (Rangers, Angels, Mariners, & Indians).  11-years total in professional baseball. 4-year 162-game MLB averages: BA: .262, 2B: 18, OBP: .314, SLG: .328. He is now helping to coach the players at Oregon State. In this Part-3 expert interview with Daniel Robertson, we discuss: Opinion on Latest Astros Scandal... Who would you Rather Pitch to: Hitter Roided out of his Mind or Hitter who Knew What’s Coming? How are you Working as an Educator, Working with your Players with this Whole COVID Thing? “With almost reckless abandonment, study and research before you attempt to do something like that...”, and... How do I Help my Player Understand that Failure is not Life or Death? Click short link for transcribed interview in pdf format: https://gohpl.com/2Tvzm4D

Perry Husband discusses Effective Velocity’s impact, including why adjustable swings fail and how Jacob DeGrom dramatically improved by changing pitch locations. “Effective Velocity: Adjustable Swing Dies Slow, Hanging the Fastball, & How Jacob DeGrom Cut His ERA in Half by Locating This Pitch in This Location” What we cover: What is the biggest mistake you see a lot of hitting coaches make? What are top 5 MLB and college fastpitch softball teams using EV right now? 10,000- or 30,000-foot view of what EV means? The death of the Adjustable Swing, Mike Trout case study Is there such things as a Hanging Fastball? Coaches, do Perry’s little Hitter’s Attention Experiment... What does it look like when Pitchers are Throwing balls into Barrels? Jacob DeGrom Dropping his ERA from 4 to under 2 by Locating this one pitch... Click short link for transcribed interview in pdf format: https://gohpl.com/2A4ot36

Coach Bob Bennett provides a step-by-step blueprint to rapidly elevate your coaching skills into the top tier—effective strategies for baseball and softball coaches. I've been doing research on an upcoming project called The Science Of Sticky Coaching.  I did an interview with legendary Coach Bob Bennett (my coach at Fresno State from 2000-2002), and Thomari-Story Harden (founder of Team Avenue Travel Baseball, and an 8-year Los Angeles Dodger Pro), and just thought I'd share it with you. Sorry, the interview audio may not be the best because we did it in a semi-noisy restaurant over lunch... Here's a rundown of the questions I asked Thomari and Coach Bennett: What makes Team Avenue different?  Who influenced you? Have you trained others in your coaching system?  Have they replicated your results? What are the biggest mistakes and myths you see in training (coaching) youth athletes?  What are the biggest wastes of time? What are your favorite instruction books or resources on the subject of training (coaching) your youth athletes?  If people had to teach themselves, what would you suggest they use? If you were to train me for four weeks for the Little League World Series and had a million dollars on the line, what would the training look like?  What if I trained for eight weeks?

Daryl Weber reveals powerful ways to motivate athletes consistently, avoiding burnout and keeping their passion alive through balanced training intensity. In this interview, we went over the following: About 1:20 min. mark, where it all began for me when I started teaching hitters to "swing down". Dark time for my hitters then, and they weren't getting consistent results.  My knowledge stagnated at the time. Where everything turned around for my hitters and my system.  Book resources included. About 5:00 min. mark, how to debunk conventional teaching cues using today's technology to test and compare swing mechanics such as Zepp, SwingTracker, and Blast. About 8:00 min. mark, what is a "sticky coach?" Taking a hiatus from hitting industry teachings, the challenge is translating information from coaches that are very technical to the end user. Can the information be taken from the expert to the coach to the player?  The more effective teaches are the ones who can do this.  If we can effect the coaches, we can exponentially effect more players.  Coach Daryl talks about how doing coaching clinics can be REALLY powerful when it comes to effecting more players.  The book we were talking about was: The Science Of Sticky Coaching: How To Turn Ordinary Athletes Into Extraordinary. About 14:00 min. mark, this interview started when Coach Daryl asked me to answer the following question, which he included in the following blog post: "Do you have ONE TIP to help coaches and parents motivate athletes to commit to training consistently and with intensity…WITHOUT “burning them out”?  Read that post because he polled other effective coaches and they gave their responses as well. About 15:00 min. mark, how to apply the Minimum Effective Dosage model (MED) to young athletes. 4-5 days per week, and 5-mins per day of hitting homework practice.  This is outside of organized practice time.  Be happy with 5-mins per day.  It's not about how many swing you get in a day, it's quality deep practice swings that matter.  And when you're dealing with a demotivated hitter, set them up for success with the MED model. About 19:00 min. mark, Coach Daryl likes to remind his athletes that it's okay to fall off the wagon, if you don't get the MED practice time in.  Life happens.  Set yourself up for success, by starting small and don't overwhelm yourself early on.  About 21:15 min mark, I talk about Karen Pryor's book Don't Shoot The Dog, using positive reinforcers to inspire athletes to put the work in.  I shared the story of the Professor lecturing students 10-mins every day, who didn't turn their homework in...changed to positive reinforcement, and went from only 1/3 of students turning in homework, to three weeks later, 3/4 of students turning homework in.  Praising hitters for the days they DO get in, motivates better than lecturing on the days they didn't get in. About 24:00 min. mark, Coach Daryl shares about his weigh-in struggles with his wrestlers.  Coach would tally up weigh-in numbers before practice, get frustrated, and proceed to negatively lecture his wrestlers at the start of practice.  This wasn't good, so Coach had his coaches report weigh-ins to him AFTER practice, which freed him up to give a positive motivating speech at the start of practice. About 26:30 min. mark, how to keep youth athletes from leaving the sport after only a couple years. Coaches "bullying" players. Encouraging athletes to open up communication lines with coach about playing time at the High School level on up. 12u on down is in the parent's court. Dealing with coaches who teach hitting based on conventional wisdom. Using the "bobble-head" strategy.  Ask your players at the end of a session: are there any questions on what you're doing, how you're doing it, and why you're doing it?  If players understand what they're doing, then contrasting information at practice won't confuse them.  They'll be more prepared! About 36:00 min. mark, talked about the approach a D1 softball player was going to use with her hitting coach, who has a professional baseball background and teaches conventional hitting wisdom.  She interned for me this past summer, sitting in and helping out on my hitting lessons, and we worked one-on-one about a half dozen times. About 43:00 min. mark, coaches have to start asking more questions.  Question what they've always been taught.  Question what they're learning now. Question ME because I don't mind.  The quality of your coaching is directly connected to the quality of questions you ask.  Gain knowledge and test.

Dr. Tom Hanson shares methods from 'Heads Up Baseball 2' on maximizing focus and effort pitch-by-pitch. Learn to deliver your absolute best performance consistently. Here are some time-stamps to help you navigate the interview: About 2:30 minute mark, Dr. Hanson talks about his experience coaching baseball at UVA and D3 Skidmore College. It's a challenge to find someone who has a PhD in psychology and experience coaching the game at the college level. About 4:30 minute mark, I talk about how I stumbled upon the first version of Heads-Up Baseball, and how the information helped me cut through the white noise at a time when I felt overwhelmed with hitting mechanics, reading every book I could get my hands on. About 6:00 minute mark, what were the top two or three things you and Dr. Ken Ravizza changed in the 2.0 version of Heads-Up Baseball?  One was this idea of changing "Trust" to "Compete". The purpose of a routine is to compete.  Give 100% of what you have right now to the next pitch.  Problem right now is players are coming to college with a "showcase" mentality.  The importance of hitters being patient AND being aggressive.  Thoughts on including quotes and anecdotes from fresh coach and player faces in the book. About 11:30 minute mark, if you could direct coaches to two concepts in the book, what would they be and why?  I liked the "Heads Up Practice" Chapter, but Dr. Hanson suggested "Chapter 2: The 3 Levels of Learning to Compete", Know it, Do it, Own it. He also recommends reading Mike Scioscia's Introduction of the book.  The Goldilocks Golden Rule, what's right for the hitter right now (or today - know yourself). About 18:00 minute mark, Dr. Hanson talks about the importance of having a model to explain the questions that come in about the mental game.  He goes into the RAMP-C model: Responsibility - the ability to respond, choose what you focus on, great question to ask: "How did you choose to respond?"  Awareness - being conscious of and how you typically respond under pressure or when you're hitting well, extrovert/introvert, how are you feeling right now.  Dealing with "yellow" or "red" lights.  Mission - what would you like to have happen, purpose or swing intention.  Preparation - what can I do to get myself to feel a "green" light, training in the off-season, what am I going to prepare for the next pitch or season.  Compete (changed from "Trust") - give 100% of what you have right now to get to win the next pitch.  Nobody on the Cubs felt like they had a "green" light for Game 7 of the World Series when they win it.  Control, Plan, Trust changed to Control, Commit, Compete About 30-minute mark, what have you found most valuable utilizing information in this book with your own kids while navigating the craziness of travel baseball, son C.J. is 14yo and daughter Angelina is 11yo.  First edition of Heads Up Baseball was before kids, now 20-year reflection period to version 2.0.  Before 13/14yo Dr. Hanson wanted to create an environment of fun for his son.  Helping kid fall in love with sport.  Not constantly picking the kid apart.  It's all about Relationship building.  No matter the message, if the relationship isn't there, then the message doesn't have its optimal effect.  Joe Maddon talked about building relationships as his priority in first 3 weeks of Spring Training with Cubs that first year, was building relationships with players. About 39:00 minute mark, can you be a coach that can stretch out of being the best at conceptualizing and doing, and get more into understanding relationship.  Knowing your players, where they are in life, and how to relate is huge with players. Unfortunately, the phone recording app I was using cut off another 20 minutes of the interview.  Here are some nuggets that were inconveniently left out: How to change an athlete that has an emotional "red" or "yellow" light from his book Play Big: Mental Toughness Secrets That Take Baseball Players to the Next Level. Using the ABC model: Act Big, Breath deep, and Compete. Dr. Hanson shared a conversation he had with Reggie Jackson, where he asked Reggie if he was confident all the time.  Reggie responded with, "Heck no!"  Reggie said he faked it a lot of the time.  Act Big. Dr. Hanson shared a conversation between Mike Trout and Dr. Ken Ravizza.  Mike Trout likes to finish his exhale before getting in the box.  If he gets in the box without doing that, he steps out and finishes it.  That's Breathing deep.  Mike Trout also said he likes to stride slow to the plate in order to slow down the moment. We also talked about where you can find Dr. Hanson online and the socials: HeadsUpPerformance.com - his coaching and consulting company. HeadsUpBaseball2.com - Heads-Up Baseball 2.0 book website where you can sign up for a paid subscription which inclu

Hitting expert Jaime Cevallos discusses the PitchView training aid, explaining how it rapidly enhances hitters' pitch recognition and reaction times—perfect for baseball and softball. Jaime Cevallos Interview (1-hour, 1-min total time for interview)...here are the time-stamps of the audio interview, so you can skip around: I asked Jaime, "How do you explain to people what it is you do?" Talks about his interest in movement, and how he got invited to Golf's Safeway Open as a swing coach [about 1-min mark] Talked about how Jaime's book Positional Hitting was a fantastic transition for me from when I used to teach Down & Through. Here's the Jaime Cevallos Four Hour Work Week Blog post featuring him titled: How I Did It: From $7 an Hour to Coaching Major League Baseball MVPs [about 3-min mark] I asked Jaime, "I understand you started in golf analysis before jumping into the baseball swing...what were your takeaways from golf that made a difference with the baseball swing?"  The pain from quitting baseball, made him obsessive about figuring out the swing. Importance of bent back arm impact position of good Golfers - noticed similar thing in baseball.  Comparing Ben Hogan to Babe Ruth and how similar their swings were.  Learning the "Slot Position" and spotting patterns.  [answers about 10-min mark] The challenge of teaching amateur hitters to hit the ball as hard and as far as you can, and that only fixing ineffective mechanics - or not.  Teaching high level mechanics to youth hitters.  Player definitely needs to be curious about hitting, hard work not necessarily needed at a young age. How many young hitters would read Charlie Lau's book at 12yo?  If teaching doesn't allow hitter to not be robotic, then most likely it's the coaching cue that's the issue. [about 14:30 mark] I asked Jaime, "A question I get asked all the time is, do you believe the baseball and Fast-Pitch Softball swing are two totally different things?" Differences being reaction time and stride timing...no real difference in what you're trying to accomplish with the swing. Understanding cricket and how golfers don't care about Golf "Ball Exit Speed", they care more about precision and accuracy.  [about 21-min, 30-sec mark] Jaime quote that addresses those coaches that ask, "So how many Big League AB's do you have?" Should we take what MLB hitting instructors say as gospel? Here's Jaime's quote I mentioned in the interview, "MLB hitting coaches are motivated by keeping their job, not developing innovative principles. If they change a franchise player’s swing, and that player gets worse, their name is forever blacklisted. Word will spread that he makes good hitters bad. And regardless of how many hitters he has helped, the one he “ruined” will be the bane of his career. GMs will attach his name with money flying out the window. He can just take a seat next to Jose Canseco in the list of people who will never be offered a contract. Because of this, MLB hitting coaches develop vague hitting methods, appearing to help when the team is doing well, yet standing on no specific method when the team is struggling. It’s common for them to wait until a player on the team gets hot, and associate themselves to that player as much as possible. I’ve seen it time and time again.”  We're in a swing instruction revolution.  The MLB hitting coaches are catching up.  [about 28-min mark] If you have something of value you can offer to a professional ball player, then go and seek them out in the winter to work with them.  It doesn't matter if you have baseball experience, if you have a passionate curiosity for finding out the swing, then go for it!  The fallacy credibility indicator of "30 years of coaching"...it's not the year in your coaching, it's the coaching in your years.  The willingness to take chances and experiment with your teaching/coaching young hitters.  [about 31-min mark] Jaime talks about his new product the PitchView Pitch Recognition Training Aid. Biggest area of opportunity to solve a problem in a sport. Hitting is four different skills: Eye Hand Coordination, Mechanics, Strength & Speed, and Pitch Recognition.  Jaime feels eye-hand coordination is pretty much tapped out.  How juggling at a young age helped Jaime's eye-hand coordination, however he feels it didn't help him that much in hitting - more so in fielding.  What steroid-era taught us about the Strength & Speed category.  Swing mechanics is going through a revolution - opportunity here right now.  Pitch Recognition is untapped right now. [about 36-min mark] The WHY, HOW, and WHAT of the PitchView PR Training Aid. How PR is currently being trained now.  Protecting the hitter freeing them up to actively learn how to make their PR better during pitcher's bullpens.  Connecting release motion to flight of the ball to hitters movement (timing).  Currently

Discover how a professional hitter improved ball exit speed from 75 to 85 MPH in just one hour. The Grueling Truth breaks down methods you can use immediately. Blog post accompanying this episode: https://hittingperformancelab.com/improving-pro-hitter-from-75-mph-ball-exit-speed-to-85-mph-in-one-hour/ James Ernest from The Grueling Truth recently interviewed me on his sports podcast episode, “Sports of All Sorts: Joey Myers Author of “The Catapult Loading System” Baseball Hitting Book”.  Thanks again James for having me on! (PLEASE NOTE: the audio isn’t quite the best on my end, since he was interviewing me over the phone.)   I’ve included time-stamps below, so you can freely navigate through the audio interview…ENJOY! At about 0:10 second mark, James asked me to tell him about the Catapult Loading System (CLS) book, working on the second edition of the book now and new additions to it. At about 2:40 minute mark, what the Hitting Performance Lab is all about, applying human movement principles validated by REAL science, to hitting a ball, Anatomy Trains by Thomas Myers, The Spinal Engine by Dr. Serge Gracovetsky, Dynamic Body by Dr. Erik Dalton. Base system off higher standard: REAL science, not “bro-science”, data (experiments, stats, etc.) and technology (Zepp, SwingTracker, BlastMotion, HitTrax) are great to measure, test, re-measure. At about 6:30 minute mark, James asked what the difference between hitting “philosophy” versus hitting “principles”, talk about bowling “bumper” analogy, “Theories” are okay but MUST have a REAL science to back them up, is body-weight a good indicator of batted ball distance? Are athletic “freaks” the only ones who can triple their body-weight in batted ball distance? At about 10:30 minute mark, James asked me to clarify “body loading”, is the body just a rubber band system?  The difference between compression and tension forces and springy fascia, what is fascia and why the secret to consistent power is found in it.  How an elite hitter loads these compression and tension forces, the Springy ‘X’ Pattern, and the Goldilocks Golden Rule, how to match the plane of the pitch, not teaching hitters to hit “pop-flies” or ground-balls. At about 15:30 minute mark, James asked how we teach the Springy ‘X’ Pattern to younger hitters, ‘Showing Numbers’ and “back eye test“, using back elbow for Downhill Shoulder Angle, to get the ‘Scap Row’ we use “hiding their hands from pitcher” cue, “Finger Pressure”, the “Hollow” or “Hunched Position“, head positioning and following the “One-Joint Rule“, At about 21:00 minute mark, James asked who taught or supported me in this information?  Where learning this originated from, self taught, started from trying to fix a chronic knee tightness, reverse engineered the swing through human movement principles validated by science, Aaron Judge and Sierra Romero as great models for an effective swing. At about 24:00 minute mark, follow up question on the difference between first and second edition of the CLS book, the path to finding the truth to consistency in the swing, how the tens of thousands of coaches reading and applying the principles are getting the same results – if not better – with their hitters that I am with mine!  How we improved free agent Professional hitter recently using a wood bat off Backspin Tee, 75-mph Ball Exit Speed to 85-mph in one hour. At about 28-minute mark, where can people learn more about what we’re doing here at Hitting Performance Lab? Where you can find us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Linkedin, etc., BIG ask from the audience: SHARE, SHARE, SHARE  

Daniel Robertson continues sharing strategies to transform failures into peak performance flow states, drawing powerful lessons from MLB superstar Mike Trout. Daniel Robertson played baseball at Oregon State, then played 4-years in the Big Leagues from 2014 to 2017 (Rangers, Angels, Mariners, & Indians).  11-years total in professional baseball. 4-year 162-game MLB averages: BA: .262, 2B: 18, OBP: .314, SLG: .328. He is now helping to coach the players at Oregon State. In this Part-2 expert interview with Daniel Robertson, we discuss more deep mental aspects to the game: What were some of the one or two major adjustments that you had to make either mindset or training style? Now as a coach or educator, how are you dealing with the COVID-19 lockdown? About being “all-in” and willing to sacrifice a swing or an at-bat to make an adjustment… Click short link for transcribed interview in pdf format: https://gohpl.com/2VAom7J

Unlocking True Athletic Power: Ditch Core Bracing & Discover Spiral Dynamics with David Weck Is your athlete moving like a machine—or like an athlete? In this explosive episode of the Swing Smarter Hitting Training Podcast, Joey Myers sits down with movement revolutionary David Weck, inventor of the BOSU Ball and founder of WeckMethod.com, to expose the myth of core bracing and introduce a radical new blueprint for athletic performance. If you’re a coach, parent, or player tired of watching young hitters get stiff, injured, or burnt out, this conversation will shake your understanding of training to the core—literally. 🔥 In This Episode, You'll Discover: Why traditional “core bracing” is destroying performance and what to teach instead for speed, rhythm, and power The true biomechanics of human movement—including spiral dynamics and side-bending—and how they're being ignored by mainstream coaches How to unlock explosive hitting and sprinting power using natural figure-8 movement patterns and fascia-based training Real examples of Olympic sprinters improving 40-yard dash times with Weck’s patented tools like Pulsers™ and ropes The tragic rise of non-contact injuries in baseball and how current strength coaches are unintentionally causing them Why most youth athletes are being taught outdated mechanics that suppress their natural athleticism How WeckMethod training can help baseball and softball players move better, hit harder, and recover faster ✅ Want to Help Your Hitter Move Like an Athlete—Not a Robot? Check out our Swing Shift Daily Hitting System, built on the very principles David Weck shares in this episode: 👉 https://hittingperformancelab.com/swingshift If today’s episode gave you a new lens on how hitters should move, subscribe to the podcast, leave us a review, and share this episode with your team or coaching network. For more training breakthroughs, drills, and gear that actually improves performance, visit: 👉 https://hittingperformancelab.com

Josh Karr warns college coaches about hidden risks from COVID-19 affecting their recruiting strategies. Learn how to adjust and protect your recruiting process. Full blog post accompanying this podcast episode:  https://hittingperformancelab.com/attn-college-coaches-covid19-risk-hiding-in-your-recruiting-process/ (CLICK HERE for the full transcription of the interview)

Taylor Gardner introduces lesser-known hitting drills using the Backspin Tee designed specifically to help hitters become consistently on-time with pitches. In this expert interview with Taylor Gardner, co-founder of Backspin Tee, we discuss: Top 2 Timing Drills they do with their hitters (yes, they work with hitters too!) What Does the “Ride” part in ‘Ride & Stride’ Mean? The ‘Snap Drill’ & What it means to Hitter’s Timing… How Does the ‘Ride’ Help Hitter Out with Backspin 2 Tees Drill? What Does it mean to ‘Buy Time’? And How do you Teach it? What’s the Difference Between Backspin Tee Pro Deluxe model versus Pro Lite? I think you’re going to love it!  Lots of timing nuggets in their you can use right away, at home. Click short link for transcribed interview in pdf format: https://gohpl.com/2wFKqUH

In Part 1 of this series, Daniel Robertson explores how embracing and learning from failure—like Mike Trout—creates powerful flow states that dramatically enhance hitting performance. Daniel Robertson played baseball at Oregon State, then played 4-years in the Big Leagues from 2014 to 2017 (Rangers, Angels, Mariners, & Indians).  11-years total in professional baseball. 4-year 162-game MLB averages: BA: .262, 2B: 18, OBP: .314, SLG: .328.  In this expert interview with Daniel Robertson, we discuss deep mental aspects to the game: How to Get Out of Your own Way & Make Adjustments, What’s Your Perspective on Dealing with Failure? What Does that Look like to You? To You, What Does Motivation and Inspiration Look Like? What’s the Difference? Click short link for transcribed interview in pdf format: https://gohpl.com/2Un9qcx