People always ask: “What’s the first thing I should do to build a championship offense?” and “What’s the #1 focus to take a hitter and team from good to great?”
The answer to building a championship-hitting culture is creating an environment where every player feels supported by being able to apply precise, reliable, and actionable data. This includes reliable motion analysis that emphasizes the importance of continuous improvement.
It’s also a matter of working harder by working smarter, which enables consistent performance/movement patterns that help the hitter get off their ‘A’ swing and allows the player to understand how to solve the degrees of freedom challenge.
A winning culture isn’t just about winning games but investing in personal growth between players and coaches by seeing “eye to eye” and having trust/respect in the process. Players buy-in when they believe and know they can access solutions, answers, and state-of-the-art technology.
–What values of your team’s hitting/offensive philosophy guide the decision-making for each hitter?
–Is there an environment where everybody feels comfortable sharing their thoughts/ideas on hitting and a common language/terminology/talking points are established and agreed upon so there can be a broader, more inclusive discussion?
–Promote collaboration rather than individualism.
–Culture emphasizes the importance of working together towards the common goal of reaching each individual’s potential and competing for championships, and that requires resources that afford reliable and constructive feedback.
–Trust in conflict—Conflicts arise within all teams, usually because of different points of view, biases, or the influences of outsiders who want to divide.
Searching for commonalities based on objective data/truth–especially during conflicts–strengthens the culture. Implementing strategies for continuous hitting skill improvement and measuring the improvement through motion-captured data is crucial for building and enhancing a winning hitting culture. That involves setting benchmarks for the individual hitter and the team with regular evaluation and feedback sessions to identify areas for specific improvement for each hitter and creating action plans to address them. It also encourages a growth mindset and provides opportunities for hitting skill development and hitting training protocols will keep the team constantly evolving and striving for excellence.
By constantly seeking ways to improve and adapt, winning cultures can stay ahead of the competition and continue to achieve success.
Getting READY requires preparing mentally. How hard are you trying to swing? Remember that your intentions determine your actions. The thoughts going through your head in the batter’s box influence swing mechanics. Talking to a big-league hitting coach, he says, “Too many times, too many players want to go BIG to pad their stats instead of considering what’s best for the team.” READY also means being cognitively superior, making good swing decisions, and knowing what the team needs the hitter to do in every situation.
The key? NEVER BE SHORT IN KNOWLEDGE OR SKILLS. After every pitch, the hitter can recommit to the plan/team’s approach and be in his most competitive mindset during those 15 seconds between pitches. When the pitcher releases the pitch, HE IS READY.
The players understand and have prepared by reviewing the team’s scouting reports and recommendations for the opponent before every game. They have also reviewed the high-speed video and checked in with the staff. They are never surprised because they’re prepared and have put in the work.
Relentless, Reliable & Resolved: Great teams and organizations:
–Build/create individualized training protocols for each hitter.
–Craft protocols to fit specific movement synergies with precision.
–Innovate “out of the box” protocols/methods using technology and data to confirm progress.
–Refine elite skills with the best guidance/advice.
–Train more explosive movements specifically for hitters. The speed at which you generate and unleash force (rate of force development) is more important than brute strength. Develop the hitters’ ingrained movement patterns and build speed via elasticity/torque.
WIN THIS PITCH: No matter the count, the umpire’s last call, your batting average, the score, how you FEEL physically … the hitter must be RESOLVED to give every at-bat HIS BEST effort & attention. Push through the setbacks! Can your coaches and teammates trust you to treat every pitch and every at bat with a RELENTLESS MINDSET—by never giving in?
–Don’t make excuses.
–Don’t blame others.
–Don’t give away pitches or at-bats.
–Find a way to get your A swing off on a good pitch every at-bat.
–If I don’t have your A swing, that’s when you scrap, fight, and be as resourceful and determined as possible to find a way to contribute.
–Play the game IN THE MOMENT. WIN THIS PITCH, right now and right here.
Relish the Responsibility: REIGN. Great hitters know their “WHY” isn’t “praise” or “ego.”
It’s the challenge to get better and be their best version. They tell themselves daily, “I believe in me. I believe in my teammates. I believe in my coaches and our organization. They love to compete.
–Relish the challenge at the plate.
–It’s all 9 in the line-up against that one pitcher.
–Everybody in the line-up has a “task” or a “role” and a job to do.
–Push the limits of what is possible, knowing you must prevail.
–No matter what is said on ESPN or what the NAYSAYERS or EXPERTS predict will happen, you control your destiny.
–See yourselves as WORLD CHAMPIONS EVERYDAY.
–Nobody “labels” you. Given a challenge, you find a way to prevail.
Expect the staff to challenge you to get better. ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS, look for solutions in the right places, and have a GROWTH MINDSET. Once you figure it out, bring others along into the championship culture.
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Mike Lotief is the President/CEO of Swing Attractors. During the 2023 MLB season, he consulted with Tim Hyers, Hitting Coach of the Texas Rangers, World Series winners. Swing Attractors uses its proprietary software/user-friendly dashboard to identify the hitter’s movement profile, what planes of motion are most dominant/dormant, and the rate/sequence of transfer. Lotief (AKA “Coach Mike”) has been associated with 40 conference/NCAA championships and has invented hundreds of hitting devices. He’s also a 40-year cancer survivor, twice awarded the Perseverance Award by coaching peers.
