Hitting a baseball is one of the most difficult things to do in sports. It takes 2/10 of a second to swing a bat, and an 80mph pitch takes only 4/10 of a second to reach the plate. As a batter you are asked to time your swing perfectly... within 2/10 of a second in order to hit the ball. That is faster than the amount of time it takes you to blink! Certainly not very much time to think about whether or not you should swing, which is why you really need to stay relaxed at the plate.
Remember how your coach is always saying 'keep your eye on the ball'? It is important to track the baseball as it comes speeding into the strike zone, and your eyes actually have the ability to do it! It's called your Dynamic Visual Acuity, and the better your vision is, the better your chances at hitting the baseball. Major League hitters have been quoted in interviews saying they can actually see the laces on the ball as it comes out of the pitcher's hand and Edgar Martinez was even able to read the lettering on a baseball!
Sports vision is something that you develop over time, and is a skill that can be practiced just like fielding extra ground balls. Increasing your Dynamic Visual Acuity will allow you to see the ball better, and improve your focus and your reaction time. There are several components so sports vision, and many different ways to improve it. Listed below are a few skills and drills you can do to improve your Dynamic Visual Acuity:
cut out different size letters from a magazine and place them on a spinning object. Start out slow and increase the speed and decrease the size of the letters as it gets easier.
drill a hole into a softball and place it on the end of a pencil. write or tape letters onto the ball and spin it. try to read the letters as they spin. to make it harder for yourself, decrease the size of the letters or ball, and increase the speed you spin it.
Eye Tracking- accurately following the path of a moving object for and extended period of time, no matter how fast it is moving. The longer you can see a baseball, up to the point of contact, the better hitter you will be.
balance a frisbee (or baseball glove) on your head and watch a friend throw a bullpen. follow the flight of the ball with your eyes, without moving your head. the frisbee (or glove) should stay on your head.
at the bus stop focus on a letter on the licence plates of cars passing by. try to do this without moving your head, just your eyes.
Eye Focusing- changing focus from one distance to another very quickly. The more clearly you see the baseball the better chance you have at hitting it.
tape a newspaper to the wall 15ft in front of you and hold another at arms length. alternate your focus between newspaper headlines.
Peripheral Vision- seeing the positions of players in the field out of the corner of your eye will enable you to pick out a good place to hit the ball to reach base safely. This has to be done while keeping focused on the ball.
when watching a baseball game, focus on the players in the dugout. see if you can still watch what is going on in the game without turning your head.
Depth Perception- the ability to judge the distance of a moving object. Knowing how hard you need to throw a ball to get it to first, or how far a fly ball is going to travel is going to make you a much better fielder.
have a friend hold a straw out in front of you (arms length). try to put a toothpick inside the straw.
Reaction Time- how fast you can respond to what your eyes see.
play a game of flips!
Hand/Eye Coordination- putting together all of the skills you have with your eyes and combining it with your ability to make your hands react to what you see.
play a game of pepper!
Remember to take care of your eyes and wear sunglasses!
