Reaction Time: Key to Hitting a baseball

I think the most difficult thing to do in all of sports is to hit a baseball and I’ll tell you why. Baseball is the only sport that you can succeed only 30% of the time and be in the hall of fame. I think that in itself speaks volumes about the difficulty of having success at the plate. In order to make contact with a baseball speeding in excess of 90mph, a batter requires courage, outstanding hand-eye coordination, and not to mention excellent reflexes.

The most successful hitters in the sport of baseball typically have a life-time average in and around the .300’s. Although there is enough opportunity to get base-hits between the defenders, there is no room for error when making solid contact with an object that is no bigger than the tool you are using to hit it with. Striking the ball a couple of millimeters to high or low will result in a fly-out or a weak ground-out. Miss by more than that and you will strike out.

It would be less difficult if the pitch was the same pitch every time but it’s not. Not only does a batter have to track the ball up and down but also has to decide when to make contact with it. If you hit the ball too early or are out in front, you will not hit the ball as hard or square as it is possible and will most likely hit a foul-ball. If you are late on the pitch or make contact after the point of square, you will also be sacrificing the potential power of your swing and the flight of the ball that was hit. Bottom line is you must accurately track the speed of the pitch in order to hit the ball at the ideal point within the hitting or strike-zone. Now, considering the fact that the ball doesn’t move in a straight line and can have all sorts of spins that will change the flight of travel hence curve balls, split-fingers, sliders, change-ups, and knuckle balls; it’s a wonder that anybody can actually perform this feat.

Deciding whether a pitch is hittable and pin-pointing it while flying through the air to then hit it, leaves a hitter about half of a second on average. A pitch moving 90mph from 60 ft. away allows only .4 of a second to be exact. That’s quite a process for your brain and body to complete in virtually no time at all. In fact, that is the limit of human reaction time capabilities.

Obviously, being a good baseball batter requires a lot of natural talent, but it also involves experience backed by a lot of hard practice, relentless drilling, and knowledge that will increase your skill over time. Having the correct swing mechanics and fundamentals will greatly increase your chances of becoming a better hitter. That is accomplished by doing the right drills to develop the mechanics necessary to hit the ball consistently.

I maintain a few sites dedicated to teaching drills and fundamentals for enhancing your batting skills. I also have a site with detailed baseball bat reviews that can help when choosing a bat that will be comfortable for you. You must be confident and comfortable when you go to swing and I think having the right kind of bat plays a role in that. It’s at that split second point of contact that everything has to perfectly come together.

Joe Rodgers has taught batting mechanics at all competitive levels of baseball.

- Joe Rodgers