As a hitter, nothing beats when the baseball looks as big as a beach ball.
When you see the ball well, pitches seemingly float towards the plate in slow motion.
You instantly recognize the spin and location, making your swing-or-take decision a no-brainer.
You jump on good pitches, let the bad ones go by, and become a pitcher’s worst nightmare!
But that’s a different story when you’re NOT seeing the ball well.
Forget about doubles and home runs. When you’re having vision trouble, putting the ball in play is challenging enough!
The game speeds up, you start chasing pitches, and making solid contact becomes a tall order.
Does that sound familiar?
If so, you’re not alone. But don’t worry.
The good news is that with the right strategies and a little hard work, you can quickly turn your vision troubles around and start seeing the ball better than ever before.
Don’t rush to schedule an appointment with the eye doctor or order a fresh pair of contact lenses just yet.
Instead, try these three easy ways to see the ball better at the plate.
Strategy #1: High-velocity bunting practice
With designated hitters and the rise of analytics, bunting is a lost art in modern baseball.
It’s not taught or practiced nearly enough, but it’s a fundamental skill every hitter should master.
And while you should regularly work on bunting as it is, you should spend even more time on it when you’re having trouble seeing the ball well.
Why?
Because bunting forces you to watch the ball and really see it all the way to your bat.
If you take your eyes off the ball, even for a split-second, you’ll find it challenging to get the bunt down.
And while practicing bunting in any capacity will help you see the ball better, adding a little twist to your standard routine will help kick things into overdrive.
I call it high-velocity bunting practice.
Set up a pitching machine and crank the velocity as high as you dare. (As always, wear your batting helmet while doing this.)
Don’t be easy on yourself here. Find a velocity at which you can only lay the bunt down successfully if you watch the ball well.
Then do it!
Watch the ball and work on getting each bunt down. Don’t stab at the ball. Don’t foul pitches off. Catch the ball with your bat and get the bunts down (either towards the third-base or first-base line).
Then, after a few minutes, try this:
Take a step closer to the pitching machine after each successful bunt.
You will have less and less reaction time with each pitch, making watching the ball even more critical.
Challenge yourself by seeing how close you can get and how many successful bunts you can lay down in a row.
You’ll be amazed at what even 5 or 10 minutes of high-velocity bunting practice will do for you.
Strategy #2: Switch it up and hit from the opposite side of the plate
You may not be a switch hitter, but pretending you are for a few swings is another easy way to see the ball better quickly.
During your next batting practice, step into the batter’s box from the opposite side of the plate.
If you’re a right-handed hitter, step in the left-handed batter’s box (or vice versa if you’re a lefty).
Tell your coach what you’re doing, and promise it’ll only be for a few swings.
Then, after getting his approval, let it rip!
If you’re like most hitters, you’ll undoubtedly feel uncomfortable, and your swing will probably look a little ugly, too.
Oh, and it will be much more challenging than you thought.
After a few swings and misses, you’ll realize that the only way to make contact is if you watch the ball like never before.
If you want to square it up, you’ll have to lock onto the ball like a hawk stalking its prey.
Give it your best shot for a few pitches, then flip back around to your natural side of the plate.
Now, you’ll have your regular swing back, but you’ll keep that laser-like focus you dialed in from the opposite side of the plate.
Strategy #3: Overemphasize keeping your head down through contact
Most hitters think they’re watching the ball, but many don’t track it for as long as they should be.
They might see the ball out of the pitcher’s hand, but then they allow their eyes to drift while the pitch is on its way.
And if they’re lucky enough to get the barrel on the ball, they immediately want to look up to see where they hit it after making contact.
While you may be able to get away with this bad habit during BP, it will come to haunt you during actual games.
So, what’s the solution?
Whether hitting off a tee, doing soft toss, or taking BP, overemphasize keeping your head down and your eyes on the ball.
You should try to pick the ball up from the pitcher’s release point and watch it for as long as possible.
Then, keep your head down and your eyes in the hitting zone through contact as you finish your swing.
Try to exaggerate this and keep your head down longer than you think you need to.
The more you overemphasize it in practice, the more you’ll keep your eyes on the ball during games.
Don’t wait, implement these three strategies during your next practice, and you’ll notice an immediate improvement in your ability to see the ball at the plate!
Remember, it’s great to have a beautiful swing with lightning-quick bat speed, but that doesn’t mean a thing if you don’t see the ball well and get the bat head on it.