Developing Your Vision to Help Improve Your Hitting

Visualize success with these sight-training tips from Allegheny Health Network.

Being able to successfully track the ball can be the difference between solid and weak contact at the plate. That’s why training your vision is important to your success. It could mean driving the ball through the gap or dribbling a ground ball to the corner infield.

Developing your vision can be a vital piece of your hitting-improvement program. Frank Velasquez, director of sports performance for Allegheny Health Network, has a few tips and tricks to help you take an athletic look at your sight this season.

For one, Velasquez recommends practicing simple tracking drills while you’re in the batting cage.

“Let’s say they’re used to seeing pitches at top speeds of 60 mph,” he says. “We’ll put them in a 70- or 75-mph machine and just have [the players] track the balls coming in. Not even swinging, because I don’t want to mess with their mechanics and the swing, but just tracking with their eyes. And then, we’ll bring them back down to 60, and the ball is slower. It really slows the game down for them.”

In addition to tracking drills, Velasquez recommends software programs that could potentially help with depth perception and recognition. These two sight qualities are instrumental in deciding where a ball is coming in.

“If we can improve depth perception and recognition,” Velasquez says, “it also plays into recognizing that fastball or curveball or riser or knuckleball. That’ll allow you to stay back, keep your hands back and hit the ball into the field of play.”

Exercise your eyes with these tips and help improve your vision in the batter’s box. Build on other pillars of your game with these training programs to help boost your running speed and throwing velocity.