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Many batters want to wait until conditions are perfect before they practice hitting. The weather must be of a certain temperature (not too hot and not too cold) and the sky a specific brightness (not too bright nor too cloudy). There must be little or no wind and, of course, no rain, sleet, or snow. The ground can’t be too dry, nor too muddy. There must be a pristine baseball diamond available for a conventional batting practice, which means he must have a pitcher and a certain number of fielders. His bat must be just right; his batting gloves just so; and his baseballs clean and pearl white and ready to go. Right?

Wrong. Don’t wait for perfect conditions, because they’ll never arrive. Stop preparing; and start hitting! Hit when you’re hungry, hit when you’re tired, hit when you’re bored. Hit in the morning, hit at noon, hit at night. Hit on grass, hit on concrete, hit on sand. Hit in every condition known to man. Who needs a pitcher? Use a tee, or try some dry swings. Use your imagination – get creative and hit with as many different bats, balls, targets, and objectives as possible.

Make time, no matter what. In 5 minutes, an enterprising batter can, without rushing and without losing focus, take a minimum of 50 quality swings. Grab a bat and start swinging. Don’t wait – be great!

From May 2011, http://raisingahitter.wordpress.com