While Bill Hillhouse came down to Hawaii to do a pitching clinic, Howard Kobata, who happened to be in town, decided to stop by the field to talk story and to share a hitting aid with us. I was skeptical at first because I heard that it was a ball. Really, how cool can “a ball” really be? Then I got to see this “ball” in action and I got to try it out and I have to say, it’s pretty cool.
There are 3 main things I love about this TCB ball…
3. This ball cuts down on hitting/pre-game time and space needed – this means more reps in a shorter period of time
2. This ball gives instant feedback - any time your players can see for themselves what they are doing wrong without you having to tell them just makes your life as a coach/parent easier and less stressful. One problem with today’s bats and hitting off pitching machines or hitting regular balls off live toss is that a player can hit a ball badly and it may still look and “feel” just fine. Then as a coach, when you try to correct, it you may get some resistance from your player because their end result was “good” and they felt no negative feedback during the swing or hit. With this ball, unless you hit it right, it doesn’t look and it doesn’t feel right. You instantly see that your hit wasn’t a solid one. This leads me to the #1 thing I like about this ball…
1. This ball is addicting - I was able to get in the cage and take some swings at this ball. Because of the instant feedback, whenever I didn’t hit the ball well, the competitive “player” inside me just wanted to try again. Then when I did hit it well it was just something I wanted to keep doing over and over and over again since the “good” hits look and feel so much better than your “bad” ones. Seeing it happen right was cool! Seeing it come off your bat poorly, just makes you want to have another chance. So, the player in me liked it. It was addicting. I just wanted to keep trying to hit that ball and hit it well.
In my book, anything that…
- cuts down on time
- makes your practice more efficient
- gives players immediate feedback
- AND is something players enjoy and want to do…
that’s a pretty great thing.
So if you’d like to learn more about this hitting aid or buy some for your team/player, check out Total Control Sports OR if you are in California or Hawaii, call your sales rep directly (Howard) at (714) 293-3088.
I’m afraid of the ball…Did I just say that? Well, not terrified of the ball like some people are, but I admit, I am more afraid of getting hit by a ground ball than I used to be. Why? Mostly because I know that I’m not as quick as I used to be. My reaction time is slower than it used to be. Let’s face it, I’m no longer training to actively compete as a softball player. I do not practice fielding ground balls on a daily basis and therefore, I know that my skills are a little rustier than they were 13+ years ago when I was training to be the best infielder I could be.
