After filming, everyone heads into the batting cage to work on drills designed to fix problems captured on video. Abbatine instructs players to put their swing on automatic pilot and pretend that their head is a giant camera. So I tell them to be aware that your legs are a tripod, your head is the camera and your two eyes are lenses. Once he determines how a player uses his vision at the plate, Abbatine studies how players track the ball. Some hitters approach their release point from top to bottom, from the bottom up, or by focusing almost where the shortstop is and moving over.
Human eyes work better when scanning, sweeping and hunting as opposed to staring.
Some of Abbatine's exercises make use of the latest in visual training equipment. One new tool is strobe glasses that work on saccadic eye movement, which is a rapid, intermittent eye movement that occurs when the eye focuses on one point after another within the visual field. Worn during batting practice, the glasses barrage the eye with light, which helps players improve visual concentration and tracking skills, he says. The workshops won't create better hitters overnight, but the training can help remind players that pitch recognition is important. I tell coaches, whatever hitting drills you have, keep.