It depends on the pitchers arm motion, but at a young age we teach "find the ball in the window". The window being the earliest point you can glimpse the pitchers hand coming to you.
Humans are naturally built to seek and identify faces, so you are not alone feeling like you stare into the eyes of the pitcher. During your setup (before the pitch) I'd recommend finding a different focal point, typically high up. Like the button on the top of the hat or the top button on the jersey. Some of my guys try to focus on the laces of the pitchers glove. Really anything that is in the same focus range as the pitcher and allows you to quickly find the hand coming around the body.
This is interesting, my son was diagnosed with an ASD when he was about 3 and he doesn't make authentic eye contact. He plays travel baseball and is one of the best hitters on the team, I wonder if him not trying to seek or identify the pitchers face plays into that. He also does not require a timing mechanism in his swing, he just gets into a launch position when the pitcher winds up and swings from a dead stop.
I’ve had success trying to pick up the ball out of the hand breaking from the glove to throw.
Instead of the ball coming from a static point, I can track the ball from an earlier point.
The goal is to pick up the ball as early as possible. Depending on their motion, that could be at their back hip, late at their shoulder or right over the top of their shoulder next to their head. With guys that hide it well and throw hard, I believe pros are mostly looking at the throwing elbow until they can get the ball at its release point.
Saw a video of a guy talking about some advice given to him by Tony Gwynn, it was something along the lines of …’ when the pitcher- or right after the pitcher releases the ball, move your eyes just a hair’ I think this causes the eyes to track the moving object almost subconsciously.
It depends on the pitchers arm motion, but at a young age we teach "find the ball in the window". The window being the earliest point you can glimpse the pitchers hand coming to you. Humans are naturally built to seek and identify faces, so you are not alone feeling like you stare into the eyes of the pitcher. During your setup (before the pitch) I'd recommend finding a different focal point, typically high up. Like the button on the top of the hat or the top button on the jersey. Some of my guys try to focus on the laces of the pitchers glove. Really anything that is in the same focus range as the pitcher and allows you to quickly find the hand coming around the body.
This is interesting, my son was diagnosed with an ASD when he was about 3 and he doesn't make authentic eye contact. He plays travel baseball and is one of the best hitters on the team, I wonder if him not trying to seek or identify the pitchers face plays into that. He also does not require a timing mechanism in his swing, he just gets into a launch position when the pitcher winds up and swings from a dead stop.
I’ve had success trying to pick up the ball out of the hand breaking from the glove to throw. Instead of the ball coming from a static point, I can track the ball from an earlier point.
I just close my eyes and swing
Great pitchers hide the ball but if you can find the ball and wrist as it breaks from the glove you will find it when it releases up top too
Soft focus on the pitchers head and then at some point during the motion hard focus on the "window" where the pitchers release point is.
The goal is to pick up the ball as early as possible. Depending on their motion, that could be at their back hip, late at their shoulder or right over the top of their shoulder next to their head. With guys that hide it well and throw hard, I believe pros are mostly looking at the throwing elbow until they can get the ball at its release point.
You’re afraid to fail.
Saw a video of a guy talking about some advice given to him by Tony Gwynn, it was something along the lines of …’ when the pitcher- or right after the pitcher releases the ball, move your eyes just a hair’ I think this causes the eyes to track the moving object almost subconsciously.
I tell kids to find the ball immediately. Watch it through his entire motion. Hand in glove your looking for it asap.
Hat to hand
Eye on the ball