One of the best parts of having Roger Dean Stadium as our headquarters is the opportunity to share a facility with professional players and coaches. Many of these men have contributed to our camps and travel program over the years. One very special contribution was made by 1972 World Series MVP

Gene Tenace, who at the time was serving as a hitting instructor for the St. Louis Cardinals. A great hitter during his playing career, Tenace is regarded as an AUTHORITY on hitting. With so much debate and over analysis at the youth level on hitting, Tenace's no-nonsense lesson was refreshing and completely on point. He began by stressing the importance of learning how to control the barrel of the bat, explaining he didn't care how a hitter accomplished it, but it was really all that mattered. Additionally, he told the group that two elements are always the most critical; i) seeing the ball (ii) and being aggressive, in the box ready to hit. He made a point to warn young hitters not to overanalyze their swings but to find something that works and perfect it, in other words, not to make wholesale mechanical changes on a weekly basis like so many uninformed young hitters are instructed to do. On the point of controlling the barrel, he encouraged hitters to keep their hands "inside" the baseball and avoid wasted movements involving their trigger/load, in other words keep it short and compact. He went on to encourage hitters to "swing hard" and "be in the box ready to hit". Throughout his lecture, Tenace could be seen gripping the barrel of the bat with two hands while showing it to the group to drive home the point of how important of a detail it is compared to many of the other useless thoughts coaches fill the heads of young hitters with. Anyone with little or no experience who is thinking of discussing hitting with a young player, following Tenace's advice would be highly recommended. Keep it simple. To learn more, click here..

1972 World Series MVP Gene Tenace