The biggest mistake I made when learning to hit a curveball...
I treated every curveball like it was my pitch.
So every time I saw spin, I swung.
I'd swing and miss.
I'd roll over weak ground balls.
I'd get myself out on pitches I had no business swinging at.
For years, I thought I had a curveball problem.
I didn't.
I had a decision problem.
Because every curveball isn't equal.
Some are mistakes.
Some are strikes.
Some are traps.
Once I figured that out, everything changed.
The goal isn't to hit every curveball.
The goal is to identify the mistakes and attack those.
Then let the others go.
So if I were learning to hit a curveball today, here's exactly what I'd do.
First, I'd put a glove on my top hand.
Then I'd have a coach or pitching machine throw different types of curveballs.
- Hangers
- Curves below the zone
- Curves off the plate
- Curves that start as strikes and finish as balls
- Curves that stay up
My job wouldn't be to swing.
My job would be to catch the ones I'd want to hit.
And let the others go.
Why?
Because before you can hit a curveball...
You have to identify it.
This slows the game down and teaches your eyes what a hittable curveball actually looks like.
Then I'd level it up.
Now I'd grab a bat.
Still no swings.
If it's a hanger or a curveball I can damage:
"I crushed it."
If it's a bad pitch:
"I'm taking."
Now we're training the mind.
We're learning to separate good curveballs from bad curveballs.
Then I'd move to the final step.
Now we swing.
Same game.
Same thought process.
Only now we're actually hitting.
Good one?
Attack it.
Bad one?
Take it.
One thing I've learned from 25 years of playing baseball:
Most hitters don't struggle with curveballs because they can't hit them.
They struggle because they keep swinging at curveballs they should never be swinging at in the first place.
Try this tonight:
✅ 10 catches
✅ 10 call-outs
✅ 10 swings
Record a video of yourself doing it.
I'd love to see it.
Thank you for reading,
Jermaine Curtis
P.S. - If you enjoyed this, and it helped, share it. This tells me you want more content like this.
The @CFBPlayoff Committee needs to add one extra protocol.
Record over the last 6 games
They need to reward teams that are playing their best football at the end of the season
With 12 teams, you are going to selected flawed teams, so they should consider what teams got better
Can either OLE MISS or South Carolina get into the playoff?
There is 0 doubt they’re 2 of the best teams in CFB
Congrats to @Lane_Kiffin and @CoachSBeamer
They can flat out coach
Ole Miss just had their 30th stoppage for injury.
It came after 3 consecutive 1st Downs and LSU got in the red zone.
It’s just pathetic at this point.
Would also love to know how many of those were strictly on the defense
The fix for faking injuries is a simple one in my opinion.
If a player leaves the game that requires stoppage of play, they sit out the series.
Also, the league office should be able to review film to see if the player was told to fake injury by sideline.
If so, $50,000 fine.