- Paul Petricca 

Several years ago, I had an experience that was so unbelievable; I have been hesitant to share it with anyone -- until now.  I was packing up my equipment after a long, hot baseball practice when I noticed the wind picking up around the field. Sand and scraps of paper began to swirl in a way that seemed odd to me.  Within seconds I found myself in some sort of storm, or so I thought.  Suddenly, I saw a light above me getting brighter and brighter, forcing me to close my eyes tight for protection.

When the sand storm and the blinding light subsided, I was no longer in the familiar surroundings of my local baseball field.  Instead, I was in a strange place with shapes and colors I had never seen before that made me feel like I was dreaming.  Nothing was familiar to me except for my favorite bat, a baseball and the hitting tee I use with my students.  As my mind was trying to process what was happening to me, it all suddenly became clear.

Standing beside me was a human form that was definitely not human.  Although this interesting creature had two arms, two legs, a wide torso and a very round head, its unique coloring and proportions led me to believe that I was having a close encounter -- but why me?   Without uttering a sound, this creature I will call 'Sam', answered all the questions I had in my mind. 

I was one of thousands of Earthlings who had been summoned to this place to share a particular expertise with Sam and the others on his planet.  Sam wanted to learn how to hit a baseball.  He communicated to me through our minds that of all the sports on Earth he had studied, hitting a baseball was the most confusing because every hitter was so different.  When I thought about this, I realized that Sam was right.

Sam challenged me to break hitting down to the most basic level possible so he could simply and clearly explain it to others on his planet.  As I looked in amazement at his unique alien body, I realized if I taught Sam the fundamentals that all good hitters have in common, he would be hitting in a nanosecond and I would be able to go home. 


Through my thoughts, I let Sam know the first key to good hitting was a solid, yet flexible hitting stance.  To make my point, I challenged him to a contest.  I encouraged Sam to stand as firm as possible as I tried to push him over.  Sam spread his feet about shoulder width, bent his knees and looked as solid as a moon rock.  I tried repeatedly to push him over, but my efforts were futile.  This alien had already mastered the first fundamental of good hitting -- a solid stance that serves as the platform for a powerful and consistent swing.  However, Samπs solid stance needed a little adjustment to make it just right.


I communicated to Sam that his stance had to be flexible in addition to being solid.  He seemed a little confused at first, but then he looked down and springs emerged from the bottom of his feet.  I smiled at Sam and he immediately understood that I was pleased.  With his high intelligence, Sam knew that he could generate the most power from his solid stance if he used his springs to react to the location of the pitch and to explode into the ball.  I tried to explain to Sam through my thoughts that hitters on Earth also had built-in springs.  To prove it, I took off my socks and showed him the "balls of my feet".  I think he was impressed that our springs were invisible. Unfortunately, I had to confess to him that many hitters on Earth fail to use the springs they have at their disposal.  Sam almost seemed sad when he realized that we did not understand the real power that could be generated by the lower body.


Before I could reach for my bat, Sam was already holding it in his small alien hands.  He was anxious to hit the ball, but I had to communicate to him that we needed to review just a few more hitting fundamentals before he could take his cuts.   With bat in hand, Sam thought he knew what to do so he proceeded to hold the bat out in front of him.  I shook my head and he knew that his hands were in the wrong position, so he moved them to the middle of his body.  I shook my head again to let him know through my thoughts that this position would waste the power he was generating from his legs and springs.

I asked Sam to tap into his memory banks for information he had gathered from other people of Earth.  Specifically, I asked him if he had ever examined how guns worked.  Sam immediately moved his hands back to his rear shoulder.  He knew the triggering mechanism of a gun had to be all the way back to generate enough momentum to fire with maximum force.  Sam communicated to me that the position of the hands of hitters on Earth confused him because every hitter seemed to hold them in a different position.  I explained to him that no matter where hitters positioned their hands before the pitch, every one of them would eventually have to move them to the rear shoulder area in order to generate enough momentum into the pitched ball.

To review, I asked Sam to set up in a solid position with his springs loaded and his hands locked by his rear shoulder.  I told him not to worry about the position of his elbows or the angle of his bat at his point.  I let him know that hitting instructors on Earth waste too much time worrying about these details that have little impact on power or consistency.  He took my advice and was now nearly ready for the fun part of hitting.
 

When I first saw Sam, I noticed that his head moved easily from side-to-side, as if it was on a swivel.  He would have no problem with the next fundamental.  I communicated to Sam that many hitting instructors on Earth overlook the easiest adjustment that all hitters could make to help them see the ball better.  Sam pulled out eyeglasses.  I laughed and shook my head. I communicated to him that poor hitters look at the pitcher out of the corner of their eyes instead of turning their heads as far as they could.  While Sam was in his hitting position, I asked him to use the swivel mechanism in his neck to move his head until both of his eyes were looking over his front shoulder, directly at the pitcher.  Sam's head moved easily and it locked in place when his chin reached his front shoulder.  Sam was in a good launch position and was now ready for take-off!


I was concerned that the last fundamental I needed to teach Sam would be the most difficult for him until I noticed another part of his body that swiveled from side to side.  I tried to concentrate on this idea as hard as I could and amazingly, Sam understood perfectly.  Sam set up in a solid position, he deployed his springs, he locked his hands back by his rear shoulder like he was setting a trigger, he locked his chin over his front shoulder with both eyes fixed on the pitcher and now he was ready to harness the rest of the power in his alien body.  Sam intuitively lifted his front foot to start his swing and after he brought it back straight down to the ground, his hips began to swivel, but his head remained steady and his hands and shoulders did not move an inch.  Sam was skeptical about this part of my instruction, but I assured him that if he rotated his hips without moving his arms or shoulders, his body would automatically get to a point where the resistance was too much and an explosion would naturally occur.


Just for fun, I tossed the baseball in Sam's direction and instantly, Sam's hips began to swivel until his stomach was nearly pointing directly at me.  All of a sudden, his shoulders seemed to turn on their own and the rest was a blur.  Sam's bat exploded through the strike zone and collided with great force into the ball.  The momentum of this powerful swing ended in a long, yet controlled follow-through and my baseball was launched like a rocket on a clothes line.  Telepathic communication was unnecessary at this point.  The look of amazement and satisfaction on this alien's face said it all.  Sam had figured out in a few minutes what most hitters on Earth never understand in a lifetime.  Sam not only used his lower body and upper body to generate power, but he learned how to use them independently at first and then together to create a baseball explosion.
 
Sam's lower body rotated independently until the resistance was too great for the upper body, and then both were forced to move together into and through the ball.  Sam and I agreed that this collision would be impressive no matter how strong the gravitational forces.   My new friend and I also agreed that he should probably return me to Earth so I could continue my quest to help hitters at home hit with more power, more control and more consistency. 

Before I knew it, I was back on my home field where the sand storm had ended.  Could this have been a dream?  I would never know for sure.  However, as I was driving away from the field, a baseball hit my windshield.  I quickly got out of my car and looked around to see where it came from.  No one was around.  I picked up the ball and noticed that it looked exactly like the ball I pitched to Sam.  Could it be?  That's power!