The Hitting Center

Saturday is shaping up to be a great day at Scheels Sports Park.

Join us on Saturday, May 30 from 11a–3p for a Family Fun Event packed with something for everyone:
⚾ Slow Pitch Softball
🐾 Pet Adoption Day
🌭 Hot Dog Giveaway
🎟 Drawings & Prizes
🎈 Inflatables
🍔 Food Vendors

Bring the family, invite your friends, and come enjoy a beautiful day at the park with the community! There is no gate fee.

Thank you for your service 🇺🇸

Can’t make it to evening lessons because of games? THC has you covered.

Clint Jeffers will be offering morning lessons during June and July at THC.

Available time slots:
8:30 AM – 11:00 AM Monday-Thursday

Please contact the THC front desk for scheduling and availability.

Spread the word!

Great day for a ribbon cutting for Scheels Sports Park!

If you build it, they will come - Illinois Times, the capital city's weekly source of news, politics, arts, entertainment, culture The ghosts of Shoeless Joe Jackson and Ty Cobb did not emerge from a cornfield Tuesday afternoon at Scheels Sports Park at Legacy Pointe. But Springfield’s version of Field of Dreams became another step closer to reality when Gov. J.B. Pritzker came to a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the $70 million...

At The Hitting Center, we have multiple Hittrax analysis systems. Hittrax utilizes high speed cameras to provide detailed hitting metrics while also allowing hitters to see their swings in slow motion video to learn what is actually happening when they swing. Like all training devices, Hittrax provide detailed feedback to hitters and trainers alike to see tangible growth.

Recently, Clint Jeffers was reviewing training sessions with a player in one of THCs Player Development Groups. The player reported feeling "ok" about his recent at-bats and his swing, but was still lacking confidence. After reviewing the player's Hittrax sessions, we discovered and highlighted that the players Average Exit Velocity had steadily increased with each session. So while the player wasn't setting new PR's in distance or EV every week, they were consistently hitting the ball harder. It was evidence that their individualized training plan was working, even though it didn't inherently feel like it. This is what training with The Hitting Center's Player Development program can look like for you.

P.S. -- It's also fun to turn on the power boost in the Hittrax BP environment and send balls to the moon.

Contact The Hitting Center today for more info on how to set up your own Player Development group.

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Instructor Clint Jeffers breaks down a key trend he’s seeing with athletes right now focused, practical insight you can take into your next workout:

As we get closer to games starting, the training focus begins to shift. We’ve spent the last 3-6 months trying to clean up our swing mechanics. At this point, our players have settled into what they are going to be for the foreseeable future. Can we still see changes in season? Absolutely. But major swing changes aren’t going to happen. If we try to implement conscious changes, the player will lock up and not be able to trigger their swing in that split second they have to decide ‘yes or no.’ This ‘Yes/No’ decision is exactly what we begin to focus on.

It takes less than half of a second for a 94 mph pitch to reach home plate. About a fifth of that time is spent actually swinging. This leaves approximately .25 seconds for a hitter to make a decision. I was once told “the toughest pitch to hit in baseball is a ball.” If we can’t visually process information and make a good swing decision, we have no shot. There are many drills you can utilize without having a live pitcher or BP thrower. Here are a couple we use.

• 7-ball zones
◦ Line up 7 baseballs (5 softballs) across the front of home plate
▪ Beginner: hitter calls out zone on all strikes
▪ Advance: targets a specific 2-3 ball zone and attacks only that zone
• 2-seam/4-seam drill
◦ Feeder mixes 2-seam/4-seam grips
▪ Beginner: hitter calls out spin on all strikes
▪ Advance: hitter only swings at one spin type

It’s easy to get caught up in the mechanics of the swing. But without good swing decisions, it will not matter. Add these couple of drills to your Arsenal and watch your success take off!

Please welcome Adam Feld to The Hitting Center!

With 18 years of coaching experience across youth, high school, travel, and college levels, Adam brings a strong understanding of player development at every stage. He specializes in baseball hitting and fielding, as well as softball hitting, and is passionate about helping athletes build both skill and confidence.

Now booking lessons with Adam! Call 217-522-6653 to get started.

10U and Under (7U-10U) Youth Softball Training Clinics!
Are you a 10U or under (7U-10U) Softball player, come join us for these special youth softball training clinics. These clinics are being held in conjunction with our off-season training sessions at the new Scheels Sports Park dome.