<95> Batting Advice

Chapter 95: Batting Advice

Although Sendo was waiting for other teams to regroup, he wasn't entirely idle.

Strictly speaking, as a team of mostly amateurs like Akagi, their most important task was to think for themselves and try things on their own.

Sendo didn't have much baseball knowledge to begin with, and what little he knew was rarely taught.

Most of the time, he simply forgot to bring it up.

"Hey, Sen-chan, can you check my batting stance?" Ohno asked after practice, finding Sendo lost in thought on the sidelines (actually napping).

"Huh? Sure!" Sendo agreed, only to realize he had never actually taught anything about batting before.

With that thought, he decided to take a look at the team's batting techniques, which they had figured out on their own through research and practice.

In truth, Sendo had never paid much attention to his teammates' batting, as he focused more on game strategies and pitch-calling during matches.

"Alright, let's start now!"

"Whoosh!"

"Whoosh!"

"How is it?" Ohno asked, turning around.

"Keep swinging," Sendo replied.

"Alright!"

"Whoosh!"

…

"Okay, stop for a moment!" Sendo said. "Did you learn your batting stance online? Were you imitating someone?"

"Yeah, just some batting videos I found!"

"I see. Are the others the same?"

"Pretty much," Ohno admitted.

"But aren't you just swinging for the fences? Are you aiming for home runs?" Sendo asked.

"Uh, no…"

"You're trying to improve your batting average, right?"

"Yeah!"

"Got it! In that case, let me teach you all how to bat. Watching videos is fine, but they might not suit our team's style."

Before long, the rest of the team gathered around Sendo.

"Takada! Bring over the batting net and some balls!" Sendo called out to the chubby player.

"On it!"

…

After setting everything up, Sendo placed the net in the batter's box and sat on a small crate between the net and the batter's box.

Sawamura, sitting cross-legged on the ground like a well-behaved child, listened attentively.

"I just realized after watching Ohno's stance—you're all too focused on powerful swings. Unlike a certain idiot over there, heavy swings aren't a good habit for beginners."

At the mention of a "certain idiot," everyone's eyes naturally drifted toward Sawamura.

Completely oblivious, he pretended to listen intently.

"Wakana, step up to the batter's box!"

"Got it!"

"Relax!" Sendo instructed as Wakana positioned herself.

"Now, take your batting stance! …Good, spread your feet a little more. Tighten your armpits! …Straighten your back! Okay, now swing the bat."

"Heh!" Wakana lifted her leg and swung.

"Whoosh!"

"Reset your stance!" Sendo said, rubbing his forehead, silently regretting not spending time correcting their batting earlier.

"Feet apart, armpits tight, back straight," Wakana muttered, repeating Sendo's instructions as she adjusted her stance.

"This time, swing without lifting your leg."

"Alright!"

"Heh!"

"Whoosh!"

"How does that feel?" Sendo asked.

"It feels unnatural, and there's less power than before," Wakana admitted honestly.

"Perfect! That means there's no problem."

"Now, I'll toss a ball lightly—try hitting it," Sendo said, underhand tossing a ball from his seated position.

"Okay!"

Wakana prepared herself, but as the ball came, her bat missed completely.

"Whoosh!"

"Huh?" Wakana looked confused.

Sendo remained silent, deep in thought.

The rest of the team, noticing this, stayed quiet, waiting for his next instruction.

"You're focusing too much on the power of your swing—you're swinging too hard. How should I put it? Hmm… Softballs have their own elasticity, so there's no need to worry about overpowering the ball."

"As long as your aim is accurate, it'll fly far enough. Focus all your attention on aiming! And you're swinging too late—waiting until the ball starts dropping before you swing. What are you trying to do, hit an eternal home run?" Sendo joked lightly at the end.

"Throw me another one!" Wakana said determinedly.

"Alright!"

Crack!

This time, the ball hit the upper part of the bat and flew into the net behind her!

(For safety and convenience, there were nets both in front and behind them to avoid fetching balls.)

"You're still swinging too late. Pay attention to your aim and timing. Estimate your swing speed properly. If the ball flies behind you, it means you're late! Let's try again!"

Crack!

"That was a nice swing! Did everyone see that?" Sendo praised as the third ball spun quickly into the net. He turned to look at the others.

Everyone nodded quickly.

Even Sawamura, who was a beat late in reacting and clearly had no idea what was going on, followed suit.

"Now, let me teach you my batting technique. Although this stance is typically used by power hitters in professional hardball games, it's rarely used in Japan. However, for softball, where raw power isn't as critical, it works perfectly. Let's try it—get into your batting stance!"

Wakana quickly got ready.

"Good! Now shift your weight back, but don't lift your front leg. Just rest your toes lightly on the ground."

Wakana followed his instructions to the letter.

"It might feel tricky to shift your weight when I just tell you to, but this forces all your weight onto your back foot. Now, without changing your weight distribution, place your front foot flat on the ground."

"Perfect! This stance may look like both feet are balanced, but in reality, your front foot is bearing no weight at all."

"The ratio is essentially 0 to 10 between your front and back feet. However, this stance alone won't produce a good hit, so you need to redistribute the weight to your front foot—slowly.

"Adjust until you feel that your front foot carries just enough weight to let you swing smoothly without losing balance. Once you're comfortable, swing with full force!"

Whoosh!

"How does it feel?"

"A bit shaky," Wakana admitted.

"If it's shaky, your front foot isn't bearing enough weight. Try again!"

Whoosh!

"Keep going! Adjust your balance until you're satisfied, and let your body get used to it. Once you've nailed it, let me know!" Sendo instructed, watching Wakana repeat her swings diligently.

…

"Got it!" Wakana finally said after a while. Balancing weight distribution and getting accustomed to the movement required constant repetition, especially for someone still developing their natural instincts.

"Alright, let's try hitting again! Start with the stance that feels most natural for your adjusted weight distribution."

Crack!

This time, the ball wasn't hit well.

"You're overthinking your body movements. Once you've settled your balance, shift your focus away from your body and aim at the ball! I told you—focus on the target! Let's go again!"

Crack!

"Yes, that's the way! One more!"

This step-by-step guidance allowed the players to better understand and gain control over their swings.

If Sendo had explained everything all at once, they would have been completely lost.

Crack!

Crack!

Crack!

After more than 20 consecutive swings, Wakana managed to hit slightly more than half the balls, with the rest barely making contact.

"Wakana, how are you aiming for the ball?" Sendo, who had been observing the entire time, finally asked.

Wakana understood he was asking about the feeling and specifics of her targeting process, so she thought carefully before responding.

"Um… How do I put this? I wait for the ball to come close, then swing."

"And where do you aim to hit the ball ideally? That's probably your target point—the point where the bat, the ball, and your aim align," Sendo analyzed based on her explanation, finally piecing together how to describe it.

"The point where all three align? Hmm… Somewhere between my legs, or perhaps right in the middle of my body. That's probably the most comfortable spot for generating power," Wakana concluded.

...

"So, you're aiming for the vertical line at your navel?" Sendo thought for a moment and came up with this analogy, which turned out to be surprisingly accurate.

"More or less, yeah! Something like that," Wakana replied, her face tinged with embarrassment.

However, after serious consideration, she realized that this description was indeed clearer than her earlier explanation of "between the legs."

"Hmm… How about shifting your contact point forward a little? Although this might reduce the speed and distance of the hit compared to the optimal contact point in baseball, it gives you more time to aim, swing, and adjust. This should increase your chances of making contact!"

"Huh?" Wakana was a bit surprised by Sendo's unconventional suggestion.

But recalling his unrestrained and imaginative way of thinking, she quickly accepted it.

"Look, those theories are based on professional players whose swing speed and aiming abilities are monstrous."

"For them, the optimal contact point is backed by their skills, but it's not necessarily suitable for beginners or those without talent. Unfortunately, we fall into both categories," Sendo explained, even making a self-deprecating joke at the end.

"Hmm… That's true," Wakana admitted without further argument.

"Wow! I never thought of that! Sen-chan, that's brilliant! Shifting the contact point forward makes it easier for us who lack power to make contact. "

"Sure, it's harder to hit long balls, but the chance of hitting the ball at all increases. It avoids the issue of not being able to keep up with the ball's speed even when we've gotten used to it," Aoki chimed in, suddenly understanding the advantages of Sendo's suggestion.

"Maybe this really is the best approach for us. Sen-chan, you're amazing!"

"No, it's just that you've all been trapped by conventional thinking. Years of baseball experience and theories have conditioned everyone to believe they're absolute truths—and they are, for the most part, the most efficient methods. But efficiency is relative. It depends on the circumstances.

"For instance, when you lack skill, you can shift the contact point forward to allow more time for aiming and adjusting your swing."

"While this makes it harder to hit long balls due to the angles involved, beginners don't need home runs. What we need is just to get on base—by any means, in any form. Long hits aren't necessary for us," Sendo explained.

Though reluctant, everyone silently acknowledged the "us" Sendo referred to.

"On the other hand, if a player's skill level dominates their league, they can shift the contact point backward. This not only retains the ability to hit long balls but enhances it."

"Just like shifting forward gives more time to aim, shifting backward reduces the time needed to swing. But for skilled players, swing speed is more than sufficient to handle the pitch, so less swing time isn't an issue.

"Shifting the contact point backward benefits strong hitters, enabling more long balls and home runs. Many top MLB power hitters stand deep in the batter's box to maximize their time to track the pitch, following the same logic.

"However, they might not consider forward contact points due to habitual thinking. Also, MLB pitchers throw so fast that even these hitters barely manage to keep up with the pitch speeds," Sendo concluded.

"I see!"

"My apologies, everyone. I've neglected your batting techniques until now. It wasn't until Ohno asked me to check his stance that I realized I should've been paying more attention to your practice. This is my responsibility," Sendo said earnestly.

"Don't apologize, Sen-chan! We can't expect you to handle everything. You're not a professional coach, and even professionals don't have all the answers!" The team quickly reassured him, waving off his concerns.

"Alright, then! Let's go one by one. Follow the explanation from earlier, get a feel for it, and practice swinging based on that feeling."

"Got it!!!"

"Alright! My turn!" Sawamura suddenly perked up, raising his hand like an eager student.

His expression and posture were so innocent that he seemed like a model pupil—if you ignored the fact that he hadn't paid attention the entire time.

"Uh… fine," Sendo reluctantly agreed, already deciding to let Sawamura swing a few times for fun before sending him off.

"Alright! Watch my performance!" Sawamura exclaimed, immediately revealing his true nature as he crab-walked to the plate with exaggerated confidence, drawing laughs with his over-the-top antics.

"Alright, I'm going to pitch," Sendo muttered listlessly, clearly uninterested.

"Sendo! You're totally playing favorites! This is blatant favoritism!" Sawamura protested.

"Are you going to hit or not?" Sendo snapped back, his tone sharp.

"Y-yes! I'll hit! Please let me hit!" Sawamura immediately changed his tone, pleading earnestly.

"See? That's all you needed to do. Baka!" Sendo quipped, rolling his eyes as he casually tossed the ball.

"Ha... hai-yah!" Sawamura swung with all his might—and completely whiffed.

"What?!!" The onlookers' eyes nearly popped out of their sockets in disbelief.

They were all on the verge of losing it.

A pitch like that shouldn't have been hard to hit, but Sawamura still managed to swing and miss.

And not just any swing—he had gone for a full-force swing, complete with a high leg lift.

With this exaggerated batting style, the batter would lose sight of the ball's trajectory at the last moment, relying entirely on intuition to calculate its movement.

It required exceptional mental calculation skills or an almost supernatural sense of the ball's motion.

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