Even though the Mariners are suffering through a season in the cellar of the American League west, they still have a bright spot at the top of their lineup. This season, Ichiro continues to be a magician at the plate, batting .304 and ranking third in the AL in runs scored despite playing for the Mariners who haven’t exactly been an offensive juggernaut this season. In only six plus seasons, Ichiro has racked up an incredible 1,715 hits. Add that to his 1,278 hits in six Japanese League seasons and Ichiro is nearing 3,000 hits for his major league career.
What makes Ichiro so incredible is his ability to use his hands to serve the pitch to all fields on a consistent basis. Even when Ichiro is fooled by a pitch, he maintains the ability to put the pitch in play with his quick hands. This allows him to see the pitch longer which is part of the explanation for his .346 batting average against lefties over the past three years.
The amazing thing about the hands is that the cerebral cortex in the brain devotes much more space to the hands, meaning that they are more sensitive to brain commands than any other part of the body. Using electroencephalography, or EEG techniques, neurologists have found that the part of the brain that controls the hands is as big as the arm and chest combined. This means that by learning to utilize the hands to work the way in which they are capable could be extremely advantageous, especially in a sport like baseball and golf.
While many athletes work at adding speed and strength, the key to mastering sports may lie in the only thing that m
akes contact with the ball. Yet it is rare to hear about people doing exercises to develop their hand coordination. Everything the body does is a natural reaction to how the hands are behaving.
The next time you watch the Mariners notice the way Ichiro’s hands handle the bat through the strike zone. His hands lead the way and his coordination allows him to make adjustments while the pitch is in his wheelhouse. His hands respond to the pitch in the same way Tiger Woods’ hands handle the downswing. Since the hands are so sensitive to triggers from the brain, it doesn’t take much for the hands to be manipulated during the swing.
If athletes learn to train their hands in ways that respond to the brain, they could quickly become better at whatever they are playing. As Ichiro has proven, training the hands to respond the way you want will lead to performance that is much higher than the average athlete.
What makes Ichiro so incredible is his ability to use his hands to serve the pitch to all fields on a consistent basis. Even when Ichiro is fooled by a pitch, he maintains the ability to put the pitch in play with his quick hands. This allows him to see the pitch longer which is part of the explanation for his .346 batting average against lefties over the past three years.
The amazing thing about the hands is that the cerebral cortex in the brain devotes much more space to the hands, meaning that they are more sensitive to brain commands than any other part of the body. Using electroencephalography, or EEG techniques, neurologists have found that the part of the brain that controls the hands is as big as the arm and chest combined. This means that by learning to utilize the hands to work the way in which they are capable could be extremely advantageous, especially in a sport like baseball and golf.
While many athletes work at adding speed and strength, the key to mastering sports may lie in the only thing that m
akes contact with the ball. Yet it is rare to hear about people doing exercises to develop their hand coordination. Everything the body does is a natural reaction to how the hands are behaving.The next time you watch the Mariners notice the way Ichiro’s hands handle the bat through the strike zone. His hands lead the way and his coordination allows him to make adjustments while the pitch is in his wheelhouse. His hands respond to the pitch in the same way Tiger Woods’ hands handle the downswing. Since the hands are so sensitive to triggers from the brain, it doesn’t take much for the hands to be manipulated during the swing.
If athletes learn to train their hands in ways that respond to the brain, they could quickly become better at whatever they are playing. As Ichiro has proven, training the hands to respond the way you want will lead to performance that is much higher than the average athlete.
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