I do not know about you but watching a player take a called third strike irks the bejeebers out of me---After a game recently, we had 6 K's , 4 of them looking, I was livid--I instituted a new rule and my staff was directed not to rescind it--you strike out looking you are out of the game, right then and there---the next game we had two K's both looking---both players came out of the game--sometimes you need to take drastic measures---all I know is that you cannot hit the ball if you don't swing the bat

Be aggressive with the stick !!!

I agree with you 100% that striking out looking iritates me to know end. However, consider 1 possible outcome of you new rule. If you are going to bench players that strike out looking you might get a lot of players going to far our of the 2 strike zone because they would rather swing at a bad pitch than get benched. What will happen then? I am not disagreeing with your philosophy just giving you something to think about.

TR:
I generally agree with this.

However: on a 3-2 count (you know the one where the umpires yell "thirty-two" and hold up two closed hands) and the hitter watches a marginal pitch, that is about a 50-50 ball or strike - isn't it OK to take that pitch?

Half the time you'll get rung up, meaning you will be on base 50% also. And depending on the type of pitch and the exact location, it may not be a pitch that can reliably be hit for a base hit - so the on-base percentage from swinging could well be way below 50%.

Obviously this all depends on the situation. But I think it argues against a hard and fast rule on backward K's.

Guys---it may teach them to learn how to foul off the margin pitches---look at Damon's final at bat last nite.

I will tell you that it made them very aggressive at the plate--they are all good enough hitters to make it work

I sympathise with you, TRhit, as I had one kid do the same exact thing twice yesterday. But, I can't agree with a one size fits all approach to fix it - primarily for the reasons that Rob and socallhscoach discuss.

One of the things that I've really been working with my kids on is their approach to hitting based on the count. In the past, I've had too many kids ground out on a a first pitch strike that is low and away. When I asked them why they swung at that pitch, the inevitable answer was that "it was a strike." But then when I ask if they thought they could get a good swing on it and really do something with it, the answer was "no, but it was a strike."

I've finally got some of them to understand with no strikes on you, you are very selective about what you swing at - only swing at a pitch in your zone that you can drive. With one strike, you get a little less selective, but are still looking for something to drive. With two strikes, you are protecting the plate. If the pitch is close, and you think you can do something with it, then have at it. If it's close and you don't think you can do anything with it, then foul it off. If you think it's a ball, then leave it alone and try and work the count back in your favor.

Now, I have two kids that are to the point where they are very good at doing the above. They work the count and are very selective as to what they swing at (and their average and OBP show it). If they have strikes to give and can't hit it hard, they'll leave it alone. If they've got two strikes, they try and work toward one they can put in play or they foul off pitch after pitch until they get what they are looking for. Occasionally, they take a called third strike trying to get the count back in their favor. When it happens, we don't say a word to them about it. Sometimes you get the call, sometimes you don't.

But, some of our other free-swinging hackers who don't have that plate discipline or who haven't proven that ability get a "talking to" over to the side about their approach at the plate. If it continues, they get moved down in the line-up. If it doesn't get any better, they get sat down for awhile.

Yes, we treat some kids different based on the situation, and I really think that's the way it has to be. Of course, that's just my opinion.

Keep in mind that our team is all HS juniors and seniors so they are pretty fair country hitters

No doubt, Coach TRhit that your guys are at a completely different hitting level than mine (13U), but I still that all the kids shouldn't necessarily be treated the same in that situation.

Have you ever read the book "Moneyball"? While there wasn't much discussion on watching third strikes go by, there was a lot on plate discipline and the value of a walk - kind of along the line of what Rob Kremer said earlier. If you haven't read it, it's a pretty interesting read.

Another thing that drives me crazy is looking at a fastball right down the middle in a 0-0 count.
I'm related to a young man that does this way too often

Some kids are guess hitters and they just can't pull the trigger when they don't get what they were looking for. I don't mind looking for a particular pitch early in the count, or ahead in the count, but once you get two strikes, that approach has to be shelved.

The big thing you have to watch for is that too much negativism about "don't swing unless it's a strike" leads to a mindset where the kid is sometimes hesitant to swing. His thinking is, "Don't swing unless it's good," and by the time he really knows for sure it's in the mitt already.

I try to combat this with a mindset that says, "Swing until it leaves the zone." That way the batter stays in his stance, goes through his trigger action and gets his front foot down so that he can actually attack the strike.

The key is to start from the presumption you're going to swing so that the kid doesn't get "the paralysis of analysis" while the pitch is in flight.

While I think you have to take action if you are giving explicit orders and they are not being followed, I would leave myself wiggle room to let a kid off the hook if the umpire makes an absurd call. I saw a kid in Jupiter get rung up on a ball at the ankles, another one on a ball about a foot outside. I can't blame them for taking those pitches.

To me, it is pretty tough for a hitter to be aggressive with 2 strikes, The further up the level of competition, the harder it is to be aggressive.
While I can appreciate the efforts to deliver a message, I think I would want to know the type of instruction on a 2 strike approach that came before swing or sit.
Are the kids taught to spread out, shorten up, be short/quick to the ball, have an approach with 2 strikes with a bigger zone, and take the ball where it is pitched? Are they coached when the situations arise?.
Hitting, to me, is all about being confident and being relaxed. Hitting with 2 strikes involves even more being confident and relaxed.
Confidence comes from having an approach with 2 strikes that has been successful. The more success with 2 strikes, the more confidence.
The opposite is equally true.
Hitting with 2 strikes comes from an approach that is taught and reinforced before the game situations occur. Teaching and re-emphasizing it in game situations is a must. Just my views.
If you have done the coaching that you think is needed, and they don't do it, that is a different issue. I would have them sit, but the next game.