Hello and thank you for your interest in learning more about me and how and why I developed this site for you. As is true of many young baseball players, my dream was to play professionally. I was a proficient player, but did not have all the tools and like the large majority of people who have played the game, I did not fulfill that dream. What stopped me? Well, the reasons are many, but a few key things stick out as I look back. Here is a basic rundown:
1. The lack of time, effort, and practice I put into becoming a better player
2. A late start to the world of strength training and conditioning the body
3. Poor coaching or a lack of interest or understanding of the coaching I received
4. A lack of knowledge of how to improve or make adjustments to the game
After graduating from college (Temple University) in 1999 with with a Health and Physical Education degree, I was offered a job teaching health and physical education at my former high school and started coaching baseball. First, as an assistant for two years, then, in 2002 I was hired as the head baseball coach. I realized very quickly, in no small thanks to an 0-7 start to the season, that if I did not learn more about the game and how to teach it to my players that their experiences with the game would end up just as mine did a few years earlier. I immediately immersed myself in learning about every aspect of the game and realized that with advances in technology, specifically video analysis software, I could actually show them what they were doing and how to improve.
I knew from my undergraduate and graduate work that students gain very little insight and retention by simply listening to you speak (think about all those boring lectures you sat through in school), they must see it and feel it as well. So, I developed a way to motivate, encourage and teach my players through the use of video. I began filming their hitting, fielding, and pitching and breaking down the fundamental skills associated with each. I became very interested in the mental and physical training that would help them excel on and off the field, as well as ways to build team chemistry and a true family feel and dynamic. Ultimately, I wanted to make sure my players could never say, "My coach did not prepare me or make us a better team."
My players bought into the philosophy and were committed to putting the time and effort into improving. Well, things started to change quickly and we were on our way to becoming a perennial winner and in short time league and district championships followed. Around this same time, I also started an instructional baseball camp to help players in my community learn these same fundamental skills and have more fun and success playing the game. Schaefer Baseball Camp is now in its 22nd year and growing and has helped many players find success in baseball and beyond.
In the summer of 2015, I resigned as a high school coach and put my focus and energy into my instruction and camps. I built Teach Me to Hit to help players, parents and coaches all over the world learn the fundamental keys to hitting. My philosophy is to simplify hitting and help players understand the most undervalued and important aspect of hitting, proper timing of your eyes and body to the ball . There are a few moments of truth in the swing that are consistent among great hitters and are much easier to identify through frame by frame video analysis. This site will help you understand how and why you should be in these positions and how you may be robbing yourself of meeting your true potential. Are you committed to getting better and knowing your swing inside and out? If so, this information is sure to take you to new levels as a hitter. I have studied hitting for over 20 years, looked at thousands of hours of video and believe I can help simplify it for you by showing you in video form. Please check out how I can help you by going to the Video Analysis page now!
All the best,
Coach Mike Schaefer
