I've spent 25 years avoiding pitching machines. Not because they don't work, but because I believed they created distance between coach and athlete. When you're trying to develop a hitter's instincts, that personal connection matters.

But here's what changed my perspective: I realized I was thinking about machines all wrong.

The Missing Link in Hitting Development

After coaching elite hitters for over two decades, I've identified a critical gap in how we train. We spend hours on mechanics, countless reps on timing, but we often ignore the foundation of it all - how hitters process visual information.

Think about it: hitting starts with the eyes, not the hands. Yet most training separates vision work from swing work. That's like practicing your golf swing without ever looking at the ball.

Understanding the Visual Gap

Every hitter has two key measurements:

•  Visual ability: What they can see
•  Visual needs: What they need to see to succeed at their level

The space between these two points is what I call the visual gap. The wider this gap, the more a hitter struggles, regardless of their mechanics.

Why Smaller Balls Matter

When I started experimenting with smaller training balls, something clicked. Here's the science: smaller targets force the brain to:

•  Process information faster
•  Improve focus and tracking
•  Enhance eye-hand coordination
•  Build better recognition patterns

These aren't just buzzwords. They're measurable cognitive skills that separate good hitters from great ones. I am currently using MaxBP, a portable pitching machine that helps me take the tracking and decision-making training to the next level with my hitters. 

The Cognition-Swing Connection

For 25 years, I've taught that hitting is cognitive. It's about how fast an athlete can:

1. See the ball
2. Process what they're seeing
3. Make a decision
4. Execute that decision

Most training focuses only on step 4. But without developing steps 1-3, we're building a house without a foundation.

Vision as Sensory Training

Let me share something that might change how you think about hitting: vision is simply how we interact with light. When we see a pitch, we're processing light patterns at incredible speeds. This is sensory training at its core, yet it's the most overlooked aspect of player development.

My observation after 25 years? The hitters with the best visual processing skills are consistently the most successful, regardless of their physical tools.

Bringing It All Together

The breakthrough in my coaching came when I found a way to train vision and swing mechanics simultaneously. Using portable equipment with smaller balls, I can now:

•  Stay connected with my athletes during training
•  Address visual processing in real-time
•  Create game-like cognitive demands
•  Measure and track visual improvement

This isn't about replacing traditional training. It's about filling a gap that's been ignored for too long.

The Bottom Line

I never thought I'd be endorsing a pitching machine. But MaxBP isn't just a machine - it's a training system that aligns with everything I believe about developing elite hitters. It puts vision training where it belongs: right in the middle of the hitting process.

Ready to close the visual gap for your hitters? Check out MaxBP and see why this non-machine guy became a believer. 

Follow My MaxBP Journey

I'm excited to share that I'll be documenting exactly how I use MaxBP to maximize development for players of all ages - from youth softball to elite baseball. Follow along on my social channels where I'll be posting:

•  Real training sessions showing how to integrate MaxBP into different age groups
•  Specific drills for softball and baseball players
•  Tips for closing the visual gap at every level
•  Progress tracking with actual athletes

This isn't just about the machine - it's about revolutionizing how we develop hitters. Come learn with me as we explore what's possible when we put vision training at the center of hitting development.

Find me on:

•  Instagram: @complete.game
•  TikTok: @rob_crews
•  YouTube: Complete Game

Rob Crews is a hitting development specialist focused on the intersection of visual processing and mechanical execution in baseball and softball.