What's a Contact Hitter

I've always loved the game of baseball: watching it, playing, all aspects of it. A few years ago I decided to start playing again as an adult. I hadn't played since I was in high school and was a little nervous about getting out there. It didn't help that I got drafted to play on one of the top teams in the 38&over league.

My first year in the league I wanted to hit the ball hard. I mean I really wanted to hit well and show the rest of the guys in my league I could play. As the games went by over the first month or so of the season, I racked up walks, ground outs, fly outs, and quite a few strike outs, but no hits. Eventually I started thinking this wasn't really my talent and just swung hard.

In our 9th or 10th game, I finally swung through a pitch and knocked a home run over the fence. I was thrilled since I'd not even seen anyone hit one. My first hit was one to remember. The next time up I swung through another pitch and hit a second one. As expected, the third time up I popped one way up in the air, but another out.

Still I was thrilled. It seemed my season was saved. I kept thinking about that day every time I went up to bat and kept swinging. I never hit another home run, but I did start to get some hits. Those built confidence and I enjoyed the rest of the season.

The next winter I started practicing at home, putting a practice machine in my basement and going down there 4-5 times a week to hit little whiffle balls. That practice paid off through the season and I ended up hitting over .300 that season, making lots of contact. No home runs, but I had a productive, and enjoyable, year.

The next winter I didn't practice as much, but I swung hard in the games that summer. I hit some deep balls, no home runs, but I had some impressive shots. It got to the point that some people would slip the shortstop over to right field and overplay me. I didn't get many hits, and it wasn't a great year. Toward the end of the year I joined a softball team as well and not wanting to hurt myself, learned to place my hits where I could get on base, rather than swinging for the fences.

I learned something from that.

The home run hitters look good. They are flashy, sexy, and impressive. However they don't win games and it's not much fun to go up there and fly out or strike out. And it's not something that I liked. I learned that I would much rather hit more often, with less power, but more accuracy or results than be flashy.

A contact hitter is one that focuses on not striking out. Instead they want to get the ball in play, increasing the odds that they'll get on base every trip to the plate. Some of the most productive baseball players ever have been contact hitters, who aren't as flashy as a Hank Aaron or a Barry Bonds, but they are some of the most respected players by their peers.

And they are successful in their field. They get the paycheck and tend to have long careers.

I think you can do the same thing in business, and I think many people would like to have a long, productive business career and work in relative anonymity or obscurity than be the flashy CEO of a company that fails. Or have a business or two fail before they succeed with another one.

Most people I know are scared to start a business, but they need not be. They can start a business, be conservative, and make those smart decisions, never "swinging for the fences", but "looking to make contact, " each and every day. They can build something that might not make them rich, but will make them proud each day they go to work.

I'm starting this blog to talk about business. Reasonable businesses that can survive, and thrive, and sustain the owner and employees for a long, long time.