"Swing at strikes." "See the ball, hit the ball." "Be aggressive."
For decades, these clichés have defined hitting instruction - and they are exactly why talented players stall, college transitions fail, and pitching coaches continue to hold the advantage.
After thirteen years coaching hitters from youth travel ball to the Women's College World Series, Rogerick A. Thompson discovered the real gap in player development was not mechanical - it was mental.
While most hitters step into the box with a swing and an attitude, elite pitching staffs arrive with a detailed plan: attack zones, exploit tendencies, and expose vulnerabilities. Hitting Is Neck Up was written to close that gap.
Built around the Three Pillars of hitting - Decision, Discipline, and Damage - this book teaches hitters how to stop reacting and start hunting. Players learn how to identify damage zones, understand pitch intent, structure at-bats, and make disciplined swing decisions under pressure.
Drawing from real game situations, scouting concepts, and documented player transformations, Thompson shows why better decisions often create better outcomes without changing mechanics. Included are examples ranging from major production jumps in a single off-season to recruiting breakthroughs driven by decision-making and movement efficiency rather than swing aesthetics.
Inside You Will Learn:Why traditional cage work creates false confidence - and the Three-Round System that fixes it
Perry Husband's Effective Velocity and why all strikes are not equal
How to build pitch plans and self-scout before opponents do
The difference between corrections and compensations - and when mechanical changes hurt performance
The 50-Pitch Test for identifying true damage zones
How inherited beliefs and hitting clichés quietly limit production

Featuring forewords by Alana Johnson - First Team All-Big 12 and Women's College World Series competitor - and Corey Ray, Washington Nationals First Base Coach and former MLB first-round draft pick.
Hitting Is Neck Up is for players ready to compete instead of react, coaches ready to develop instead of repair, and parents seeking a deeper understanding of what truly drives offensive performance.
The swing was never the problem. Install the software.