Written By: Chas Pippitt
Unlocking Your True Potential at Baseball and Softball Rebellion
The softball community at all levels has been very welcoming and open to the movement ideas here at Baseball Rebellion. Because of this, many schools are adopting the Rebel’s Rack movement progression. This movement work allows coaches and instructors to unlock the hidden potential inside of their athletes while adding the ability to hit for power. On March 22nd, 2016 Tomika and Takia Nichols walked into Baseball Rebellion. Here is Takia’s unedited evaluation video. Baseball Rebellion HQ had zero Hittrax at this point, so we used a Stalker Sport 2 radar gun to collect her exit velocity data.
Takia’s Evaluation Video, Taken on March 22, 2016
Tomika’s Interview
For this article, Tomika, Takia’s mother, was gracious enough to answer some questions about her and her daughter’s experience here at BRHQ. Our questions and her answers are as below.
Question 1
How did you hear about Baseball Rebellion and what made you want to come for lessons?
“One of the parents from Takia’s travel ball team and I were talking. I was telling him how we had tried several different hitting instructors. At the time, I was driving from Hillsborough to Raleigh and she was not showing any improvement. He told me about a place in Hillsborough, Baseball Rebellion, that provided hitting training. It was close to home, so I thought I would give it a try. I scheduled her first evaluation and the suggestions that were given seemed to click. So, we scheduled our first lesson and the rest is history.”
Question 2
What would you say the biggest difference in your daughter is since she starting training here at Baseball Rebellion?
“The biggest difference is now she is hitting for power. If it’s not over the fence it’s hard line drives. The speed of the ball coming off her bat, for the most part, is unstoppable.”
Question 3
What do you think the biggest misconception about Baseball Rebellion and the training here at Baseball Rebellion is?
“The biggest misconception from my point of view is the methodology. In the beginning, she was asked why does she swing like that. People have seen her videos in the cage and ask and can she hit like that in a game. And the answer is, yes. For me the numbers on the Hittrax are fine but what keeps me coming back is her performance on the field. When I saw my daughter who was then 12-13 years old hit the ball to the parking lot, I was amazed. Then I watched girls move out of the way of a ball that is moving so fast they don’t even attempt to catch it, I was sold. She is still working hard to improve but when she is focused she can be unstoppable.”
Question 4
Finally, Can you describe the way you and your daughter have been treated at Baseball Rebellion and the learning environment here at BRHQ?
“The environment at Baseball Rebellion is honestly like no other facility that we have been to. It’s a very friendly environment. We are actually treated like family. She has trained with everyone there and each trainer genuinely cares about the individual. This personal interest extends past the cage and on the field to school and life in general. I recommend Baseball Rebellion and Softball Rebellion to everyone! You cannot go wrong if you are willing to put in the work and trust the process.”
83.2 mph at a 30 Launch Angle Produces 308 Feet, WOW!
Hittrax Spray Chart from 308 Session
Takia’s Most Recent Video
Final Thoughts on Takia
Clearly, I have a lot of respect and admiration for Takia and her mother. The sacrifice both have put into getting Takia here consistently has been tremendous. Takia’s work ethic is exemplary. Her focus and drive to be great are also as high as we have here at BRHQ. Because of this, she has turned herself into a sure-fire Power 5 recruit. That being said, I wouldn’t call her drive ‘different’ here. Many players exhibit the same drive, work ethic and similar gains to what Takia has earned. In the coming months, I will highlight more and more players as they do more and more incredible things.
