"A baseball swing is a very finely tuned instrument. It is repetition, and more repetition, then a little more after that"
About this Quote
A Reggie Jackson quote about mechanics is really a quote about identity: the myth of the “natural” hitter gets punctured by the blunt truth that greatness is manufactured, not discovered. Calling a baseball swing “a very finely tuned instrument” frames the body as something engineered. The romance of the crack of the bat is still there, but it’s backstage romance: calluses, cages, video, sore wrists, the quiet grind nobody puts on a highlight reel.
The line’s music is in its insistence. “Repetition, and more repetition, then a little more after that” is comically redundant on purpose, like a coach who’s said the same thing for 20 years because it’s the only thing that works. The joke is that there’s no secret. If you’re waiting for a magic cue, you’ve already lost. Jackson isn’t selling mystique; he’s stripping it away.
Context matters: Jackson played in an era when “clutch” narratives and swagger often overshadowed process. As “Mr. October,” he was cast as a big-moment force of nature. This quote is a corrective to his own legend. The subtext is almost defensive: what looks like instinct is actually rehearsal so deep it passes for instinct. The “finely tuned instrument” doesn’t get tuned once. It’s tuned daily, under pressure, against failure that keeps changing shape. That’s why the line lands beyond baseball: it’s a pragmatic blueprint for mastery in a culture addicted to shortcuts.
The line’s music is in its insistence. “Repetition, and more repetition, then a little more after that” is comically redundant on purpose, like a coach who’s said the same thing for 20 years because it’s the only thing that works. The joke is that there’s no secret. If you’re waiting for a magic cue, you’ve already lost. Jackson isn’t selling mystique; he’s stripping it away.
Context matters: Jackson played in an era when “clutch” narratives and swagger often overshadowed process. As “Mr. October,” he was cast as a big-moment force of nature. This quote is a corrective to his own legend. The subtext is almost defensive: what looks like instinct is actually rehearsal so deep it passes for instinct. The “finely tuned instrument” doesn’t get tuned once. It’s tuned daily, under pressure, against failure that keeps changing shape. That’s why the line lands beyond baseball: it’s a pragmatic blueprint for mastery in a culture addicted to shortcuts.
Quote Details
| Topic | Training & Practice |
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