Anti-Slap Hitting Coach.....

Hi Folks,

One my DD's Coaches thinks that Slap Hitting is a waste. Whenever I mention slap hitting to him he gets a bit agitated and starts spurting negative comments, trying to discourage me from looking into this. He says things such as "hitters don't need to slap hit" and he won't even consider the positive aspects.

I see and hear that Slapping is a big part of the game - but I think I'm working with a dinosaur that is unable to see the importance and value of being a ball player that can effectively slap hit where needed.

Help me out here. Is he right? Is slapping not worth the time when you can hit? Do recruiters and college coaches care about having slap hitters? I need some good ammunition to shoot back at the Anti-Slap Hitting Coach.

Thanks in advance!

I know Humbolt state doesn't like slappers either. My DD was invited to their winter camp and my DD slaps and hits for power the HC told all of the kids that slappers just wasn't their style. I remember thinking " I guess they don't like getting girls on for their big hitters" and their one of the top D2's in the nation. I guess it works for them.

AllDay said:

Hi Folks,

One my DD's Coaches thinks that Slap Hitting is a waste. Whenever I mention slap hitting to him he gets a bit agitated and starts spurting negative comments, trying to discourage me from looking into this. He says things such as "hitters don't need to slap hit" and he won't even consider the positive aspects.

I see and hear that Slapping is a big part of the game - but I think I'm working with a dinosaur that is unable to see the importance and value of being a ball player that can effectively slap hit where needed.

Help me out here. Is he right? Is slapping not worth the time when you can hit? Do recruiters and college coaches care about having slap hitters? I need some good ammunition to shoot back at the Anti-Slap Hitting Coach.

Thanks in advance!

Click to expand...

all you have to do is watch college ball to see what top level coaches think about slap hitting. Even players with HR power will slap hit when it's called for.

AllDay said:

Hi Folks,

One my DD's Coaches thinks that Slap Hitting is a waste. Whenever I mention slap hitting to him he gets a bit agitated and starts spurting negative comments, trying to discourage me from looking into this. He says things such as "hitters don't need to slap hit" and he won't even consider the positive aspects.

I see and hear that Slapping is a big part of the game - but I think I'm working with a dinosaur that is unable to see the importance and value of being a ball player that can effectively slap hit where needed.

Help me out here. Is he right? Is slapping not worth the time when you can hit? Do recruiters and college coaches care about having slap hitters? I need some good ammunition to shoot back at the Anti-Slap Hitting Coach.

Thanks in advance!

Click to expand...

What I liked most in what you stated was "..and he won't even consider the positive aspects."

It has been my observation that some coaches have a problem with benefit/cost analysis. That is, some coaches (and some fans) fail to recognize that most decisions result in positive and negative aspects. I think a good coach is a coach who sees the net effect of the positives and negatives changing from player to player and from situation to situation.

This year in HS ball, I didn't see a single attempt at slapping from our varsity team, our JV team, or our sophomore freshman team. Now I understand that it is, in the end, the coach's decision to have it as part of his/her arsenal or not.

I, myself, see slapping as something that should always be a possible weapon in some players. My own DD, a right-handed power hitter, is a pretty good slapper. And, she was one of the fastest runners on the HS team. While she never got to slap in HS, we will be developing her and a couple other girls' slapping on our team.

Learning to be an effective slap hitter is a long term commitment. I could see why a coach would be reluctant if they were not sure how how to instruct slap hitting, and were unsure of how committed the player was to practicing it. Last year DDs HS team had three "slappers" who were almost guaranteed to strike out. The image of them running through the box and sticking their bat out to attempt contact still haunts me, and if the pitch was outside, forget about them being able to put bat on ball. They would have been better off to have squared to sac bunt, at least they would have pressured the defense to make a play.

AllDay said:

Hi Folks,

One my DD's Coaches thinks that Slap Hitting is a waste. Whenever I mention slap hitting to him he gets a bit agitated and starts spurting negative comments, trying to discourage me from looking into this. He says things such as "hitters don't need to slap hit" and he won't even consider the positive aspects.

I see and hear that Slapping is a big part of the game - but I think I'm working with a dinosaur that is unable to see the importance and value of being a ball player that can effectively slap hit where needed.

Help me out here. Is he right? Is slapping not worth the time when you can hit? Do recruiters and college coaches care about having slap hitters? I need some good ammunition to shoot back at the Anti-Slap Hitting Coach.

Thanks in advance!

Click to expand...

You will never get anywhere with this coach. He does not understand the slapping game or he does not want to or cannot take the time to develop a slapper. My 12U DD is a natural lefty, very fast and in year 2 of slapping. It takes time to learn how to drag but, soft slap and hard slap/swing away. Many coaches will not put in the game time needed to develope this skill. They are either old school or want to win now. We had to find the right team that has a coach who understands and is willing to help develope her skills. You will gain nothing by trying to talk him into letting your DD try to slap. Work on it in your own time and find a team/coach that will support her. Best of luck!

Well let me put my opinion in about this topic. My youngest DD is in her second spring playing 8u rec machine pitch softball. She is,a player that has pretty good speed and quickness. She is,below in size of the normal player of her age. With that in mind we tried the left slapping last season with little sucesss. She was a player that she normally reached base 2 out 4 times she batted.
This season I convinced her to try the left side full time. Her average went up to 3 out of 4 , and sometimes 4 out of 4 reaching base. We really have worked on the slap and drag bunt alot.
So I would seriously recommend any player with above average speed to really consider the slapping effect.

As a player and coach, I am not a fan of the slappers. My daughter is a lefty with decent speed (she's 6). My opinion is that I am first going to teach her to be a technically sound hitter and if her current size is any indication, she should have power and I hope she will be swinging for line drives. With that said, if after she gets the basics down, I plan to teach her bunting. In the least, it will be helpful if she has a solid grasp of how to drag for a hit.

We have slappers on my older daughter's team and I support them, though I certainly am not qualified to teach the skill. Luckily, our head coach is well healed in such things. Watching college ball is proof enough to see that slapping can be a very effective strategy to get quick girls on base. The distance of the bases combined with a well placed slap makes fielders have a very low margin for anything but perfection. From a personal perspective, I'd much rather see a solid line drive base hit than a slap. I'll admit that I have always seen slapping as a lesser form of hitting. From a coaching angle, getting on base is paramount, no matter how it is done. Being able to up the chances of getting a runner on for the bigger hitters is a nice card to have in the deck.

It sounds as if your daughter's coach is unwilling to see the game from all angles and will be unlikely to climb out of his box to help your daughter be the best she can be. While I don't like slapping, if a player had a desire to do it (and I was all she had to rely upon), I would do my best to help her acquire the skill to help her, and ultimately help the team excel. If your coach is so deadset on the issue, there will likely be more areas in which his limited vision is a detriment to the team.

I agree that one needs above average speed to be an effective slapper. My kid knows how to slap and can execute it quite well, but she is not nearly fast enough. So that horse was put down a long time ago. A skilled slapper will display excellent bat/ball control. The ability to put the ball where they want it with the speed/bounce they require. There is much more to it than running through the box, bat sticking out, hoping to make contact. If your DD is very fast, plans on leaving this team, and has a trueddesire to become a true slapper, get thee to a qualified instructor. Work the skills along with swing away skills so when it is time to move on from your current coach, she will have that ace up her tryout sleeve.