My 04 house league team moved up to 12U for fall ball, and is about to start the spring season. The pitchers are doing pretty well with the new ball and distance, and generally things are going ok in the field (except for forgetting about dropped third strikes) but we're struggling with hitting on two levels.
1. Almost all of my players are having great trouble catching up to the good fast pitching that we're seeing in tournaments. They do great with coach pitch and machine pitch -- there's just something different about girl pitch at that level that they aren't comfortable with.
2. Some of the girls got used to relying on inconsistent pitching at 10U and expect to be able to stand in, swing only at perfect (hitters) pitches, and draw walks if those pitches don't materialize. They complain about getting punched out by pitches that they think are too low, but are really well executed pitches at the knees.
I try to explain to them about expanding their comfort zones, finding pitches they can hit, faster hands, loading earlier, etc. but the verbal coaching isn't sinking in.
What drills or strategies do you suggest to get these girls back on track with their hitting?
1. Almost all of my players are having great trouble catching up to the good fast pitching that we're seeing in tournaments. They do great with coach pitch and machine pitch -- there's just something different about girl pitch at that level that they aren't comfortable with.
2. Some of the girls got used to relying on inconsistent pitching at 10U and expect to be able to stand in, swing only at perfect (hitters) pitches, and draw walks if those pitches don't materialize. They complain about getting punched out by pitches that they think are too low, but are really well executed pitches at the knees.
I try to explain to them about expanding their comfort zones, finding pitches they can hit, faster hands, loading earlier, etc. but the verbal coaching isn't sinking in.
What drills or strategies do you suggest to get these girls back on track with their hitting?
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