Hitting live pitching

My daughter is playing 8U and she struggles hitting live pitching. Here is a quick video of her swing. Any help is much appreciated.
https://vimeo.com/154779044


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Get her a quality hitting coach to work with her.

Bout the best advice I can give you without getting all technical.

When hitting off a TEE, don't have your DD stand there...staring at the ball...and then swinging AT the ball. Have her look ahead, as if she is looking at a pitcher....have her "track" an imaginary pitch back to the TEE....when her eyes get to the ball on the TEE she should already be in her "swinging motion" ready for contact. At this age, you could probably stand at the other end of the tunnel, going through a simulated wind-up...this will help familiarize herself with the pitchers sequence of moves.

Couple of thoughts:

- That bat looks a little too big for her
- She's got the bat wrapped around her head when she loads
- She's dropping her hands when she starts her swing

As far as getting her hitting against live pitching, try throwing her some front toss or soft toss

She is swinging like MANY kids in this age group. Some make it work, but many struggle. Here's some of the issues I'm seeing...

- Arm-powered swing
- Bat drag (elbow ahead of hands)
- Hands dropping to level of ball and swinging flat
- Soft front side

That said, she looks athletic and strong for her age, and her potential for improvement is fantastic.

If you're up for the challenge, one of the BEST things you can do is to start educating yourself on what's involved in a good swing, and become her guide. Here's a few basics to start wrapping your head around...

Sequence - Order, direction, and timing of movements in the swing process. Basics: Hands load up and back AT THE SAME TIME as the stride goes forward. These pieces moving in opposite directions create the tension/stretch/separation required for an explosive swing.


Hand Pivot Point - Hands are the center of the bat's rotation throughout the swing. Most untrained young players want to swing the bat with their arms, using their spine as the center of rotation. Proper use of the hands is a critical component. Notice that the hands work from the rear shoulder in a fairly straight line to contact, with the barrel pivoting around the hands. Hands stay above the ball.


Making changes is going to feel very weird to your young DD, and some of the concepts will be challenging for her to adapt. Be patient, and don't expect miracles overnight.

EDIT: The best practice for hitting live pitching is hitting live pitching. Front toss from 15-20' (behind a screen) is a suitable simulation. Do LOTS of it.

Thank you so much Eric! That makes a lot of sense. I am absolutely up for the challenge. I see the potential in her and I want to make sure she has the tools to be successful. Thank you again Eric!


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This is a drill my DD did at 8-9yo that helped her get the feeling of getting hips turning, weight transfer against a firm front side, and balance...

Kick Drill

What pitching is she seeing during the games? Kid pitch, coach pitch, machine pitch?

Besides the actual swing I found that many 8u and 10u kids have not established a discipline of tracking the ball from the pitcher/machine to bat.