10 y/o hitting, help please

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rdbass

It wasn't me.
Jun 5, 2010
9,131
83
Not here.
Bautista_overhead.gif

Bautista Lower body action.
BautistaD.gif
 
I just don't think it is that easy to separate the problems. If you fix her hands and not the lower half she is going to hit the ball off the end of the bat (the behind video is as close to straight as she gets). If you fix the lower half and not the hands she will be hitting the ball of the tapered lower half of the bat.

I just don't see how you can be OK with her lower half when she is lined up with shortstop and has her front knee bent at contact.

So IMHO I would try to:

Have her stride straight (trying the start open and step in as one poster suggested might be something to try just nothing too drastic starting about where she is landing now and getting her to land where she starts her stance now would be about right)
Work on a more direct bat path with her hands
Establish a firm front side (before contact)

P.S. Did not see the videos before posting; Bonds and Jones do step out a little but I don't thing it is a drastic and again it should be easier to fix (in theory).
 
Last edited:
Apr 17, 2012
806
18
Wi
I know she has a long loopy swing, but in the video from behind it seems to my untrained eye that she doesn't really drop her hands much if at all below her armpits and they don't really go out/cast? from her body all that much. If she were able to maintain some tilt throughout would that give a different appearance and or result of this swing???? In the front views it does seem as if she drops her hands.

As far as the stepping out it seems as compare to the examples shown she does go further than those. Bautista seems to land even with the heel of his rear leg. From what I can tell Bonds and chipper about the same. She is beyond that. She also doesn't quite understand front side resistance yet or at least it's not timed right.

Thank you to everybody
 
Oct 25, 2009
3,345
48
Reminder: Just because you can get away with it sometimes doesn't mean it should be the model. A number of players come to mind when thinking about unorthodox mechanics.
 

rdbass

It wasn't me.
Jun 5, 2010
9,131
83
Not here.
Gifs show you can step out and hit fine as long as your upper body is in the proper sequence. Using the upper body arms/hands elbow ect. with the proper swinging mechanics.
 

HYP

Nov 17, 2012
427
0
I just don't think it is that easy to separate the problems. If you fix her hands and not the lower half she is going to hit the ball off the end of the bat (the behind video is as close to straight as she gets). If you fix the lower half and not the hands she will be hitting the ball of the tapered lower half of the bat.

I just don't see how you can be OK with her lower half when she is lined up with shortstop and has her front knee bent at contact.

So IMHO I would try to:

Have her stride straight (trying the start open and step in as one poster suggested might be something to try just nothing too drastic starting about where she is landing now and getting her to land where she starts her stance now would be about right)
Work on a more direct bat path with her hands
Establish a firm front side (before contact)

P.S. Did not see the videos before posting; Bonds and Jones do step out a little but I don't thing it is a drastic and again it should be easier to fix (in theory).

Did you read what I said? Move her back foot closer to the plate and fix the upper body. That will control the amount she steps out.

Her lower body is working pretty good.
 
Did you read what I said? Move her back foot closer to the plate and fix the upper body. That will control the amount she steps out.

Her lower body is working pretty good.

I think moving her back foot closer to the plate will help her to get adequate plate coverage but moving the back foot closer does not directly impact the stride of the front foot, which is why I would prefer her try the suggestion of starting open because if she is already open it is going to be very hard for her to open more.

To the other posters point just because you see someone in college ball doing something does not mean they have a high level swing. I would pay good money if you can find me ONE hitting instructor that would recommend that with your back toe almost touching the the chalk on the inside of the box that after follow through your front foot should be outside the back of the box as demonstrated in the first gif., maybe she has just figured out a way to make it work and if she is hitting over .300 her coach does not want to mess with it. The other gifs are nowhere near as drastic.

HYP...I'm just curious if you took someone who had never picked up a bat before wouldn't you teach them to stride straight at the pitcher? if so I don't see why we should not do the same thing now...the girl is only 10 she has lots of learning ahead of her why not teach her correctly instead of trying to work around something most people would not teach as proper technique.
 
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