Hitting slump & KCs

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Jun 12, 2015
3,848
83
My DD is 9 and she's been hitting well this spring, until the past few tournaments. She's pulling her head, she's dropping her shoulder, just not seeing the ball. When she does hit she pops it up a lot.

This weekend she struck out looking FIVE TIMES. That's over 5 games but still. That is not normal for her, and we always tell her we will never be upset if she goes down swinging. We're pretty laid back about performance in general so I don't think it's a pressure thing (unless it's coming from the coaches). She did hit a solid triple into deep left in one game but that was her only really solid hit all weekend.

Any suggestions for getting her out of a slump? We only have one tournament left, in PCB, but I'm sure fall will pick up pretty quickly without much of a break. She loves to practice hitting so I won't have any trouble motivating her, I just don't really know what drills or things might help, especially since I think there is a mental component here. Til now her hitting has been good and I've been so focused on pitching I don't really know where to start.
 
Jun 17, 2009
15,105
0
Portland, OR
Pulling the head could be indicative of a swing initiation issue. Lowering the rear shoulder may be fine.

Post a video and you are likely to receive better targeted information.
 

Cannonball

Ex "Expert"
Feb 25, 2009
4,854
113
Dropping her shoulder? Ok so a pet peeve of mine. Most hitters have their back shoulder lower than their front shoulder. So, the degree is an issue but ...
 
Jun 12, 2015
3,848
83
I'll snip out some from this weekend so you can see her swing.

What about the KCs? That's driving her dad nuts. And no video to post, since it's just her standing there watching strikes go by.
 
Jun 12, 2015
3,848
83
K, I'll snip out a couple of those too. A couple of times they were borderline pitches but one in particular was definitely a very hittable strike. And she knows in her head at least that on 2 strikes if it's borderline you've got to swing.

I do ask her but she doesn't translate her thoughts into words well when it comes to this stuff. You get a lot of, "I don't know" kinds of answers.
 
Mar 23, 2014
621
18
SoCal
Ask DD if any of the coaches said something about her hitting before the slump. Or, did practices change in regards to hitting; new coach, new drills, different helpers, etc.
I've noticed that some hitting issues can come from little changes that happen without being noticed. It could be something that has taken her out of her comfort zone and all things get skewed from there.
 

rdbass

It wasn't me.
Jun 5, 2010
9,131
83
Not here.
K, I'll snip out a couple of those too. A couple of times they were borderline pitches but one in particular was definitely a very hittable strike. And she knows in her head at least that on 2 strikes if it's borderline you've got to swing.

I do ask her but she doesn't translate her thoughts into words well when it comes to this stuff. You get a lot of, "I don't know" kinds of answers.

Wait to they get older it turns to 'I know!'
OK you know then why didn't you do it.:rolleyes:
 

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