Thread: Opinions on Hitting in a game for a 10U player

It is annoying, DD handles it better than me.

DD happens to be a P and if an Ump opens a zone up for her she will take advantage of it, she will also take that knowledge to the plate when she bats.

Originally Posted by quincy

It is annoying, DD handles it better than me.

DD happens to be a P and if an Ump opens a zone up for her she will take advantage of it, she will also take that knowledge to the plate when she bats.

I cannot wait until we are older and the girls start putting that together and capitalize on this type of stuff.
Right now I pull a little hair each time I encounter things like this. I just wish the strike zone was the strike zone and there were not those who feel the need to equalize the game by loosening it up to force batters to put a stick on it no matter what. This only gives the pitchers a crutch to lean on and does not help them long term. Then again...that is another topic all together.
BTW..quincy what age group does your DD play in?

Originally Posted by quincy

Someone on this board mentioned this to me and it had an immediate positive impact on a few our players. Going to say it a little differently but here it goes:

Stand strong in the box until the umpire makes the call.

Having the batter stay in there and not fidgeting all around when they were not going to swing allowed umpire to call the ball better. Sounds silly but it makes a difference.

Quincy,

I just happen to umpire around here and know alot of umpires that call the same way. If a girl jumps out of the box on a pitch that had no chance of hitting her wasn't in the dirt or over my head it's a strike. Pitchers are always going to get the benefit of the doubt and hitters have to stay in the box.

Originally Posted by 02Crush

@ momo'sdad - I am just conflicted. Do I adjust their play or continue to teach what I feel it right and over time hope the zone will tighten up as pitchiing gets better.

From a philosophical standpoint, I go with what Coach Al said, because that's the strategy that works best for 10u from my perspective out here in NorCal. As to the technical aspects of hitting the low pitch - already knowing they're going to swing at those - you incorporate the low stuff into your regular hitting sessions.

Don't lose sight of the importance of hitting success at this age, even if such a philosophy diverges from your principles regarding discipline.

Originally Posted by 02Crush

I just wish the strike zone was the strike zone and there were not those who feel the need to equalize the game by loosening it up to force batters to put a stick on it no matter what. This only gives the pitchers a crutch to lean on and does not help them long term. Then again...that is another topic all together.

On this, we disagree. The strike zone is whatever the umpire says it is. It can be sticky, but I've only had the benefit of seeing a few top-tier 10u teams, primarily because there just aren't that many out there, relatively speaking. There are lots of good teams, but only a precious few great ones at this age.

I don't think it's reasonable to conclude that the pitchers are not helped long-term any more than it's reasonable to say that a large strike zone 'hurts' young batters. We can't say to any degree of certainty what motivates every young pitcher to work on her skill, but some amount of game success - and failure - likely plays into it. Same for the hitters. Crushing what they might've viewed as a bad pitch could inspire them to continue playing this game for years.

I could go on, but my point is there are just too many variables to draw such conclusions. As I always say here, don't be so afraid of the progression. If you can be patient now and recognize that, even though there's a very wide range of skill level present in 10u (TB and rec), you need all those players (not just the really good ones) in order for your experience to be what it is. Plus, you'll probably appreciate 12u a lot more.

Theoretically the strike zone is over the plate, so moving up in the box should help your girls get to some of those low pitches before they get too low to hit. If you lay out a batter's box you will be surprised at how far up you can go. So that is an option unless the pitch speed is fast enough to be a problem. Low pitches are the only reason to move up in the box. Also, when we run into an ump with a liberal strike zone I tell my girls to hit the first good pitch they see, it might be the only one that comes their way. If they take what looks like a hittable pitch I will get on their case. I hope that you are telling your pitchers to aim low.

Originally Posted by 02Crush

So I ask again, as I did in my original post....What suggestions to you have to help them have a fighting chance to put a bat on it when it is that low. If it is not a comment to offer an idea for this then find another post where people are complaining about umpire calls. As this is not the thread for that.

If they need to be able to hit the low pitches, then I would have them practice low ones. Most tees probably don't go low enough for 10U shins, but perhaps you could balance balls on top of small orange cones? And of course, you can always send them in low with soft toss. Maybe do a few reps of the two ball toss and frequently call for them to hit the low one? I'd do my best to remind them that the two strike count is when they have to go after these...

The Tanner Tees work the best. A few times a year I set the ball on the tee for the players at different heights during BP and ask them their initial impression whether the ball is strike or not. Most of the time, when the ball is below mid-thigh or above their xiphoid (bottom of the sternum), they tend to get it wrong until I get them to step up to the ball and show them they are strikes.

As a 10u coach, there is nothing I hate more than a tight strike zone. It usually brings the game to a snails' pace, and the girls start looking for walks. The number 1 cardinal sin is strike 3 looking.The kids need to swing the bat.