Thread: Running Slap

i would second the message on goals. I have trained a couple of HS players with no intention of college level play, who were reasonably fast to slap and drag even though they couldnt really master hitting lefty with power. They went from 200-250 hitters to 300-500. It may say something about the defensive skills at the HS level but those girls had a lot more fun on base 50%+ more often!

Does anyone have some directional step by step videos on slapping? Thanks.

Originally Posted by Rick Pauly

If she can only slap from the left side but cannot "drive" the ball to the outfield lefthanded----it is a waste of time to turn her into a slapper. Defenses at the college level will eat her up if she can't keep them honest.
If all you want is a "cute" 12U slapper then go ahead and do it, but know you may be taking valuable time away from her learning how to hit and drive the ball.
Rick

Almost all the time I agree with this and I'm a huge booster of being versatile from the left side. Still, if a kid is fast enough(crazy fast), they can be a pure slapper at high levels. I don't recall Autumn Champion doing anything besides a slap though I stand willing to be corrected on that. Still, no reason not to teach the 2.5 kid to drive the ball too.

I'm working with a young (13) yr old slapper/dragger right now and the main thing I've noted that requires reinforcement is to start her motion towards the pitcher and not bail out towards 1B until they see the ball mid to inside. Pitchers recognize a slapper pretty quickly and immediately start working outside trying to put the ball out of reach of a kid who bails toward 1B too early.

I'd disagree with the comment about it being a waste of time if she doesn't have the power to keep the defense honest. Even if she's 15 I don't think there are many kids that can't develop the power required to slap a ball to the edge of the infield which is all that is really necessary to keep the defense honest IMO. I'd also disagree about not being a valuable tool unless your going to play college ball. The girl I'm working with now is playing on a 14U team that is playing and competing against high school varsity teams (dome ball) right now and she gets on base about .750 when she executes a drag. The lower level you play the less likely the defense will be able to execute a proper slap/drag defense.

I do agree that good foot speed is a pre-requisite for this to be successful, it's amazing the panic that a fast runner puts into a defense. I'm not sure what time I'd put on it. I've timed my DD at 2.9 pretty consistantly and I'm confident the slapper I'm working with is faster although we haven't had an opportunity to time her yet.

As an aside, I think it's critical that all kids get timed throughout the season. Even your slowest runners will run faster in practice when they are being timed. Usually I time kids from a soft toss hit/bunt, clock starts on contact, ends when foot hits the bag. This reinforces that they cannot sit in the box and admire their hit. You can tell a kid to not watch a ball after they swing, but when it cuts into their "score" on a timed run to 1B they get it.