12 u hitting help.

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Aug 1, 2014
73
6
My DD has been in a slump. We have struggled since transitioning to 12u in many ways. Hitting is one of them. I have been really focusing on hitting in practice and I want to hear what you all think. She's 11. 90 lbs and about 5 ft flat. She has been struggling hitting the ball out of the infield. Please share your unrestrained opinion.

https://youtu.be/ny6Bn_BOBYU

Thanks in advance.
 
Feb 16, 2015
933
43
South East
My DD has been in a slump. We have struggled since transitioning to 12u in many ways. Hitting is one of them. I have been really focusing on hitting in practice and I want to hear what you all think. She's 11. 90 lbs and about 5 ft flat. She has been struggling hitting the ball out of the infield. Please share your unrestrained opinion.

https://youtu.be/ny6Bn_BOBYU

Thanks in advance.

To my untrained eyes she is what people refer to as "squishing the bug". She gets her weight on the back leg and then just spins. I do see some good with her top half especially with the hands most girls her age push the bat and turn the barrel by their side she seems to use her hands pretty well. I am going to suggest to read through some of the sequence threads on the site and try to get an understanding of it. I am sure a lot of the experienced folks will be chiming in soon.


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Sep 30, 2013
155
28
Northwest, IN
I'd like to see her hands inside a bit more, closer to the body. I'd also like to see her left elbow (front side) lead a little more as well. Shoulders rotate great, but the front elbow and hands get a way just a little.

The lower half has to get through much more. It's very rotational, and it's what I see a lot at that age. Here is a drill I feel will help you. I use it with a lot of my clients who leave the backside back. I picked this up from Diane Miller from Nebraska. It's purpose is more feeling than anything. I always tell my hitters 12u - 18u, that they need to feel 2 things. The explosion of the back side though (push) and the firmness/resistance of the front leg so that power can get through.

This helps them feel that there is more to the lower half, then just rotating. I use 2 variations of this drill. Hips Square, and Hips Rotated. I always start with hip Square 1st, then move into the drill below! After the drill below, we then take the bosu away, and try to recreate that feeling.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwVBxGTjpFY
 
Dec 5, 2012
4,143
63
Mid West
Here's a short list of what I see.
1. No weight shift
2. No separation or stretch
3. No resistance in the front side
4. Big time bug squisher
5. Casts hands out
These are the things I see based off of 1 slo-mo swing... She may not do all these issues on a game swing.
In a nut shell...
She's not powerful because there's no weight shift or resistance in the front side.
She probably hits a lot of weak grounders because of the casted out hands and the contact on the bat is most likely off the handle
 
Last edited:
Dec 4, 2013
865
18
Thome2012_zpsj4ejmxje.gif

I wouldn't put too much stock in the rear foot action, it could look different in many high level swings...I'd also be hesitant to do the drill the Nebraska players were performing. Take a good look at Thome's rear leg. Is his leg pushing or being pulled?

I feel like we hit a whole laundry list of surface issues or by products of the real issues. I used to hate getting answers like this but:

Learn to coil, pullback/resist, & turn barrel

IMO if you research and iron these things out (they are covered in great length on this site), the issues that are being pointed out are going to resolve themselves....
 
Last edited:
May 4, 2012
336
16
Thome2012_zpsj4ejmxje.gif

I wouldn't put too much stock in the rear foot action, it could look different in many high level swings...I'd also be hesitant to do the drill the Nebraska players were performing. Take a good look at Thome's rear leg. Is his leg pushing or being pulled?

I feel like we hit a whole laundry list of surface issues or by products of the real issues. I used to hate getting answers like this but:

Learn to coil, pullback/resist, & turn barrel

IMO if you research and iron these things out (they are covered in great length on this site), the issues that are being pointed out are going to resolve themselves....

what he said - but even before that research "hip hinge" by Jerry Brewer
 
Sep 29, 2014
2,421
113
Thome2012_zpsj4ejmxje.gif

I wouldn't put too much stock in the rear foot action, it could look different in many high level swings...I'd also be hesitant to do the drill the Nebraska players were performing. Take a good look at Thome's rear leg. Is his leg pushing or being pulled?

I feel like we hit a whole laundry list of surface issues or by products of the real issues. I used to hate getting answers like this but:

Learn to coil, pullback/resist, & turn barrel

IMO if you research and iron these things out (they are covered in great length on this site), the issues that are being pointed out are going to resolve themselves....

One thing you will see in almost all high level swings is at contact there is little and sometimes no weight on the back foot (it really does not look different). In fact a lot of hitters right at contact actually are not even it contact with the ground. The reason being is they have transferred all that energy into the swing. Swings are built from the ground up I love your advice to learn to coil first but if you don't uncoil properly (release the hip and put pressure on your rear instep) and simply spin around and leave a lot or weight on your back foot the perfect "coil" did not do you any good.
 

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