Why do they swing under the ball? - Tons of softball drills, softball tips, and advice on softball hitting, softball pitching, coaching softball, softball training, and more.

kskt4 · 05-16-2008, 10:03 PM

Hi All,
First I would like to thank Marc for getting this site going. Great contribution to the game.

I have been coaching girls softball for many years and have watched many a batter swing a bat. What I have found is that around 90% of the time when they swing and miss the ball, they are underneath it by about 1 1/2".

What would be the reasons for this and how do we correct it? Thanks.

kskt4

itsallgood · 05-17-2008, 03:05 AM

You've got good eyes to be able to see that they're missing the ball by an inch and a half. Actually, if they're under it that far, then they're missing the target (the middle of the ball) by about five inches.

Golfers often THINK they're keeping the heads down through the point of impact, but video of their swings actually shows they're not. The best thing you can do is to put the ball on a tee and have them do a lot of reps hitting the middle of the ball and keeping their heads down to see the bat hit the ball.

Mark H · 05-17-2008, 05:37 AM

Different kids different reasons. Not understanding the role of posture in pitch location adjustment is one possible reason. The tendency of many kids to push the hands down as the swing initiates is another possible reason. Would just have to see some video on a particular hitter to say.

ArmWhip · 05-18-2008, 03:36 AM

In softball when young hitters try for a 'level swing' they often drop the barrel of the bat at toe touch, this leads to bat drag and tendency to swing under the ball. Teaching kids to 'swing level' is another term that is often misunderstood and causes problems.

ifubuildit · 05-18-2008, 04:44 AM

What I see more often is the front elbow will go flying upward as the rear elbow crashes into the side then around the corner to the ball. By that time the catcher is holding the ball as the bat is getting to contact.

Oh and the bat barrel is pointing at the catchers toes. Then sliding under the ball. Watch the front elbow and see if there is an over exaggeration of movement with the front arm moving up.

My experience with this is its not dropping the back shoulder that is the problem it the front arm and elbow getting way too high causing the back shoulder to dip far to much to maintain a consistent swing plane to the ball.

Elliott.

HG dad · 05-18-2008, 02:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by itsallgood

You've got good eyes to be able to see that they're missing the ball by an inch and a half. Actually, if they're under it that far, then they're missing the target (the middle of the ball) by about five inches.

Golfers often THINK they're keeping the heads down through the point of impact, but video of their swings actually shows they're not. The best thing you can do is to put the ball on a tee and have them do a lot of reps hitting the middle of the ball and keeping their heads down to see the bat hit the ball.

This is the best advice posted yet. Ask any good coach, all the way up to olympics,and i am not talking about (Joe the plumber that has a good heart but no true knowledge)and they will tell you that the one thing that they keep in there magic trick bag is a tee and a bucket of balls. you have to see it to hit it all the other stuff has to be corrected but it's muscle memory.Knowone should go up to the plate thinking step,knee,hip,drive and forget to watch the ball hit the bat.

Randy

05-16-2008, 10:03 PM	#1 (permalink)
kskt4 Junior Member Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 7	Why do they swing under the ball? Hi All, First I would like to thank Marc for getting this site going. Great contribution to the game. I have been coaching girls softball for many years and have watched many a batter swing a bat. What I have found is that around 90% of the time when they swing and miss the ball, they are underneath it by about 1 1/2". What would be the reasons for this and how do we correct it? Thanks. kskt4

05-17-2008, 03:05 AM	#2 (permalink)
itsallgood Junior Member Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 29	Good eyes! You've got good eyes to be able to see that they're missing the ball by an inch and a half. Actually, if they're under it that far, then they're missing the target (the middle of the ball) by about five inches. Golfers often THINK they're keeping the heads down through the point of impact, but video of their swings actually shows they're not. The best thing you can do is to put the ball on a tee and have them do a lot of reps hitting the middle of the ball and keeping their heads down to see the bat hit the ball.

05-18-2008, 04:44 AM	#5 (permalink)
ifubuildit Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: DFW Posts: 98	Dropping the shoulder? What I see more often is the front elbow will go flying upward as the rear elbow crashes into the side then around the corner to the ball. By that time the catcher is holding the ball as the bat is getting to contact. Oh and the bat barrel is pointing at the catchers toes. Then sliding under the ball. Watch the front elbow and see if there is an over exaggeration of movement with the front arm moving up. My experience with this is its not dropping the back shoulder that is the problem it the front arm and elbow getting way too high causing the back shoulder to dip far to much to maintain a consistent swing plane to the ball. Elliott.

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05-17-2008, 05:37 AM	#3 (permalink)
Mark H Senior Member Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 571	Different kids different reasons. Not understanding the role of posture in pitch location adjustment is one possible reason. The tendency of many kids to push the hands down as the swing initiates is another possible reason. Would just have to see some video on a particular hitter to say.

05-18-2008, 03:36 AM	#4 (permalink)
ArmWhip Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Eastern Long Island Posts: 47	In softball when young hitters try for a 'level swing' they often drop the barrel of the bat at toe touch, this leads to bat drag and tendency to swing under the ball. Teaching kids to 'swing level' is another term that is often misunderstood and causes problems.