Analysis Please?

[brianvanh]

Help? DD Analysis Please?

My 8 year old is in her first year of 10U. Her swing looks pretty good, but I'd like some input. Below is a link to video of her swinging. It's a dry swing (no pitch)...haven't had someone help me record her on a live pitch (yet).

Right now, I'm working with her on keeping her weight back. The 2 red lines show her starting and ending position. I think that her body needs to be more vertical (on top of her back knee) at the completion of the swing. (see the yellow arrow for reference).

Link - E Hitting - YouTube

Some other questions...

1. Do you think her stride is too long? I feel like her back leg is dipping a bit much. I also feel like her front leg goes too high during stride...should be a less exaggerated step? Thoughts?
2. I feel like she's wrapping a bit...though I can't decide if that is worth worrying about?

Other thoughts/comments? I appreciate the input...been a long time lurker here, first time poster. Go easy on me.

Brian

 

[Eric F]

I agree that she should not lean forward so much with her upper body at the end of the swing, but some of that may be due to her imaginary contact point being (what appears to be) way out in front. Another contributor is that she is leading the swing with her hands instead of her hips. Having her hit off a tee or with some front toss will give us a better idea of her real mechanics.

I wouldn't worry too much about the height of her stride at this point. The fact that she is striding and turning her hips is a good place to start. Getting the sequence of things in the right order will be a big help.

Her bat path looks a little odd with the swing starting in a horizontal plane above her shoulders and then dropping to contact. My suggestion is to teach her how to "turn the barrel" (LOTS of threads about it) and generate more bat speed sooner in her swing.

 

[brianvanh]

Good stuff, Eric. Thanks for the reply. I'll video her going off of a tee tonight and repost.

I'm new to this so I appreciate the feedback.

 

[JJsqueeze]

You have some explaining to do. Our daughters are clearly related based on their swings. I am going to be asking my wife about Briann Vanh tonight....you're in big trouble buddy.

DD2 Part 2 - YouTube

 

[brianvanh]

Haha! I swear it wasn't me!!!

 

[BadMonkeys]

If you take a few minutes to read through this thread there are some drills suggested to help stop lunging.

http://www.discussfastpitch.com/softball-hitting-technical/16147-help-opinions-wanted.html

 

[brianvanh]

Ok, spent some time after practice today and had her work on keeping her weight back. I think she's improved just by that one lesson. (We'll keep working on it). Plus, she's hitting off of a tee in this one. Thoughts?

Link - E Hitting 2 - YouTube

 

[MountieSB]

Ok, spent some time after practice today and had her work on keeping her weight back. I think she's improved just by that one lesson. (We'll keep working on it). Plus, she's hitting off of a tee in this one. Thoughts?

Link - E Hitting 2 - YouTube

For an 8-year-old, that's a pretty darn good swing! I wouldn't monkey with this too much more than what you have in this swing. Give her lots of reps on the tee, and then lots of reps with front toss. Her new swing may break down when you throw to her, but keep reinforcing the good things you worked on with her.

Make sure she's having fun and tell her at least one old guy on this site thinks she's doing great!

 

[Eric F]

Definitely heading in the right direction!

A few things that I'm seeing (mostly because these are the same things that I have battled/am battling with my young DD)...

- The firing forward of the right hip needs to lead the hands a little more - hip, then hands. Right now, her rear elbow is slotted too far towards her belly-button, rather than near her right hip. Look into the "SNF Drill" to help her understand the feeling of the hips rotating and the hands waiting.

- With a fairly high tee like you have in this clip, a flatter swing is appropriate. However, if the ball is set lower, does she drop the barrel behind her shoulder and swing flat, too? This can be a big battle for a lot of girls who have been taught by rec ball coaches to "swing level".

- At some point soon, have her start thinking about getting the bat moving fast right from the moment it starts moving. The launch needs to be exposive. Starting slowly means she has to start her swing sooner and keep adjusting to the pitch location during her swing. A fast launch means that she can wait longer to start, and get a better read on the location before she launches the bat - more hits! This is one of the things I've been focusing on with my (just turned 9yo) DD, and it's made a big difference...Maddie - 2013 09 03 - YouTube