I had thought someone posted the gif already so I removed mine. But I must have been mistaken... Maybe some of the experts will comment on this.
Critique her swing too :)
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I had thought someone posted the gif already so I removed mine. But I must have been mistaken... Maybe some of the experts will comment on this.
To be honest, for a 9 year old, I think she is doing pretty well. There are a number of things in her swing that I like, and I would be worried that too much tinkering could eliminate the good. I would start by introducing this drill and asking her to "feel" what her hands and wrists are doing to make the bat turn like that.
Then, moving onto the bold above.... Help her learn the mentality of "yes, yes, yes, no!". Basically she wants to approach every pitch with the assumption that she is going to swing. Then, instead of choosing between "swing" and "don't swing", her only decision will be "don't swing". If she doesn't choose that option, she is firing away. Good luck!
Added: and notice the tee placement in the drill.
Learning how it Feels to hit the low inside ball, starting with the tee, then front toss, creating that angled bat path is a great way to start most youth, and will lead to a better path and hand usage on all pitches .
It will help with the dreaded laying the barrel back affliction.
the drill posted is a good drill
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I like her swing. A couple things to look at in the set-up that may help her swing path and also contact points. Will also help you evaluate her better on future swings...
Her feet are very far from the tee, this is the equivalent of hitting a far outside pitch which she should be hitting farther back in the zone, not out front. Notice how extended her arms are and she's lost any bend in the elbows.
Suggestion to make sure she is setting up properly is to use the tee plate to draw a chalk plate on the floor and then draw the batters box. Now have her set up in the box before putting the tee in place. From here, you can place the tee by the front foot for down the middle pitches, forward for inside pitches and back in the zone for outside pitches. Once she learns where her contact points should be, this will help you focus on the swing path and other points noted by others. Plus then she can set up properly when she's working on her own!!
Her feet are very far from the tee, this is the equivalent of hitting a far outside pitch which she should be hitting farther back in the zone, not out front. Notice how extended her arms are and she's lost any bend in the elbows.
Suggestion to make sure she is setting up properly is to use the tee plate to draw a chalk plate on the floor and then draw the batters box. Now have her set up in the box before putting the tee in place. From here, you can place the tee by the front foot for down the middle pitches, forward for inside pitches and back in the zone for outside pitches. Once she learns where her contact points should be, this will help you focus on the swing path and other points noted by others. Plus then she can set up properly when she's working on her own!!
- Jun 12, 2015
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Good idea, the chalk batter's box. We'll work on these things this week and I'll post another video sometime down the line so we can see how she progresses 
- Aug 26, 2015
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I used a set of throw down bases for the same effect because I have to use my garage and my landlord forbade any markings on the garage floor.
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She has extremely good hitting instincts for a nine year old. Don't mess with them just yet. She has a natural hand pump (!) and is aggressive with her launch. Take some of the suggestions around tee position etc. The first thing I would do is buy a tanner tee and a throw down plate (vs. the tee you have where the tee is smack in the middle of the plate). Use the Tanner tee and plate and have her learn where to stand in relation to the plate and then how (or more importantly WHERE, ie contact point) to hit balls high, low, out, in (hit outside pitches deeper, inside pitches more out front. See how she does with that. If you can, have her hit into an open cage so you can really see the results (versus into a hitting net). Have her work on hitting line drives to all fields (down the middle, hit the back of the cage; outside tee position goes oppo; inside pitches get pulled). NEXT, do the same exact thing but with front toss from 20 feet away or so (buy a hitting screen). Throw pitches same locations and see if she can keep hitting line drives with a ball coming at her. If she truly has DBSF issues this is where they'll start to be obvious).
By then she'll be all of ten (!) and you both will have learned enough about hitting via work and DFP reading to either start working on high-level swing mechanics with her yourself or find a hitting coach you can work with (and who you'll be able to vet since you've done a year's worth of DFP learning). I say this because I do believe girls need hitting coaches, but many can do more harm than good and she's already at a nice spot and I'd hate to see her go backwards. If you are taking ownership of her pitching do the same with her hitting, seeking out help when you need it. Good luck.
By then she'll be all of ten (!) and you both will have learned enough about hitting via work and DFP reading to either start working on high-level swing mechanics with her yourself or find a hitting coach you can work with (and who you'll be able to vet since you've done a year's worth of DFP learning). I say this because I do believe girls need hitting coaches, but many can do more harm than good and she's already at a nice spot and I'd hate to see her go backwards. If you are taking ownership of her pitching do the same with her hitting, seeking out help when you need it. Good luck.
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- Jun 12, 2015
- 3,848
- 83
Thanks Rich Our tee swivels, so you can do inside, outside, down the middle. It raises & lowers too. We do high tee a lot because of her tendency to drop her hands, and it helps a ton. Today I moved the tee closer and drew her a batter's box. The first few swings she knocked the tee over, and said it felt funny, but she caught on pretty quick. Funny you mention having her hit to various locations - she loves doing that. She'll say, "This one's to right field" and hit it, "This one's to left field." I don't know if her dad had her doing that or if she came up with it on her own. The other day we met a teammate and her dad at the field and they hit some, just goofing off really. She was hitting them to left center, one after another. I said, "Hey kid, hit one to right." Next pitch, she hit to right. She loves to challenge herself and she loves trying new things.
Our tee swivels, so you can do inside, outside, down the middle. It raises & lowers too. We do high tee a lot because of her tendency to drop her hands, and it helps a ton. Today I moved the tee closer and drew her a batter's box. The first few swings she knocked the tee over, and said it felt funny, but she caught on pretty quick. Funny you mention having her hit to various locations - she loves doing that. She'll say, "This one's to right field" and hit it, "This one's to left field." I don't know if her dad had her doing that or if she came up with it on her own. The other day we met a teammate and her dad at the field and they hit some, just goofing off really. She was hitting them to left center, one after another. I said, "Hey kid, hit one to right." Next pitch, she hit to right. She loves to challenge herself and she loves trying new things. 
