Help with stepping out

[DB1]

Just started hitting with my 10 year old DD and for some reason she is stepping out when swinging. When I point it out, she corrects for a few swings and then starts stepping out again. Tried putting a bucket outside of her front foot, and it works for awhile and then it's back to stepping out. Are there any other thoughts to help, or is it just going to take some time to set in.

Thanks!

 

[Hitter]

Just started hitting with my 10 year old DD and for some reason she is stepping out when swinging. When I point it out, she corrects for a few swings and then starts stepping out again. Tried putting a bucket outside of her front foot, and it works for awhile and then it's back to stepping out. Are there any other thoughts to help, or is it just going to take some time to set in.

Thanks!

DB1

I like face the fire drill for this one as when they turn and plant they seem to focus more on driving from the back hip and do not think to step out or away just like when they throw!

Slow motion drill, as slow to load and soft to step on a flexed front knee and separating the hands rearward and pause....

Look at their feet and flexed knee and the hands are separated....now say swing hard and observe what you saw her do.

Did she step again?

Did she sway her hips to get moving?

Did she drop or raise her hands to gain momentum?

By approaching this slowly she may figure it out for herself that she will hit the ball harder by staying on what we term our line of force or a straight line.

Then ask her to throw and see if she steps away or forward?

Thanks Howard

 

[DB1]

Thanks Howard, I'll give it a shot and let you know how it goes!

 

[SoCalDad]

I have had the same problem with my DD and other players over the years. My method was a bit unconventional but it worked. I borrowed one of my dogs squeaky toys (don't worry I didn't take Mr. Squeaky Weaky I took another toy she had not played with in quite awhile). I then placed the squeaky toy in the area where the player was stepping out. The audible feedback really helped them get a sense during the swing when they stepped out. I had tried other methods in the past (bat, wood board, bucket, nail gun) but found these methods had some inherent physical risk if they stepped and twisted an ankle. My 2 cents.

 

[Ken Krause]

SoCalDad, I like it! Not just from the safety aspect, but also the embarrasing feedback. A lot of times when you tell kids they're stepping out they don't believe you, or they think you mean slightly. The toy will tell them nope, you're really out there. And it's fun.

Wonder if a Whoopee Cushion would work as well?

 

[JC heir]

Usually the same girls who cant conquer stepping out seem to be the same girls who are in the other thread about being defensively afraid of the ball.I have fought this with my own DD & while not completely conquered she is a lot better now. I think part came from age & experience & part came from me taking the stride completely away from her for a while. She was a huge strider, & likes to step out sometimes to boot. now as per advice of some of the hitting coaches on here, I am letting her have a short stride, just enough for good weight transfer....seemed to kill 2 birds with 1 stone.

 

[DB1]

I think Ken is more in line what is going on. She's not afraid of the ball, I don't think that she realizes she does it as bad as it is. We tried some of the slow motion drills and that seemed to help. We also did some front toss on the outside corner taking it the other way. I think that helped out more. Most importantly, Howard hit the nail on the head with his observation that when she stayed in on the ball it went much further and she recognized that and made better swings. Next, we'll try the face the fire drill and see if that helps. She had a small aha moment last night with driving her hips during some BP. Everything worked well with a couple of swings and the extra pop was very noticeable. She even commented about it after practice was over.

Thanks for the thoughts!

 

[Chris O'Leary]

Usually the same girls who cant conquer stepping out seem to be the same girls who are in the other thread about being defensively afraid of the ball.I have fought this with my own DD & while not completely conquered she is a lot better now. I think part came from age & experience & part came from me taking the stride completely away from her for a while. She was a huge strider, & likes to step out sometimes to boot. now as per advice of some of the hitting coaches on here, I am letting her have a short stride, just enough for good weight transfer....seemed to kill 2 birds with 1 stone.

Good stuff.

Also, in some cases starting out in an open stance can help with this because it forces them to stride closed. They also get a better look at the ball so they might be less likely to be afraid of it.

 

[Snakehandler]

My buddy invented this device. It's really good for tee work.

WHO IS USING THE BASEBALLANCE?

This will give them instatn feedback.

 

[Tewks]

Just started hitting with my 10 year old DD and for some reason she is stepping out when swinging. When I point it out, she corrects for a few swings and then starts stepping out again. Tried putting a bucket outside of her front foot, and it works for awhile and then it's back to stepping out. Are there any other thoughts to help, or is it just going to take some time to set in.

Thanks!

A lot of good posts already, but I want to ask some questions.

Does she step out when hitting off a tee?

If no, at what intensity does a moving ball does she start bailing? Is it a fear factor of the moving ball, related to the aggressiveness aspect JC discussed. The throwing example is great. Would she step away from her target when throwing? Logically, she won't be able to build an argument against it in her own head. I often demo throws with squishing the bug and leaning back to show how silly it looks for a throw, then ask why they would do the same when they hit.