- Sep 7, 2012
- 4
- 1
New member here. I thank you in advance for letting me ask some questions and seek some answers. To give a little background, I am a teacher/coach. I am as analytical as it gets, which is why I love the swing. I am 35 from Omaha, NE. I have coached baseball for ten years, mostly little league ages 6-14. I love baseball, but my wife and I adopted four girls this past November. They are seven, six, five, and four years old. They like to play ball. This was their second summer with us.
Now I have learned through observation of this site and personal interaction that coaching softball is not the same as coaching baseball. I still love baseball, but my passion for helping those girls has made me fall in love with softball.
The differences between the games, the swings, the throwing motions, the rules,........is FAR MORE than I ever expected it to be. Am I the only one who went through this realization?
All four girls are on different teams and I coach all of those teams. I have learned a lot, but still need help. Now I know girls are not as aggressive as boys in general, and I have learned that just teaching girls to swing hard is not easy.
I have the six and five year olds right now and I am having trouble with each of them. Need help with some things.
Five year old: She releases her wrists way too early. She holds the bat well, has a good stance, but when she swings, she releases her wrists FAR TOO EARLY. I got her the "chuckit" and she likes that. She likes to practice that. I am trying to teach her to hold and not release too early, but am having trouble.
Six year old: She holds her front elbow high. Too high. I tried to correct it with telling her to raise her back elbow, but soon realized that doesn't work in softball. I am trying to teach her the "upside down V" and not getting her elbows too high, but she can't seem to get out of it.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for letting me be a part of this site!
Now I have learned through observation of this site and personal interaction that coaching softball is not the same as coaching baseball. I still love baseball, but my passion for helping those girls has made me fall in love with softball.
The differences between the games, the swings, the throwing motions, the rules,........is FAR MORE than I ever expected it to be. Am I the only one who went through this realization?
All four girls are on different teams and I coach all of those teams. I have learned a lot, but still need help. Now I know girls are not as aggressive as boys in general, and I have learned that just teaching girls to swing hard is not easy.
I have the six and five year olds right now and I am having trouble with each of them. Need help with some things.
Five year old: She releases her wrists way too early. She holds the bat well, has a good stance, but when she swings, she releases her wrists FAR TOO EARLY. I got her the "chuckit" and she likes that. She likes to practice that. I am trying to teach her to hold and not release too early, but am having trouble.
Six year old: She holds her front elbow high. Too high. I tried to correct it with telling her to raise her back elbow, but soon realized that doesn't work in softball. I am trying to teach her the "upside down V" and not getting her elbows too high, but she can't seem to get out of it.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for letting me be a part of this site!