"but my swing works on lower level pitching"

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radness

Possibilities & Opportunities!
Dec 13, 2019
7,270
113
It is the sentence after the coach says
"You need to change your swing."
Reply
"but my swing works on lower level pitching"

What are the thought processes here with all the hitting gurus.
When a batter is successful at a lower level or weaker pitching.
Then struggle with the same swing in upper level.

Main question~
*If you can hit lower level pitching with a swing...
Should you be able to hit upper level with the same swing?
 
Last edited:
Oct 11, 2010
8,337
113
Chicago, IL
I think so, it is a matter of timing.

Batter might need to start their swing earlier if they go through a lot of movement. Ideally for both they would not have a lot of movement before they commit.
 
Feb 20, 2020
377
63
I suggest a lot of tee work. if the fundamentals of the swing are good it can usually translate, but the higher the level of pitching, the better the fundamentals need to be. Kids can get away with a lot at lower levels, but if they don't have grounded movements -- if muscle memory isn't worn in so they can then focus on timing -- they'll struggle.
 
Apr 28, 2014
2,316
113
When you see homeruns on social media that come from bad swings against pitchers who throw arc pitches I always worry that the batter will resist help she needs as she has hit homers and thinks her swing is great.
 
Nov 26, 2010
4,784
113
Michigan
It is the sentence after the coach says
"You need to change your swing."
Reply
"but my swing works on lower level pitching"

What are the thought processes here with all the hitting gurus.
When a batter is successful at a lower level or weaker pitching.
Then struggle with the same swing in upper level.

Main question~
*If you can hit lower level pitching with a swing...
Should you be able to hit upper level with the same swing?
Good athletes with poor technique can
Dominate lower levels. But to excel at higher levels you need techniques that are on a par with the competition, regardless of athleticism. Slow long swings won’t win against fast pitching.
 

rdbass

It wasn't me.
Jun 5, 2010
9,131
83
Not here.
*If you can hit lower level pitching with a swing...
Should you be able to hit upper level with the same swing?
Example:Hitter with BAT DRAG will struggle against good /faster pitching. It's a long swing.

Better pitching will expose the hole in a hitters swing.
Better pitching is the reason most boys are done with baseball after 12 yrs old.
 
May 12, 2016
4,338
113
It is the sentence after the coach says
"You need to change your swing."
Reply
"but my swing works on lower level pitching"

What are the thought processes here with all the hitting gurus.
When a batter is successful at a lower level or weaker pitching.
Then struggle with the same swing in upper level.

Main question~
*If you can hit lower level pitching with a swing...
Should you be able to hit upper level with the same swing?
Too much loop in their swing. See it all the time, girls with a slight uppercut demolishing weak pitching and struggling with somebody who throws heat. Reason being, more arc on a slower pitcher vs faster pitcher.. slight uppercut matches the path of a slower pitcher.. while against the faster pitcher they are always under the ball. Now of course it's all relatively speaking, even good hitters will not have as much success against better pitching.. obviously. However if you find they are on time but under the ball.. then that's a flaw in their swing. Always teach hitters to stay on top of the ball.. and I don't mean hitting the top of the ball.. I mean the body position should support a top down approach. The barrel will still arc down to the ball.. but the hands and body will stay on top. This will allow the hitter to get on plane early and stay through the ball for a longer period. Posture is important, it allows the barrel to enter the zone early and supports staying in the zone for a long time. Use posture to achieve this... not immediate supination of wrist/forearms.
 
Jun 26, 2020
204
28
A proper swing is the same regardless of the level of pitching. It's still a round bat and ball. It's all about confidence and timing. Also I saw it in my own professional career. Sometimes I crush an unhittable pitcher and struggled with a Joe Schmo. There's no rhyme or reason. If I teed off on you at first sight I would own you. If you got me first off it's tough to recover. The mind plays bad tricks on you and those tricks will win if you let them
 
Oct 13, 2014
5,471
113
South Cali
I really have never seen a kid who swing works fully at the lower levels. They can’t hit every pitch in the zone or they don’t adjust to off speed well. Or just plain velocity kills them.
 

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