Hitting coaches' philosophy beyond hitting mechanics

[SoCalSoftballdad]

IMO: I think that is one reason Howard and Crystl's methods are so successful. How they teach the major components of the swing seem to inherently include maybe some of the smaller, fine tune characteristics as well.

Howard was gracious enough to share with me the Matrix drill and I have compared it to what my DDs hitting coach teaches her and I see a lot of similarities in hitting philosophy. His approach seems to take the mystery out of creating good hitting techniques and I do like what he says about the batter should "dance" with the pitcher.

The one criticism I have is that he continually makes reference to his belief that because the female body is different than males, that you have to modify your teachings based on the gender of the batter. Not sure I agree with that when you compare the set-up and swings of the best hitters in both baseball and softball, their seems to be an identical series of events that produce an efficient, repeatable, powerful swing that all good hitters share (regardless of whethet they are male or female).

 

[Greenmonsters]

Hitting instructors and coaches have such a huge impact on the girls' swing and mental outlook in softball. There is just a small window for softball in a young lady's life. To have a different hitting philosophy (but the most widely accepted and commonly taught philosophy in our area) thrown at you while being told you have to change everything about your swing to be successful is impossible to reconcile when you are 10, 12 and 14 years old.

Umm, it ain't that simple. If it were, there wouldn't be some MLB players (let alone minor league players) relegated to the bench while others are contending for the Triple Crown/MVP awards - they'd all be great if it were easy and simple.

I find the more I learn about hitting, the more dismayed I become about what I don't know about hitting. Knowledge is part 1 of the equation. Part 2 is the ability to teach and convey that knowledge to others. Part 3 is the undefined variable - the student, who processess information and learns in a uniquely individual way. Balance this equation and you've got a world class hitter.

Solution - learn as much as you can and find the hitting instructor who gets the best out of your hitter and continually re-evaluate where you're at, what you know, think you know, know you don't know, and where you're going.

 

[SBFAMILY]

Actually Howard has written a very good article on the subject that SoCalsoftballdad stated. It is very interesting how some have taken his comments out of context on here and other sites. His quote at the end of the article. " In summary what I have discovered when teaching girls is to give more details as to how to feel weight shift, momentum, leverage, grip and being explosive with their movements. Just telling them to do something does not mean they understand it or feel it and feeling it is huge for them. The boys to some extent have experienced it probably without even knowing or understanding it." No where in that article does it say the the swing is different. My dd and I have worked with him for around 5 years. The only thing he is teaching is to prevent injuries to the female . Mainly in the area of knee injuries. Talk to many of the elite female softball players and ask how many suffered a knee injury? For that reason we attended a PEP program. Here is a test that I have done. Go to a local high school soccer game. Count the boys wearing knee braces. Now do the same thing for the girls. If this doesn't open your eyes nothing will. Bustos will be the first to tell you many are teaching you to use your body in a way that will cause you to have an injury. She should know , since she suffered a knee injury. It was interesting talking to those conducting my dd class. They test your knees before and after. The doctor told me this. In general, the quadriceps of females are stronger than their hamstrings, putting the ACL at an even higher risk. In males, the hamstrings are stronger, thus protecting the ACL. So as hitting instructors shouldn't we want to know this?

 

[SoCalSoftballdad]

Actually Howard has written a very good article on the subject that SoCalsoftballdad stated. It is very interesting how some have taken his comments out of context on here and other sites. His quote at the end of the article. " In summary what I have discovered when teaching girls is to give more details as to how to feel weight shift, momentum, leverage, grip and being explosive with their movements. Just telling them to do something does not mean they understand it or feel it and feeling it is huge for them. The boys to some extent have experienced it probably without even knowing or understanding it." No where in that article does it say the the swing is different. My dd and I have worked with him for around 5 years. The only thing he is teaching is to prevent injuries to the female . Mainly in the area of knee injuries. Talk to many of the elite female softball players and ask how many suffered a knee injury? For that reason we attended a PEP program. Here is a test that I have done. Go to a local high school soccer game. Count the boys wearing knee braces. Now do the same thing for the girls. If this doesn't open your eyes nothing will. Bustos will be the first to tell you many are teaching you to use your body in a way that will cause you to have an injury. She should know , since she suffered a knee injury. It was interesting talking to those conducting my dd class. They test your knees before and after. The doctor told me this. In general, the quadriceps of females are stronger than their hamstrings, putting the ACL at an even higher risk. In males, the hamstrings are stronger, thus protecting the ACL. So as hitting instructors shouldn't we want to know this?

Thanks for the response. Just trying to understand that if a coach thinks that the female body is athletically different than males than why wouldn't you teach different swing set-up and swing mechanics for females to get the most out of their bodies?

Maybe I am just ignorant, but I personally think that all kids, boy or girls, come in different shapes and sizes but there are some absolutles to hitting mechanics that both sexes should be taught regardless of gender.

My DS has a girl who plays on his baseball team. The coaches teach her the exact same hitting, throwing, running, fielding mechanics, etc. as the ones the boys are taught. She is a wonderful player and I have not seen any downside to teaching her just like the boys. Maybe when she becomes a teenager and her body changes, things might be different and require different teachings? I really don't know the answer to that but I am only a volunteer coach and not a paid professional.

 

[softballphreak]

Softballfreak, thanks for your input. So would you elaborate? At what point do your students, once they understand and use the swing process you teach, not utilize your services anymore? Do some continue for the reps and game situation until they graduate? until they get it? We have gone to numerous clinics and a few hitting instructors since we started softball 10 years ago. At clinics with the number of students instruction is very general focused on the major components of the swing. Lessons in my opinion focus more on the little things to fine tune. That has been our experience. Consistency I think is important which we have lacked due to the old school teaching of local coaches.

Maybe I am missing an obvious point possibly that those seeking hitting instructors need help with their swings and their is a flaw? I like to use instructors to fine tune the smaller points and if DD is struggling to help identify a part of the swing that, at the moment, is not working for who knows what reason. Do you have clients who come to you religiously every week, every other week, during the season, off season, once a month and what is the most common thing they seek? Maybe I have a off view of what the true purpose of hitting instructor is for short term v. long term? Thanks again for the response.

rdbass and ivys dad: I understand your frustration. We were on a 14U travelball team a couple years ago that the coaches were convinced that my daughters swing was horrendous and from day one worked on changing her hitting back to level swing, etc... She was a horrible hitter by the end of that affiliation. Especially with my daughter, she then believes she cant hit so then not only do you have to work on the mechanics of the swing but also get her out of the mindset that she sucks which is often harder than the mechanical side.

There are instructors of varying levels as well as players of varying levels of knowledge. You have to evaluate the student. Ideally I would love to see them play before ever giving any instruction. I wouldn't jump right in and change anything without a little history of the player.

I try to teach fundamentals first and foremost. But the level of the student and a particular situation could change that to meet current needs. For example, if a student has a bad uppercut, I would probably have that student taking swings off of a high tee. I'm sure there are some who would think I was crazy if they watched from the sideline and didn't understand what was happening.

As far as religiously taking lessons, I believe you teach in sessions designed for progress toward good fundamentals. I believe I should teach the fundamentals and give the student homework (drills) to help them learn the skills. Learn, practice, learn more, practice more . . . It doesn't all have to be done with the dollar. There are many ways to learn.

And that brings me to this very critical point. It is important for the parent to learn as much as possible to help support their kid. The parent doesn't have to do the hard part. The hard part is practicing the skill until you become proficient. That's the kid's part. The easy part is learning what and why. The parent can do that; along with the kid. If you don't know what to look for how can you judge who you want for an instructor?

If you go too often to the instructor, you are actually paying for practice time instead of instruction. Or you are learning more before you have become proficient in what has been taught before. Hope that makes sense.

I also believe it is not dumb to learn from a variety of sources, coaches included. Keep in mind if you go to an instructor they are going to try to help you get better. Like going to a doctor if there's nothing wrong; they want you to be healthier, and they will find something for you to do to get healthier.

One very important, if not the most important, point you touched on is confidence. With confidence many batters overcome imperfection every day.

 

[kgertie]

Greenmonsters, I agree with you that producing a top hitter has other variables. No question about it. That is really the purpose of this post aimed at you hitting gurus. Looking for how you approach your clients and what seems to be successful (in your eyes) and maybe what seems to pull in clients/keep them/habits of longterm successful clients.

I also think maybe my success definition may be somewhat different than yours. This parent is looking to find a swing for my daughter that she can be confident in when she steps to the plate. Not looking to turn her into an all star. Looking to give her a tool that will allow her not to strike out every at bat and to hit the ball hard consistently. After the 14U fiasco, it was hard for her to even make contact with the ball between the screwed up hybrid of mechanics and her mental outlook of herself as a ball player.

Thanks for your input.

 

[kgertie]

softballfreak, thanks for your additional post. That is really what my original post was aimed at.

DD does not have direct contact or lessons with HITTER that often but DD and I both often use his materials to try to break down maybe what is an issue. I love the time I get to spend with DD doing front toss, twork, etc... It is my way of sharing some quality time with her.

Like your approach. Wish we could have hooked up with you when she was at a younger age. Thanks again for your input.

 

[ifubuildit]

Instruction

I find it interesting that no one in the thread has mentioned past results of an instructor. Obviously Howard Carrier has a large number of students out playing softball that are very successful. That alone should tell you his instruction is both valid and valued in his area of the country and with those who are familiar with his style of instruction.

Most of the kids who come to me and their parents are looking to improve their child's skills with a bat or pitching a ball. Also, as with Howard, most of them come to me by word of mouth. One parent talking to another because of their positive experience with my instruction. I base my reputation as an instructor on the results my students have playing the game. Their success is also my success as an instructor.

Having said that, I not only track my students performances but also set goals for them to reach each season. Based on statistics. I also give them test. Both on performance and on knowledge of what I am teaching them. How else can you measure the students progress and find out if they are actually retaining what your teaching them? I cannot tell you what kind of looks I get from kids when I tell them I am going to test them. Not to mention parents.

I can state without hesitation that I will change the swing of probably 90% of the students who walk into my place. That's because the large majority of them are swinging down on the ball and squishing the bug along with many other parameters of slop that they were taught by a "Knowledgeable" coach or even dad. All of them having honest intentions without understanding the underlying ramifications of what they have done to the players swing. Nothing new there.

My point being choose your instructor based on results. Ask them to provide you references and testimonials. If they are worth anything they will gladly provide you with the information you request. Also make sure the instructor has a program in place that requires your child to LEARN what they are being taught. If they don't learn it how are they going to fix it when its broke?

Dana Maggs

Excel Hitting and Pitching.

 

[SoCalSoftballdad]

Looking to give her a tool that will allow her not to strike out every at bat and to hit the ball hard consistently.

Best way, find an instructor with lots of energy who will pitch (throw the ball underhand) to your DD from behind a screen (from about half the normal distance) for most of the hour long lesson. Have the instructor throw to all locations (balls and strikes, inside, outside, up and down) and have her give hitting advice as needed throughout the whole drill. Sounds simple, but it is very effective because the student will see 100s of pitches in a short amount of time, will learn to layoff balls out of the strike zone, and will need a fast bat to make contact because of the shorter distance the ball travels. Repetition and correction. DDs hitting instructor does this drill almost every lesson and it works very well. Better hitting produces confidence and confidence is the key to better hitting.

 

[softballphreak]

Best way, find an instructor with lots of energy who will pitch (throw the ball underhand) to your DD from behind a screen (from about half the normal distance) for most of the hour long lesson. Have the instructor throw to all locations (balls and strikes, inside, outside, up and down) and have her give hitting advice as needed throughout the whole drill. Sounds simple, but it is very effective because the student will see 100s of pitches in a short amount of time, will learn to layoff balls out of the strike zone, and will need a fast bat to make contact because of the shorter distance the ball travels. Repetition and correction. DDs hitting instructor does this drill almost every lesson and it works very well. Better hitting produces confidence and confidence is the key to better hitting.

Yes! The more incoming pitches you see the better. And they don't necessarily have to be at game speed to be effective. Also, an excellent opportunity to make video of the swing to review with the player. And compare to later video to see progress.