first year 12u needs some help

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May 1, 2018
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If you have access to a pitching machine, another thing you can do is set the machine to fire almost straight up, and adjust the speed to give you the desired height. The machine will give some simulation for the spin coming off a bat that you can't really get by throwing the ball. This is actually valuable work for IFs and Ps, too.

Get really good with the fungo. That's not an easy hit.
 
May 6, 2015
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Get really good with the fungo. That's not an easy hit.

first, one must acquire a fungo, before one can get good with fungo. Generally, when I hit her fly balls, I just use one of her old bats. I doubt I could ever get that good with a fungo anyway, was a really lousy hitter.

also want to be certain she knows, if 1B or 3B call her off, let them have it. I always teach her to defer to the person behind (and if she faces HP, she will be the on in front.). they did not (probably right so in each case, only 6-8 feet down 1B line), but if she gets one in that 15 to 20 foot range, 1B probably has better take and reaction on it.
 
Jun 8, 2016
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first, one must acquire a fungo, before one can get good with fungo. Generally, when I hit her fly balls, I just use one of her old bats. I doubt I could ever get that good with a fungo anyway, was a really lousy hitter.

I have a hell of a time hitting those, but my excuse is that I was too good of a hitter..need to purposely mishit those and I cannot do it :cool:
 
Apr 16, 2013
1,113
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One of the biggest things to remind her of is the spin on the ball. If a batter hits a pop up, straight up, it has a ton of spin on it. As it's coming down it's gaining speed so it's basically becoming a curve ball. If I had a dime for every time I've seen a pitcher or catcher miss a ball that they're right under neath, I could buy a steak dinner. You don't want to be right under it. Just like trying to hit a curve, you have to swing where the ball will be. As someone else said, be facing the plate and then be actually a little behind the ball. It'll zip right to where you are instead of over your head.
 
Mar 1, 2016
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It sounds like something my 18yo did at that age. She was “stabbing at it”, or making a motion with her mitt as if she was sticking a pitch. The problem with this is that the terminal velocity of a softball is about 112 mph, and it can only achieve that if falling from a height greater than around half a mile. Falling from a lower height will produce a slower velocity, and in every case on a softball field where the ball is hit no higher than about 150 ft, it is falling slower than a pitch. When I went out and pointed my pitching machine straight up and turned it up to 80 mph, the fastest I ever registered on radar coming down was 37 mph. So, if your DD is used to sticking a 40-45 mph pitch and then uses that same timing to catch a ball falling from the sky, she’ll be early on it and miss.

The solution? She needs to hold the mitt still and let the ball come to her. Gravity is far more reliable and predictable than any pitcher, so no need to stick it. There is good advice coming from others on here as well, but I thought I would offer up the timing issue due to physics as well.


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