Swingin' for the Fence...Horse Power Fastpitch

Bear with me here...

None of these question are loaded or baited.
And no, I'm not playing dumb...
But, I just don't understand this.

When you see a 10, 12 or 14U girl starting out in fast pitch, who has 2.6 to 2.8 speed with agility, you normally think of one thing...SLAPPER!
Especially if she's a lefty. That makes total sense to me to introduce her to slapping and see if she takes to it.

Ok, let's look at the other end of the spectrum.
Let's say the girl in 12 or 14U has 2.8 to 3.2 speed, but is 5'6" +, is built like a tank, and is extremely strong...why don't we think POWER HITTER?

From the time they are 10 and 12U, up to 18U, many girls are taught the basics in batting. Hit the ball level and up the middle.

Why aren't some of the girls who show every sign of being a great power hitter at 12 to 14U, being taught how to hit the ball to the fence, or over the fence at any early age?
Why not teach them to hit the ball with a 5-10* positive attack angle, with ~ 30* degrees of ball exit.
In some areas of the country, I swear all of the 10-14U coaches within a 1000 mile radius all go to the same coaches camps when it comes to hitting. Generic hitting, or one style fits all...

A generic hitting style for all batters...except the slappers. They are faster than heck, so we will spend countless hours teaching them how to slap.
But Susie 14U over here who is 5'9" and a lean 160 lbs, we're gonna teach her how to swing a bat just like all of the other girls. Line drives back up the middle...

I can't even count how many college games I've watch this year on WatchESPN, BTNPlus and regular TV. Or the dedicated college channels like UL Lafayette.
The power hitting swings of some of these college programs are so obvious and successful, why isn't this swing being taught to the younger girls who fit the template of a power hitter at an early age? (Like slapping is taught to quick girls?)
And by power hitting template I mean...large in stature, very strong, with a quick and powerful leg drive to go with a strong upper body.

I wonder if a Coach like ULL's Lotief, is scouting and verballing his players because of display of power at an early age?
You can't tell me that some of his players aren't swingin' for the fence every at bat.
And it works.

Girls with 2.6 speed...teach to be slappers
Girls in the middle... teach to base hit.
Girls with extra size and strength...teach to power hit.

Coaches and parents spend countless hours and dollars teaching their DD to be a slapper if she has 2.6 speed. That speed is a gift. Right?

So bottom line my question is...why aren't girls, who have every characteristic of a power hitter at an early age, (size, strength and power), taught to swing like a power hitter at an early age?
Isn't that size and power seen as a gift, like a slapper's speed is?

Your thoughts please, thanks.

Why wouldn't you teach every hitter to hit "like a power hitter" since that's the best possible swing? Even slappers should know how to swing away in addition to their slapper skills.

CoachJD said:

Why wouldn't you teach every hitter to hit "like a power hitter" since that's the best possible swing? Even slappers should know how to swing away in addition to their slapper skills.

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I agree, good mechanics result in power. You don't have to be a beast to hit like one.

shaker1 said:

I agree, good mechanics result in power. You don't have to be a beast to hit like one.

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And "power" doesn't necessarily mean "hitting home runs." Some girls just may not have the strength to get the ball 200+ feet. Fine. Let them hit the ball hard 160 feet. That's better than teaching them a bad swing, imo.

CoachJD, I agree 100%.
shaker1, and yes, good mechanics are a must.

But what mechanics are being taught? we all know from reading on this board that there are many interpretations and thoughts as to what is the best swing.
Is your DD being taught a power swing in HS, by her travel ball coaches, or by her batting coach? Or is she being taught linear hands and "short to, long through" with the bat barrel? And hit line drives up the middle?

How many of your DDs have been taught to swing a bat like Lauren Chamberlain? Or how about Lexie Elkins?...or DJ Sanders?...
Everyone at the Showcases seems to pay attention to bat speed...but isn't ball exit speed more important?

CoachJD, yes power is relative as well.
You can teach a 110 lb girl how to swing a bat like Crystl Bustos, but she will never hit the ball as hard and as far as her.
If you take a girl that is born with natural size and power, don't they have a huge head start over a girl who will end up 6" shorter and 40 lbs lighter?

Are there girls in your area that have the 5'9" 160 lb natural gift of size and power, being taught a power swing from age 12U?
Like the girl who has the natural gift of being a 2.6 lefty, is being taught how to slap by the time she is in 12U...

Or is the gifted girl with size and power, along with the 2.6 lefty, being taught to hit line drives back up the middle, like all the rest of the girls?

I noticed the same thing coaching CIF. Every coach talks the same way to their players, criticises the same things, and all of their players have the same exact swing. It's like they all went to the same coaching seminar. That's because coaches want to win at the expense of player development. But hey, if it works it works and if I ever go back to coaching softball that's exactly what I'm going to do too.

hssoftball101 said:

I noticed the same thing coaching CIF. Every coach talks the same way to their players, criticises the same things, and all of their players have the same exact swing. It's like they all went to the same coaching seminar. That's because coaches want to win at the expense of player development. But hey, if it works it works and if I ever go back to coaching softball that's exactly what I'm going to do too.

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Sorry, I don't understand...if you go back to coaching softball, you would coach what?
More of an individualized approach dependant on each girls attributes ( size, or speed)
Or teaching the same swing as all the other coaches who went to the same seminar?

Thanks

Unfortunately weak grounders, just making contact, translates to success at the younger levels, and some coaches therefore join the ground balls camp. As you point out, this isn't perhaps the best plan for every player. How many players do you see at say age 14 or 15, who could have been good power hitters, but who were taught singles hitter mechanics, or worse? You see these bigger girls, who really aren't going to beat anything out, fall off the top teams because they were never taught to utilize their gift, power.