Left-handed slap hitting for right-handed DD

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Jun 29, 2013
589
18
First post on the forum, so I hope this is in the right place.
I'm wondering how many left-handed slap hitters are actually right handed. My DD is very fast, tiny, not much upper body strength and has always hit right-handed. She is almost 11, and in the backyard likes to try hitting left-handed, and surprisingly enough makes contact more fairly often while hitting lefty. If she has real interest in trying to be a slap hitter, is it worth investing in a hitting coach? As a hitter, she has a good eye, her hitting has improved a lot and she has occasionally hit leadoff (more because of her speed and OBP than getting hits, though). But she is usually a bottom of the lineup hitter.
Thanks for any advice!
 
Dec 5, 2012
4,143
63
Mid West
As a coach, I can really appreciate a kid & parent wanting to add to her arsenal on their own time and dime. To answer your question, yes, most slappers were naturally right handed batters at one time, but switched to add value to their team. I currently have 4 girls on my team that slap, and all of them are right handed. Depending on the game scenario, I will decide if we need them to slap or swing... A hitting coach at 10-11 years old is a good investment. Even of its only twice a month. She's going to develop some good habits that will help her tremendously as she gets older. But as with any outside coach, do your research into his/her background and follow up with past and current students. Good luck, James
 
Jan 24, 2009
617
18
It sounds like the time to turn her around. Do it yesterday and don't let her touch the RH batters box again...under any circumstances...that means 2 out tie with RISP in bottom of 7, etc.

It will be a struggle for a year. If you don't also teach her to swing away, then you will only have a couple of successful years as a one-trick pony. Slap/drag/swing away is the way to go if she is going to play for several years.

Read sentence #2 again.

One more time...

Now go do it. This may require an ongoing discussion with the coach, or possibly a new team, but persist!!

To answer your question, 'yes.' Do get her to a slapping coach if a good one is available. Getting her off to the right start will help a lot.

Good luck!!
 
Last edited:
Jun 29, 2013
589
18
I appreciate your responses, Coach James and vdubya, its great to be able to get advice like this. Glad I found this forum., fantastic place to get advice!
 
Last edited:
May 7, 2008
8,506
48
Tucson
It may be difficult to find a hitting coach that can teach slapping. Try a search for Larry Ray's dvd. He is an architect of the short game.
 
May 8, 2012
127
16
NJ
13yr old DD made the switch after our fall ball season last year. TB coaches were fine with it and we took our lumps gaining much needed experience. Overall it worked out well, and they never once asked her to move back to the rt side...we're committed and in this together. Our rec coach sadly didn't buy into it right away. At the very first practice he found out she was a new conversion and had her swing away from the rt after swinging left. With only about 4 months of swinging left, the results were predictable. ..rt side swings had about an extra 30' or so on them. Long discussion over our needs vs. team needs and the need to be able to swing from the rt side too.Fortunately for us, AC understood what we were trying to achieve and became her advocate for the left. We finally found a happy medium with the HC...didn't get to slap as much as we wanted, but they let her do everything from the left. The first season slapping can be trying at times...just stay with it and don't fall back to the rt side. The sooner you take your lumps, the better off you will be
 
Jun 29, 2013
589
18
Thanks, grounded- really appreciate info like this. We signed up for a camp that takes place in two weeks and the instructor teaches slap hitting. We may have timed this pretty well.
 
Aug 4, 2008
2,364
0
Lexington,Ohio
Larry Ray is good, but one of the better DVD's I found was team USA's DVD on slapping. My dd has worked with many on slapping
and she liked the Team USA DVD. We use the cross over foot work, while many still teach the drop step. When you teach slapping working on the foot work and timing is very important. Keeping the upper body square to the ball and not bailing out are key. As she gets older pitchers will notice a fault and pitch to it. DD was a righty with extreme fast speed. We moved her at 11, and like the prior posts it takes work. Her hard work got her an offer to be a lead off hitter in college, so it was well worth it.
 
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Sep 3, 2009
675
0
You might look around for former college players, etc. who give lessons. I'd really stress finding someone with a good reputation. It's not all that easy as it looks to be, and the ones who "watched youtube videos and now know all about slapping" are pretty obvious, and stand out at the ball parks.
 

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