Hitting up vs. hitting through

Being new to SB, I took the advice of fellow DFPers and attended some TB games this weekend. Mind you, we've only ever done REC and don't intend to pursue TB until after the spring (probably after the summer) of next year.
So, I was watching some 10U TB games live with DD today and she was watching with astonishment of how high the balls were hit. Every girl was hitting them really high...when they connected on both teams. The only problem is they only went to the back of the infield line and were routine pop ups. All of them minus 2 or 3 grounders. The games boiled down to fielding pop ups vs. not fielding pop ups. I have never encouraged or taught DD to hit "up". I've always encouraged her to find the flight path of the ball and slice it right down the middle and hit "through" the ball. She NEVER pops up, but she gets on base 11 out of 12 times pretty much. Everything is a solid contact line drive pretty much. Am I off base here or shouldn't these girls be finding the flight path of the ball instead of dropping the strong side shoulder and just throwing it up in an attempt to time a perfect bomb 90 ft.........in the air to be a routine out to the nearest infielder? I'm kidding you not, on some of these, it wouldn't have mattered if you were covering 1st or 3rd. If you were paying attention, you had plenty of time to cover the necessary ground to field it. From the outside looking in, it just seems like they trying to teach them how to "be a home run hitter" instead of teaching them how to be a "consistent and solid hitter". Forgive my ignorance if I'm off base. Just seems backwards and as a result, damaging to the girls, especially at that age when the mechanics are becoming habit forming.

I agree with you. Your chances of hitting the ball are better if you have a level cut. Period. Now obviously there is a lot more to it than that and there are some very good hitting coaches on this board that will chime in with more technical info. I keep coming back to the tried and true idea that good pitching will beat good hitting. So I want as many balls in play as possible, especially ground balls and line drives, to make something happen. I don't like waiting for that majestic long double or HR in the gap, which are rare, especially against good pitching. We will win with good pitching, good defense and a lot of singles, a lot of balls in play and good baserunning.

Popups are not caused from swinging up at the ball. They are caused from hitting the extreme bottom part of the ball. Popups are mishits, that is, a failure to hit the ball squarely. My DD is more likely to pop up when she fails to remember to have a slightly upward swing that matches the plane of the pitch. A slightly upward swing gives hitters the best chance of squaring the ball.

A ''level'' swing - if you mean ''level'' to the ground - is not ideal. Nor is a downward swing plane. If you analyze elite hitters, you will see the slightly upward plane.

Also, OP used the word ''slice''. If you have sliced the ball, you did not hit it as hard as you could have. Kinda like in tennis. A slice is a defensive shot. In softball, unless perhaps you are a slapper, a defensive shot is not the goal.

Below, I see Miggy's bat traveling up and through the ball at contact, not down and through.

dmasterson said:

I agree with you. Your chances of hitting the ball are better if you have a level cut. Period. Now obviously there is a lot more to it than that and there are some very good hitting coaches on this board that will chime in with more technical info. I keep coming back to the tried and true idea that good pitching will beat good hitting. So I want as many balls in play as possible, especially ground balls and line drives, to make something happen. I don't like waiting for that majestic long double or HR in the gap, which are rare, especially against good pitching. We will win with good pitching, good defense and a lot of singles, a lot of balls in play and good baserunning.

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I have some philosophical differences with you here. By ''level,'' do you mean ''level'' swing to the ground? That is not the swing path of the best hitters in the world, IMO.

I certainly can't argue with the value of good pitching, good defense and good baserunning. That will take you far. And a lot of balls in play is valuable, especially as younger levels where catching and throwing accurately are major challenges. So if your team has all of those tools, it is likely to be successful.

However, at higher levels, certainly including college softball, the game is not won merely with a lot of singles and putting the ball in play. Top college softball teams will hit doubles, triples and home runs at rates higher than top college baseball teams. If you're just putting the ball in play and hitting singles, you will hit a ceiling, IMO. Even in travel ball, it's a high-scoring game. The average travel ball team scores a run per inning. On some travel teams, you simply might not have enough players with the ability to hit the ball into the gap and over the fence. You have to play to your strengths. But if you've got girls with that ability, I would not discourage it by preaching singles. Their full potential is to rattle the fences, and they need an upward swing path to get there.

Yes-driving a ball is better than a pop up. You were probably just watching crappy teams. If you watch a good 10u travel team compared to a regular season rec league team your jaw should drop.

I wouldn't exactly draw conclusions about what kids are taught vs what they do at 10. We can all attest to the difference between practice work and game swings. The girls you were watching very well could be being taught correctly and they just haven't taken it to the game level yet.

If your kid is getting on base 11/12 times you should move to TB in the spring so she can see some good pitching. She will be bored out of her mind in rec.

dmasterson said:

I agree with you. Your chances of hitting the ball are better if you have a level cut. Period.

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Perhaps if the ball is coming through the hitting zone perfectly level (it isn't).

CoogansBluff said:

Popups are not caused from swinging up at the ball. They are caused from hitting the extreme bottom part of the ball. Popups are mishits, that is, a failure to hit the ball squarely. My DD is more likely to pop up when she fails to remember to have a slightly upward swing that matches the plane of the pitch. A slightly upward swing gives hitters the best chance of squaring the ball.

A ''level'' swing - if you mean ''level'' to the ground - is not ideal. Nor is a downward swing plane. If you analyze elite hitters, you will see the slightly upward plane.

Also, OP used the word ''slice''. If you have sliced the ball, you did not hit it as hard as you could have. Kinda like in tennis. A slice is a defensive shot. In softball, unless perhaps you are a slapper, a defensive shot is not the goal.

Below, I see Miggy's bat traveling up and through the ball at contact, not down and through.

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It wasn't like Miggy. His right shoulder wasn't dipped down to near his belly button.

JJsqueeze said:

If your kid is getting on base 11/12 times you should move to TB in the spring so she can see some good pitching. She will be bored out of her mind in rec.

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She already is. She's pissed after every practice because "they (her teammates) don't care enough. I don't see it". The goal before this season started was to wait until after the spring since she just started. I don't know, though.... Not sure she will hold out that long. She definitely needs more of a challenge. If anything, I might see about her playing up in REC for the spring. She's improved, but she's not Miggy! I'm trying to keep up with her, but I'm getting out of my depth it feels like.

JJsqueeze said:

You were probably just watching crappy teams. If you watch a good 10u travel team compared to a regular season rec league team your jaw should drop.

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I think you're right. I double-checked and it was their 1st scrimmage of the season. Makes more sense that they weren't coached to do that, that maybe they just haven't had enough time and practice to do it any different.

Popups are not caused from swinging up at the ball. They are caused from hitting the extreme bottom part of the ball. Popups are mishits, that is, a failure to hit the ball squarely

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THANK YOU!! I get so tired of hearing coaches who have been around long enough to know better, telling players they pop up because they are swinging upward- when I see the kid actually swinging down (relative to the pitch), slicing under the ball.

Rec ball can be difficult for the kids who really like to play because you get a lot of kids who have other priorities and/or are there strictly for social reasons.. DD loves her current TB team and some other tryout teams she's played on because she's with other like-minded kids and the emphasis is on softball.

dadofadirtlover said:

She already is. She's pissed after every practice because "they (her teammates) don't care enough. I don't see it". The goal before this season started was to wait until after the spring since she just started. I don't know, though.... Not sure she will hold out that long. She definitely needs more of a challenge. If anything, I might see about her playing up in REC for the spring. She's improved, but she's not Miggy! I'm trying to keep up with her, but I'm getting out of my depth it feels like.

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Be careful with allowing that attitude towards her teammates to develop. They might not be at her level, but they are still her teammates.

Last spring, my DD played her final season of rec. Maddie was not only the best player on her team, but one of the top 2 players in the league in 10U. We knew that the game wouldn't be particularly challenging from a physical aspect, so we found a new focus - leadership. She learned a lot about how to be a leader on the field, and in the dugout. We talked a lot about how a good player works on elevating their own game, but a good leader works on elevating the level of their entire team. She was a good example of hard work and dedication during practices, she inspired her teammates to push themselves towards her level, and she made efforts to help the new players learn the skills of the game. As the catcher, she learned how to really be the Field General during games, and how to get the best from her pitchers. One of the best compliments I've ever heard about Maddie came from the mom of a first-time player. She called Maddie "patient and gracious". Her development as a ballplayer took a significant step forward that season.