How to teach DD to lay off the high pitch?

KPower · Jul 2, 2016

How on earth do you teach your DD to lay off the high pitch. It is killing me watching DD swing at them. She used to have excellent pitch selection, but recently all she swings at is a high pitch. She hasn't struck out in weeks - maybe months but she did today after chasing 3 high pitches in a row. This was right after the batter ahead of her was walked on 4 high pitches in a row. She used to never swing until she had a strike. Lately she's been swinging at the first pitch...

She is so frustrated with herself...I don't know how to help her!

She is little so she is never going to be a huge powerhouse hitter, but she has always been pretty good at putting one in the gap...until recently.

Lenski · Jul 2, 2016

A batter needs to go to the plate with a plan. My dd's plan:

She is swinging at the pitch until she's not swinging at the pitch. (A batter should always assume they are getting a good pitch to swing at. If it's not good, dont swing.) The plan goes away for a pitch if the coach calls a bunt, take, etc.

Every pitch up and through first strike - She is looking for a pitch in her favorite spot. It's literally a 6"x6" box.
Between 1st strike and 2nd strike - She is swinging at a pitch that is in the strike zone. A batter needs to know the strike zone.
After 2nd strike - She is swinging at anything river to river, armpits to mid-shin. Foul off the junk and find a pitch to drive.

As far as swinging at high pitches, if the pitch is above her front elbow, let it go. Move the height point up the front arm a tad if the pitching is slow.

quincy · Jul 2, 2016

Soft toss to her mixing it up. Throw high pitches she needs to lay off of.

DD was small and anything eye level she learned to swing at otherwise it would be called a strike.

Westwind · Jul 2, 2016

Lenski said:
A batter needs to go to the plate with a plan. My dd's plan:

She is swinging at the pitch until she's not swinging at the pitch. (A batter should always assume they are getting a good pitch to swing at. If it's not good, dont swing.) The plan goes away for a pitch if the coach calls a bunt, take, etc.

Every pitch up and through first strike - She is looking for a pitch in her favorite spot. It's literally a 6"x6" box.
Between 1st strike and 2nd strike - She is swinging at a pitch that is in the strike zone. A batter needs to know the strike zone.
After 2nd strike - She is swinging at anything river to river, armpits to mid-shin. Foul off the junk and find a pitch to drive.

As far as swinging at high pitches, if the pitch is above her front elbow, let it go. Move the height point up the front arm a tad if the pitching is slow.

This. Exactly right.

Quincy is right too. They must see bad pitches to practice not hitting them. Really bad, intentionally awful. So bad they don't have *stress* deciding to not swing. Then as she gets better, cut it closer until she makes better decisions.

If she still has *stress* over this, practice hitting the dang high pitches off a tee and front toss. Tell her "I'd rather you didn't HIT that , but if you do, HIT it like that!"

It won't happen overnight. Chip away at it and it will get better.

lhowser · Jul 6, 2016

One simple suggestion - just tell her,"You're a good hitter...don't get frustrated...think it through and learn from it"

She will figure it out. Sometimes this calm approach and confidence reinforcement to take the pressure off is all that is needed.

FiveFrameSwing · Jul 6, 2016

Zone low ...........

Cobb_of_Fury · Jul 6, 2016

Lenski said:
A batter needs to go to the plate with a plan. My dd's plan:

She is swinging at the pitch until she's not swinging at the pitch. (A batter should always assume they are getting a good pitch to swing at. If it's not good, dont swing.) The plan goes away for a pitch if the coach calls a bunt, take, etc.

Every pitch up and through first strike - She is looking for a pitch in her favorite spot. It's literally a 6"x6" box.
Between 1st strike and 2nd strike - She is swinging at a pitch that is in the strike zone. A batter needs to know the strike zone.
After 2nd strike - She is swinging at anything river to river, armpits to mid-shin. Foul off the junk and find a pitch to drive.

As far as swinging at high pitches, if the pitch is above her front elbow, let it go. Move the height point up the front arm a tad if the pitching is slow.

This is good advice - ^^^

My DD was always taught if you have to lift your eyes you cant hit it.

I had a girl that LOVED high pitches would chase them all the time - we worked with her - she still kept chasing them. Finally told her "The ONLY time you are to allowed to swing at a high pitch is if you can hit it out - anything else we will sit you" sure enough next time up she got ahold of a pitch that was at her chin and drove it about 20' over the right field fence - when she came back to the dug out she asked - "Was that one OK? "

KPower · Jul 6, 2016

Cobb_of_Fury said:
This is good advice - ^^^

My DD was always taught if you have to lift your eyes you cant hit it.

I had a girl that LOVED high pitches would chase them all the time - we worked with her - she still kept chasing them. Finally told her "The ONLY time you are to allowed to swing at a high pitch is if you can hit it out - anything else we will sit you" sure enough next time up she got ahold of a pitch that was at her chin and drove it about 20' over the right field fence - when she came back to the dug out she asked - "Was that one OK? "

This is DD exactly. When she does get ahold of a high pitch she almost always takes it for a ride (not over the fence, but usually a triple). The problem is WHEN she gets ahold of one. I am ready to get a shock collar and zap her next time she swings at one!

Rocketech1 · Jul 6, 2016

KPower said:
This is DD exactly. When she does get ahold of a high pitch she almost always takes it for a ride (not over the fence, but usually a triple). The problem is WHEN she gets ahold of one. I am ready to get a shock collar and zap her next time she swings at one!

Yep. DD(RHB) loves the low inside pitch which matches her "natural" swing path (likes to pull the ball to the left side). One time she faced a pitcher throwing high and a little outside and I told her as she was walking out to the batter's box "don't swing at the high pitch, you can't hit that location". Well she gets the high, outside pitch and precedes to drive it to right, centerfield for a triple. As she comes back to the dugout later in the inning, she says "see Dad, I CAN hit the high pitch!". What the heck do I know?...

WARRIORMIKE · Jul 6, 2016

KPower said:
How on earth do you teach your DD to lay off the high pitch. It is killing me watching DD swing at them. She used to have excellent pitch selection, but recently all she swings at is a high pitch. She hasn't struck out in weeks - maybe months but she did today after chasing 3 high pitches in a row. This was right after the batter ahead of her was walked on 4 high pitches in a row. She used to never swing until she had a strike. Lately she's been swinging at the first pitch...

She is so frustrated with herself...I don't know how to help her!

She is little so she is never going to be a huge powerhouse hitter, but she has always been pretty good at putting one in the gap...until recently.

You dont tell her anything until she listen to this................

How to teach DD to lay off the high pitch?

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