How do you do that?
Paticience at the plate
- Thread starter DiamondDad316
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How do you do that?
- May 17, 2012
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Build resistance into the swing.
Not picking on OP but I find the, "can't hit slower pitching" comments amusing as I hear it all the time as a coach from parents. You can't hit the faster pitching because it's 5MPH faster than everyone else. You can't hit the slower pitching as your timing is off. So if the pitcher pitches it just right (average) batter is a rock star.
If batters struggle with slower pitchers why don't teams go out and recruit a bunch of slow pitchers?
Going to opposite field is sound advice for a short term fix.
obbay
Banned
Bobby Tewksbary has a Halfway-Home drill (Google it) that she could try applying to slower pitching. in short, you wait until the pitch is "halfway to home" before you swing. there's more to the drill but as far as using it as a method for timing slower pitching, could be worth a shot.
It really is pretty simple and I'll expand after work/games if someone else doesn't. As Gunner implies, the advice would be the same if she could hit slower pitching but not faster pitching. Timing.
The first step is to recognize and admit that there is a timing problem. Sounds elementary enough but too often
it seems cooler to blame the problem on the kid's tremendous bat speed or aggressiveness. Sort of makes it sound like a good thing right? I'm not trying to put words in the OP's mouth, just saying that we should agree that this is an issue of timing. It's an important first step.
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- Mar 9, 2015
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Let me clarify a few things nags from OP. The pitching we are seeing in HS is at times maybe 40ish mph. She's hitting the ball tends to pull at times or hits out front and is the typical tweener. Never said cant hit. In TB have faced pitchers in mid 60's and hit good. The old issue is timing pitcher is, in our situation, very slow pitching. When she does all the drills, doesn't have any problems driving to right field, hits whifles solid, etc just having harder time timing the slow pitchers in games. Been telling her for a whiles or on hitting the ball to opposite field in games but just not happening.
So I started this thread to get some input as I'm sure a lot of other players are having same issue and will benefit.
My DD uses slower pitchers as a day of practicing hitting the change up
Dad, are you saying that she can time up slow pitching, slow front toss, etc when practicing, but can't do it in a live game? No timing problem with slow pitch drills at practice, but way out front in a game? If so, how does she do on the first few slow pitches during practice? Does it take her 2-3 pitches to calibrate during drills and THEN doesn't have any problem with timing?
- Mar 9, 2015
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When practicing with DD, she does well with front toss. Initially I have her start by tracking the pitches back to catcher during front toss without swinging. Then I start slower speeds and gradually increase as she is hitting. Then move around the zone a little bit. At the end I mix up speeds and locations. For the most part, makes solid contact, goes with outside pitch, etc. Weather was nice this evening went to fields and hit.
In the games, she is batting 3 or 4 in the order. She is timing and up pitcher on deck and knows the pitcher is throwing slow. Still she tends to hit the ball out front a bit or pulls pan outside pitch. She hits the ball just not with power like she normally does.
Basically, she knows where the contact point should be for different pitches, just not disinclined to wait that extra half second to let the ball get deeper.
- Mar 9, 2015
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Probably need to do this more frequently.
I'll take you at your word that she knows timing and does the job in the on deck circle. Good stuff. Humor me as I trim and augment your post a bit. ( I hacked at it pretty good, I'll admit)
but
^^^This is NOT as originally posted by D-DaD at all. It is butchered/spliced to make a point. The point being, this is starting to sound like she is willfully changing her approach to a slow pitcher as a matter of intent.
Could there be a little bit of "I'm gonna crush one off this slow pitcher" that has her deserting her more sound learned principles that you described?
I'll exit and let others continue. No offense to you D-Dad. Maybe I'm way off. Good luck to your kid!
but
(... go with the outside pitch, etc.?)
^^^This is NOT as originally posted by D-DaD at all. It is butchered/spliced to make a point. The point being, this is starting to sound like she is willfully changing her approach to a slow pitcher as a matter of intent.
Could there be a little bit of "I'm gonna crush one off this slow pitcher" that has her deserting her more sound learned principles that you described?
I'll exit and let others continue. No offense to you D-Dad. Maybe I'm way off. Good luck to your kid!
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