Form vs. Function

I found it interesting that he leaked forward, identified the pitch and was still able to adjust.

ian said:

I watched Hunter Pence adjust to a Clayton Kershaw curveball last night and hit a 370' line drive over the wall. Hunter has his own style.

If anyone can GIF it, it's worth a look.

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Yes, his style is all his own. However, his swing movements are still in the pattern of elite hitters.

Pence wins it after showdown | MLB.com

Not many major leaguers (elite hitters) have at bats like this.

mm'spapa said:

My kid is hitting great against average high school pitching. She has no hitting coach, just a natural hitter. Mucho power, out of park home runs over 215' fence, I taped it. 12 singles and 10 extra base hits in last 41 at bats. Does not have classic form at all. I believe she is not reaching her full potential. Questions... get hitting coach or leave her alone?

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I'd post a swing or two and let the DFP clan let you know what she needs to work on.

It could be that she has decent mechanics and the other hitters on the team are flawed. Hitting bombs while the other girls are being coached to ground out is sure to draw attention, sometimes criticism.

It could be that she is terribly flawed and is just getting lucky batting .500 and hitting bombs (doubt it). Odds are she is doing some things right.

Good hitters will continue to perfect their craft until they hang em up. Batting instructors can help with this process. Go see a coach or two and get their input. Many dads/coaches will reach a point where they 'leave it alone' and let their competition catch up. There is always something to work on. Even after mechanics are perfect the batter can always use more reps.

of course get a hitting coach. and what i mean by that is she needs to learn all she can about what she might already be doing naturally in order to optimize it and get it back when she goes in a slump. now, that could be a coach you find, locally or these days even online (or via the group here at DFP if you post some video). it could be YOU if you want to read and learn. it could even be her if SHE wants to read and learn. great players are great students of the game. teachers come in all kinds of forms.