My daughter has struck out 6 times in the last 7 at bats....

Welcome to Discuss Fastpitch

Your FREE Account is waiting to the Best Softball Community on the Web.

WARRIORMIKE

Pro-Staff Everything
Oct 5, 2009
2,815
48
At the Jewel in San Diego
All a numbers game. Eventually she will hit the ball. Just go to cages and pitch to her.Throw changeups and fastballs. Don't come at me with the excuse you dont know how to pitch either. Underhand is fun to learn and time with your dd is the best thing you can do for her. She will work it out the hitting in time.
 
May 12, 2016
4,338
113
All a numbers game. Eventually she will hit the ball. Just go to cages and pitch to her.Throw changeups and fastballs. Don't come at me with the excuse you dont know how to pitch either. Underhand is fun to learn and time with your dd is the best thing you can do for her. She will work it out the hitting in time.

I know how to pitch because a long, long time ago I was a pitcher :).

Something I didn't mention, which I know is kind of dumb. Her eye glass prescription just changed, just a little change not much. Normally she wears contacts on the field, just better for perception than glasses. We are still waiting for delivery of the contacts. So she has worn glasses in every game so far this year.
 
Sep 29, 2014
2,421
113
Actually whenever a good athlete with good coordination is having issue checking their eyes is always one thing to check off the list. But it just sounds an awful lot like a timing issue if she is out in front. How does she do in the cage or BP against live pitching if she is still hitting well then there is probably not a mechanical excuse.
 

Tom

Mar 13, 2014
222
0
Texas
Bunting practice might help. Stress "catching the ball with the bat" on the bunts.

Bunting is completely about watching the pitch and getting her hands into position to bunt. Often a kid in a slump simply isn't watching the ball. Have her do a bunch of reps bunting, and she'll be more focused on the ball.

Great suggestion by sluggers.

My DD who hits very well (IMHO) in competitive travel ball picked up occasionally with a rec team (not a very competitive league) to get some circle time as she learns to pitch. Whenever she did, her hitting was way off. Discovered she was timing herself and not the pitch if that makes sense. She would start her sequence expecting the ball somewhere between 50-60 mph then "hitch" to hit a change up. With this leagues pitchers being at a lower speed and less movement than what she was used to she was WAY out in front of everything. Doing a lot of bunting really helped her understanding timing pitch regardless of speed, and I think, made her a better hitter at the travel level too. A drill she also used was to wear a LHT catchers or 1B mitt on top hand (for right handed batter) and go through full swing sequence and catch the ball at desired point of contact (lead arm tucked behind).
 

obbay

Banned
Aug 21, 2008
2,199
0
Boston, MA
I'm thinking you may have both mechanical and mental issues.
as usual, I think sluggers hit the nail on the head. Bunting practice can fix a whole lot of problems most of which start between the ears. seeing the ball better, timing, etc.

Also, when doing bunting practice you don't need to pitch from behind a screen and can vary speeds a lot. for the OP's DD's age, I would recommend varying the size of the balls used as well-12", 11", and different sized whiffle balls. some folks go even smaller than golf balls, mixing in coffee beans and dried peas, though that's usually when swinging away.

I just realized that my DD, who is having the worst season of her life at bat, would benefit greatly from some bunting practice. She can lay down a textbook bunt in her sleep, but that's not always what bunting practice is for.
 
Last edited:
Apr 28, 2014
2,322
113
All a numbers game. Eventually she will hit the ball. Just go to cages and pitch to her.Throw changeups and fastballs. Don't come at me with the excuse you dont know how to pitch either. Underhand is fun to learn and time with your dd is the best thing you can do for her. She will work it out the hitting in time.

100 swings a day!
4 buckets of balls. My favorite time of the day.
 
Jun 17, 2009
15,037
0
Portland, OR
Major slump to begin the season. She's never been in one like this before, generally is a very good hitter with lots of pop. Up here north of the border our girls (12u) play with 11inch balls and 35 feet distance from the pitching rubber to home plate. She is currently playing 14u, the pitching is now 38 feet from home plate and our picthers are using 12 inch balls. My daughter is way out front on most pitches, and either under or over the ball when her timing is right. And then the pitcher throws her change up and it's lights out. So for the most part, I think her issue is the distance has changed and pitchers are adjusting which means slower pitching.

I feel like she swings for the fences on every pitch, which I know can be a major part of the problem as well. It's not necessary because she has tons of bat speed when swinging at 80% capacity. But I'm not sure it would be a good move to tell her to settle down and not swing so hard... she's not off balance when swinging hard and she keeps her head on the ball. I think because she has been striking out so much it might be a mental thing now. Soft toss, hitting off the tee etc she is hitting the ball just fine.

Sorry, I don't have a video to post. Any general advice would help, she's quite frustrated right now. I keep assuring her that she will turn it around once she adjusts.

Without video you are subjecting yourself to rampant guessing.

Being "out front" suggests a timing and sequence issue.
 
Oct 19, 2009
1,825
0
You have been given some good advise, but a few other things to think about.

You may want to start with having her vision checked, my DD was making bad grades when she was younger and finally after a stern talk to her, she told me she could not see the board or writing in the books clearly. I thought she was making an excuse. After having her eyes checked she was telling the truth she did have a vision problem. I had to eat some crow with that one.

Make sure the helmet does not obstruct her vision, the helmet being too lose can obstruct her vision.

Make sure she is relaxed in the batters box, take a deep breath to relax just before the pitcher starts her motion.

Make sure she is tracking the ball all theway to the strike zone and not taking her eye off the ball.
 
Last edited:

Latest posts

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
42,865
Messages
680,328
Members
21,523
Latest member
Brkou812
Top