13yo Maddie

FP26 said:

While mechanics are the aspect of hitting that seems to be discussed the most, I would argue that the mental aspects of hitting are even more important to overall success. One part of that is 'confidence'. One thing that stands out to me concerning Maddie's most recent swings is that she looks extremely confident. FFS likes to utilize the term 'predator'. When I watch these most recent swings, I think predator is an accurate term. Keep up the good work and allow her to enjoy the success. I wouldn't be surprised if her swing develops on its own over the next few months.

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djcarter1966 said:

Thx [MENTION=8854]Eric F[/MENTION] I know we've discussed it before and you've mentioned the farther back she goes the longer and loopier (is that a word) her swing becomes....which is why I only advocate getting as much separation and better bat angle as proper mechanics will allow...if this is truly it then that is where you leave it but that does not mean that you let her think it is optimal or OK...she should always know there is room for improvement and she does not have to take your word or anyone else word she can watch videos on her phone or computer just like anyone else...maybe when the college season starts up if you guys watch have her pick out her top three or five hitters and study them...maybe those hitters aren't perfect but my guess is they are closer to what I'm advocating than what she is doing.

Did I mentioned she is really crushing it and looks pretty good and that I'm really just trying to look at something that will make a minor improvement she does look really aggressive at the plate and as others have said given sound mechanics (sequence) which she has conquering the mental side will put her ahead of her peers.

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justanotherguy said:

Love watching her vids Eric. What bat size/weight is she using? I quite enjoy seeing the 3rd baseman frozen as the ball moves by too fast for her to realize the ball just flew past her. (I'm jealous you're already playing games! Our first field practice is this coming weekend!)

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Eric F said:

Thanks!

She's using a 33/23 Easton Ghost. She's been using a 33/23 CF8 for most of the past year.

So Cal is kind of a favorable area for softball

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justanotherguy said:

Have you thought about moving her up in weight? It seems like she could handle it! I'd love to see her swing a -8. Reminds me of one of the baseball teams I coached a few years back. One of the boys was on the stronger and older side for the league (14/13u). He was using a -10. You could just see that he was a strong kid so I suggested the dad go ahead and move him to a -3 BBCOR and get him ready for HS. The kid didn't drop a single bit in his swing speed and even with BBCOR probably added 5mph to the ball exit speed. Seems like Maddie could be one of those girls. I'd love to see her swing something with more mass!

I'm obviously stupid with softball at this point, but if you've got a masher up to bat I'd think the girls would move back to at least even with the bases. I can't imagine Maddie gets the bunt sign very often!

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Eric F said:

I'm fine with where she is for her bat length and weight.Lots and lots of college girls who are bigger and stronger than she is swing -10 bats. She's a strong kid, but I don't feel like a -8 would be a good choice for her at the moment.

When you face a team you've never played before, you can't always predict what hitters will do. Maddie's double was on the heels of a HR over the same LF's head. After that, LF played a lot deeper for the rest of the game - LOL.

Maddie doesn't get asked to bunt very often, but she's actually pretty good at it. On her last team, it's a skill that was instructed to all the girls on a regular basis.

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justanotherguy said:

Plenty fair enough. Keep posting her vids.

I'd imagine if a team knew her and played deep, a bunt could be quite a surprise.

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