DD not swinging all the way through

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May 19, 2016
198
28
DD has for some reason developed the habit of stopping her swing shortly after contact, sometimes almost at the point of contact. Aside from doing some tee work and constantly reaffirming to finish her swing, are there any drills that anyone suggests to help fix this?
 
Jun 29, 2013
589
18
Very common fro younger players, they just have no idea that they do that. You have the right thoughts already on reinforcing the notion that follow through matters with a swing, it's more of a repetition thing. I'd also recommend making her watching her swing on video a few times so she sees what she is doing.
 
Oct 11, 2010
8,337
113
Chicago, IL
I looked quickly to see how old your DD is., still not sure.

DD's and teammates bats bounced backwards when they hit the ball until 12 or 14U. They did follow through but you could see the bat go backwards at contact.
 
May 19, 2016
198
28
Sorry, I forgot to mention she Is 9. I appreciate the comments from both of you. Ill set up my phone to record her next time we do some hitting so she can see It herself.
 
Jan 6, 2009
6,590
113
Chehalis, Wa
There are a couple of things, 1 is to have her imagine she is hitting a ball after contact. So if she is making contact pretend there is another ball after contact to hit through.

2 is to extend and then extend again, delaying the wrist roll until well after contact.
 
Aug 23, 2016
359
43
Repetition, repetition, repetition. A lot of young players react like they're a little surprised at contact, and they stop their swing. This is especially true when they aren't hitting off a tee, because the feel of the bat hitting a moving ball is different than the feel of the bat hitting the ball on a tee.

Encourage her to finish her swing every time, but give her more time to get used to the feeling of hitting the ball.

My DD used to basically let go of the bat at contact, but she stopped doing that when she got used to how hitting live pitching feels.
 
Jan 6, 2009
6,590
113
Chehalis, Wa
Try to do a short follow through as a step to extend through contact and then extend again (away from the body). Try to hold this position as a step to a better finish. One thing is it gives you a goal to extend through contact, and that there is an end to the swing (just don't end it at contact). So doing a short follow through helps with the over all sequence of the swing, the swing does have a ending point. So a short follow through helps with the acceleration/deceleration in the swing by giving you a goal of where to end.

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Chris Delorit

Member
Apr 24, 2016
343
28
Green Bay, WI
DD has for some reason developed the habit of stopping her swing shortly after contact, sometimes almost at the point of contact. Aside from doing some tee work and constantly reaffirming to finish her swing, are there any drills that anyone suggests to help fix this?

Shawn,

Another thing you'll commonly see around around that 10U level is developing a hesitation, or a bit of timidity, after they've stung/jammed the horseshoe of the top hand on a hit off the handle or on the very end of bat. Has she recently fouled a ball off of her leg/foot, or maybe off of the underside of the facemask that either hurt or spooked her a little bit?

Chris
 
Last edited:
May 19, 2016
198
28
Shawn,

Another thing you'll commonly see around around that 10U level is developing a hesitation, or a bit of timidity, after they've stung/jammed the horseshoe of the top hand on a hit off the handle or on the very end of bat. Has she recently fouled a ball off of her leg/foot, or maybe off of the underside of the facemask that either hurt or spooked her a little bit?

Chris

Nope. Shes seen It happen to one of her friends though. I don't think It spooked her, probably made her aware of the possibility though, that was like a year ago. Any tips on how to mentally get past something like that? Never hurts to have the knowledge If It arises.
 

Chris Delorit

Member
Apr 24, 2016
343
28
Green Bay, WI
She's still very young both mentally and emotionally, so I'd suggest positive reinforcement and try to practice it out of her over a period of time. There's not much that confidence can't overcome. Make it fun, keep the mind active with competitive challenges along the way. As she progresses, she'll experience all the those little bumps and bruises that come with the territory. I'd bet that she'll grow out of it without either of you even realizing it. :cool:

Or, maybe she becomes the team's...catcher. ;)

Chris
 

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