14U (1996) hitting help

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May 9, 2008
443
16
Hartford, CT
My DD has a really nice swing at practice, at home off T doing drills.
In a game .... well .....

YouTube - MVI_1629.AVI

Pix show her leaning forward ... doesn't strike out too much actually ... but hits/contact are generally not very strong.

Any suggestions ???
I'm not saying too much but I can see she is getting frustrated.
 

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Oct 12, 2009
1,465
0
My DD has a really nice swing at practice, at home off T doing drills.
In a game .... well .....

YouTube - MVI_1629.AVI

Pix show her leaning forward ... doesn't strike out too much actually ... but hits/contact are generally not very strong.

Any suggestions ???
I'm not saying too much but I can see she is getting frustrated.

Second pic, and the fact that the swing in the third pic isn't bad, suggests dropping the hands and a general problem with adjusting. You can see some adjusting problems (e.g. dropping the hands) in the video clip.

Her swing when she's warming up also suggests some odd swing training and cues (e.g. arm-y and push-y).
 
Sep 29, 2008
1,401
63
Northeast Ohio
This is a very long swing that uses a great deal of time adjusting to the ball by lowering the hands and making a big part of the first move with hands only. looks like an excellent athletic build and giving good effort. She has to struggle with good pitching though. Just not an efficient position and starting move. Look at the great swings on the Model Swings link.
 
Last edited:
Sep 29, 2008
1,401
63
Northeast Ohio
I don't have time at this moment but if you can find "Tewks" thread on the Barrel to the Ball Drill, look at it, show your daughter, try it and then try it in slow motion. I think it would be really helpful for your daughter.

Remember you don't hit the ball with your hands or the knob...you have got to get the barrel around to the ball.
 
Aug 4, 2008
2,364
0
Lexington,Ohio
Some very good posts above. Start hands bottom hand top of the shoulder and the bat in the slot position. Dropping the hands causes all kind of adjustments. I would throw rise balls to her just watching this clip. Extension. She rolls her wrists during warm ups. Howard has posted the hands over drill so she finishes her swing correctly. She does not have her head down at contact. She wants to see where she is hitting the ball. Look at some of the pictures that FFS posts on MLB or elite softball players. Are you stronger with your head up or down at contact. ? Simple test. Have her stand in front of you with her hands in a praying position. Head up and see if you can force her hands down. Next have her have her head down and try it? She will feel the difference. I think her grip is wrong, since it looks like the top hand grip is too tight and that the bat is in the gap between the thumb and first finger. Look at the post I just posted on grip.
 
Feb 6, 2009
227
0
I noticed the top hand too. Too tight. She looks tense. Needs to relax.
The first swing in the video is of a chest high pitch that she drops her hands to swing under. She needs to understand how to adjust to the swing planes better with her shoulders not her hands. That pitch should be hit on a level plane.
Every swing I see she's out on her front foot. The first clip she lunges enough her left heel lifts off the gound. My DD had a major issue at second year U14 where she was getting on her front toe. I was given a suggestion to have her swing with her left toe on a softball. It helped alot. Kept her weight back off her toe. It took months to fix it.
 
Jan 14, 2009
1,591
0
Atlanta, Georgia
I don't see her dropping her hands like the slot-then-swing hitters do. I see her more as a hitter who has been taught to keep her hands up and just swing. More of a hands-to-the-ball type hitter. She clearly uses just her arms to power her swing.

From a practical hitting point of view ask yourself the following basic questions.
Do you believe it is a good idea for a hitter to start their swing from a dead stop?
Do you believe having a negative move is important?
When the back elbow slots, do you believe it is important for the hands to stay connected to the rear armpit area?
Do you believe it is important for the hips to lead the hands?
Do you believe it is important for a hitter to keep their weight back as they swing?


Without getting into a lot of detail, some of her problems are being caused by how she initiates her swing. I would suggest doing additional research into how the upper back arm works at "GO".

I would be curious as to what her overhand throw looks like. Does she have a pause?
 
R

RayR

Guest
Watched the youtube clip. She is leaving her hands behind. As her body starts to rotate forward her hands are dropping and her front arm is lengthening. It should keep what ever elbow angle it started with (in some cases the hands will have to be more aggressive and the elbow angle will decrease.)

This causes the bat head to drop and allow the back elbow to get ahead of the hands.

I would work on being more aggressive with the hands - THINK GETTING THE HANDS THROUGH!!
 

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