Coil and Stride Question

I was told that the vast majority of high school and college girls softball players will resort to losing the coil and the stride due to the pitching speed being much faster at that level. They will just end up shortening their swing and in some cases they won't even be raising their front foot. I am trying to help my 10 U daughter develop a practical swing that she can build with over time. Is there a "practical" consensus on how "long" the swing should be? Or a discussion on this elsewhere?

thanks!!!!

The good hitters will begin to coil/load and toe touch/stride by the time the pitcher has released. Start to swing on every pitch, just stop on the bad pitches. Mechanics don't change for faster pitchers, just the timing starts earlier.

If you know to start a healthy "swing sequence" 'early and slow', then there is more than ample time to coil. Coiling is a form of loading ... and as I tell my hitters ... we never cheat our load. No pitcher is fast enough to make us cheat our load.

I like it! Thanks to both of you!

stickpile39 said:

I was told that the vast majority of high school and college girls softball players will resort to losing the coil and the stride due to the pitching speed being much faster at that level. They will just end up shortening their swing and in some cases they won't even be raising their front foot. I am trying to help my 10 U daughter develop a practical swing that she can build with over time. Is there a "practical" consensus on how "long" the swing should be? Or a discussion on this elsewhere?

thanks!!!!

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Agree with FFS and RHC. I tell the kids I work with; that they don't have time "NOT TO LOAD". Sometime when you get a chance, take some swings off of a tee; alternating back and forth between coiling and not coiling. I think you will find as I did that you will generate more bat speed and get a better hand path when you coil.

I always relate hitting to throwing every chance I get because it's easier for the kids to feel when they leak power. Next time you throw; open up your front foot when you first begin to step. IOW as soon as you break your hands, open up your front foot. That action will cause you to give up your coil early; or what some of us refer to as "leak the coil". Compare that type of throw to a throw where you keep your front side closed when you step, and letting your front thigh roll over naturally right before your foot lands. Which way feels more powerful or feels more effortless?

These are the type of experiments I get the kids to do to help them to feel the difference between various actions. You can do the same thing with the hand load. The kids can't throw a ball very far if they aren't allowed to break their throwing hand, palm down and back, LOL. They figure that one out pretty quickly.