Critique / Help Series of Swings

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RayR

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Piazza

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Aug 29, 2011
1,114
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Dallas, TX
Thank you all very much. She does know she strides too long, and reaches with her stride leg.

Well she does stride too long, but only in the context of either too much head movement, or the backside never being able to catch up and get her back hip under her core. Her hips are not closed enough! Looking at her I would guess she hits more line-drives to right-center than directly to left field, but that would also depend on allowing the ball to get deeper. If she gets more force in the backside by shortening her stride 3 inches, or just learns to use the back hip more to get the backside (back knee) up under her hips, then either will work. But the later means more head movement. I would prefer to shorten her stride a little with a firm weight transfer and toe touch.
 
Aug 29, 2011
1,114
0
Dallas, TX
redhotcoach, thanks for the gifs. How do you make these? I might add that this pitch really shows the barred front elbow, but she is also really reaching down and out for that pitch and still hits it off the tip of the bat. Not "deep" enough.
 
Aug 29, 2011
1,114
0
Dallas, TX
The 1,3,4th .gifs really demonstrate the "flat" line, or direct line of the bat head to contact. A "short swing". Also in the 4th and 5th swings, it shows how long the bat stays in the hitting plane, because you can see their back elbows start to extend, "extension" through the zone, yet still make solid contact.
 
Aug 29, 2011
1,114
0
Dallas, TX
inside outside.jpg

I want to mention that hitting to any field, the mechanics, the swing never change. The only change is the orientation of the core toward the targeted field (hitting it where it is pitched). To do so just point the belly button at right-field to hit there. The back knee and shoe strings should also point in that direction. Do it in slow motion, and you can see how the swing mechanics do not change. And it isn't necessary to REACH!
 
Aug 29, 2011
1,114
0
Dallas, TX
I think softball phreak's post here is really relevant. I try to avoid this. Once good mechanics are learned, and that is individual, because I have advanced students in some countries and some with really bad habits, I try to emphasize adjusting the swing to "where it is pitched". I use smaller really soft light weight rubbery balls and stand at 45 degrees out to the side of the batter. I throw pitches just in front of her front hip (hit to center-field), and throw balls at her back hip (a lot of them hit me) for hitting to RF. I do it every other pitch. Then when they are performing 90-95% correctly, I start making it random. They have to adjust to what they see in more of a game time speed.

Of course the tee work is important, but hitting only out in front and not mixing it up is going to do as much harm as good. So in the beginning I like a lot of 2 tee work, up the middle and outside positions.
 
Aug 29, 2011
1,114
0
Dallas, TX
The issue is not her front arm....all working on her front arm will do is increase the amount she pushes her hands/arms through the swing....like doing a bench press....which requires you to hit the ball out in front....way out front....

Once she learns to hit the ball deeper, control the stride with her back leg and launch the barrel in the correct direction by using her back arm better she will be fine....she can learn to use her back to swing and not her chest....

I posted before that some problems are the lesser result of bigger problems, and some will go away or lessen when major issues are fixed. But here I have a little issue. She is reaching out for a low pitch off the tip of her bat in some .gifs here and I think the last of her four swings if I recall. In every swing her front arm bars. So that being the case she will struggle staying inside, inside pitches in particular. It isn't a positive! Some girls who get their bat wrapped, or bar their front arms have a hard time pulling the trigger on inside heat. I need an explanation from you, because as you put it here, it seems she should let the ball get deeper near the back hip on inside pitches. I don't think you believe that?
 

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