Hitting advice from a college camp

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Jun 27, 2011
5,089
0
North Carolina
Was watching a camp very recently that had several college coaches, from major D-1 to D-111.

The camp is very good, so I hope what I'm about to say doesn't come across the wrong way. But for someone who is well-read in hitting debates that go on here, it was interesting to hear some of the things that I did. The following examples were not necessarily consensus opinions among the coaches (although I didn't poll them), but they were taught by at least one that I witnessed ...

-The door-knocker knuckle grip is the correct one, and players going to it may see an immediate power surge.
-Stride to a closed front foot. Three different coaches demonstrated or taught that.
-Keep both hands on the bat beyond follow through. (In other words, don't release one hand as the bat whips over the shoulder).
-Keep back elbow down. Arms should look kinda like this in the stance: /\. If the back elbow was pointing back, it got lowered.
-Knob to ball. (I saw this demonstrated by a coach using her arms. She's a young coach who just got finished setting all sorts of school records.)

I should add that the coach teaching the door-knocker grip is head of a good D-1 team. They were Top 25 for a time last season. I googled and found only one of her hitters in a stance. Naturally, that hitter did not grip the bat the way she was teaching it. :)

Will also add that I've almost never heard a college coach in a camp discuss coiling the hip or really anything advanced about the hips except that they are important in a female athlete. But I can't remember any college coaches really focusing on them. Not sure I heard any discussion of hips at this camp. Lot of talk about stance, hands, arms, driving the knee, extension.

Question -- How much swing tinkering should a college player expect from her coach? I recently asked a baseball player who starts at UNC, and he told me coaches don't mess with their swings, they take what you've got unless there's mutual agreement on a problem. Sounds like that is not the habit in college softball.
 
Last edited:
May 22, 2015
410
28
Illinois
Hmmmm. My DD has taken hitting lessons from 2 different instructors that taught the door knocker grip and back elbow down. Is this not good mechanics then? It seemed a little strange to me coming from playing a lot of baseball, but having never played a game of fast pitch softball in my life I didn't question it.
 
Jun 27, 2011
5,089
0
North Carolina
Hmmmm. My DD has taken hitting lessons from 2 different instructors that taught the door knocker grip and back elbow down. Is this not good mechanics then?

Style. There are some good hitters who have door-knocker grip. I think Pujols and Mendoza might be two. (Jessica, not Mario.)

But most elite hitters do not, and it should not be forced upon a hitter who is otherwise comfortable, IMO.
 
Last edited:
Jul 16, 2013
4,659
113
Pennsylvania
I have had DD to 2 college camps this summer.

D2 taught very similar to what is listed in OP. Blatantly said that coiling is a mistake. "The ball is coming so quick, the hitter doesn't have time to coil". No comment on my part... She had no issue with DD letting go of the bat with 1 hand when she did. I did not attend that particular camp. She went with a friend that drives. Both came to me afterwards and asked me to "fix them". Lol!! This is a competitive D2 program with some very good hitters. I decided to do some research on their site, and couldn't find a single hitter that matched what was taught at the clinic.

D3 was a pleasant surprise. I stayed to watch that one. The hitting coach spoke with the group at the beginning of the camp and mentioned some of the things that are discussed here and other sites. I actually overheard him mention the term "corner" which I have never heard from any one else locally. Overall this was a pretty good clinic. This is a competitive D3 school which is usually top 3 in their conference.

The pitching instruction was equally bad at both of them. Lot's of elbow pointing... The D2 coach would demonstrate her preferred mechanics in slow motion. Her college pitchers would do the same thing. Then her top pitcher provided a demonstration and used pretty good I/R mechanics followed by a quick pull up of the arm to get into the HE finish. This is pretty typical from what I have seen.

Anyone going to a college clinic for instruction purposes is making a mistake in my opinion. I send DD for the communication aspect. If she intends to play in college, no matter what level, she needs to be comfortable speaking with and dealing with college level coaches. I believe the clinics provide a good practice environment for her to learn those skills and develop a relationship with the coaches. We recently attended a major showcase in our region to watch a friend. As we were walking around, a college coach walked over and said hi to DD. It was the coach from the D3 school. So even though DD wasn't playing, the college coach noticed she was there.
 
Jun 17, 2009
15,105
0
Portland, OR
Hmmmm. My DD has taken hitting lessons from 2 different instructors that taught the door knocker grip and back elbow down. Is this not good mechanics then? It seemed a little strange to me coming from playing a lot of baseball, but having never played a game of fast pitch softball in my life I didn't question it.

We were informed here at DFP that Pat Murphy was instructing an "elbows level on the table" approach ... i.e., elbows down. Game swings of his players confirmed that his players were NOT following such advice.

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Jun 17, 2009
15,105
0
Portland, OR
From what we were told, this Alabama player is completely disregarding her coaches instruction ...

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- Door knocking knuckles aligned … Nope!

- Elbows level on the table …. Nope!

- Static …. Nope!
 
Jun 17, 2009
15,105
0
Portland, OR
The defiance of the coach's hitting instruction, as explained here at DFP, is on display in every game I've seen.


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- Door knocking knuckles aligned … Nope!

- Elbows level on the table …. Nope!

- Static …. Nope!
 

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