Timing issues vs slow pitching

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Feb 4, 2015
641
28
Massachusetts
HS season started and DD is having issues with slow pitching. It's much slower than she sees in showcase, where she more or less just reacts. With the slower pitching, instead of just staying back and waiting, she's "leaking" forward which creates a weak swing and pops up or weak grounders.

We've tried throwing front toss at much slower speeds, moving front toss farther away to simulate a longer wait time, and she looks great. But get into a game, and she's out in front and toe touching too early, leading to a weak front side.

I've even suggested approaching it like whiffle ball where you just sit and wait and then rip it because these pitchers are basically just laying it in there. DD's teammates who only play HS are feasting off this pitching and DD just looks clueless. She's getting increasingly frustrated (which isn't helping her mentally) because she put in a ton of work over the winter and really wanted to do well.

Any suggestions? I truly believe this is more mental than mechanical, but open to any ideas, cues, approaches, etc.
 
Last edited:
Feb 17, 2014
7,152
113
Orlando, FL
It is definitely mental, specifically discipline. If folks spent half as much time on the mental and visual aspect of hitting most kids would hit .400. What has worked well for me is to go to the other end of the spectrum on lob it to her like slow pitch. If she stays disciplined and hit that, she can hit anything.
 
Jun 8, 2016
16,118
113
HS season started and DD is having issues with slow pitching. It's much slower than she sees in showcase, where she more or less just reacts. With the slower pitching, instead of just staying back and waiting, she's "leaking" forward which creates a weak swing and pops up or weak grounders.

We've tried throwing front toss at much slower speeds, moving front toss farther away to simulate a longer wait time, and she does fine. But get into a game, and she's out in front and toe touching too early, leading to a weak front side.

I've tried everything I can think of and even said to play it like whiffle ball where you just sit and wait and then rip it. Nothing seems to be working and now she's getting frustrated because she put in a ton of work over the winter.

Any suggestions? I truly believe this is more mental than mechanical, but open to any ideas.

If your mechanics are solid you should be able to get your timing down in the on-deck circle. If Arod can hit this, without knowing it is coming:



then a batter who knows what the speed
is going to be should be able to adjust if they have the proper mechanics. Granted with the eephus Arod was able to "double clutch" in terms of getting into his lead leg but the point is he didn't launch till he needed to.

Due to improper mechanics (imo), my 8 YO DD is having similar issues adjusting to widely varying pitch speeds at the 10U level.
 
Last edited:
Feb 4, 2015
641
28
Massachusetts
It is definitely mental, specifically discipline. If folks spent half as much time on the mental and visual aspect of hitting most kids would hit .400. What has worked well for me is to go to the other end of the spectrum on lob it to her like slow pitch. If she stays disciplined and hit that, she can hit anything.

Yes, this is exactly what we did. I threw front toss about as slow as I could, and then would mix in varying speeds. She looks great in the cages. Get her into a game and it's like she just forgets. I know she is pressing even though she says she's relaxed.
 
Feb 4, 2015
641
28
Massachusetts
If your mechanics are solid you should be able to get your timing down in the on-deck circle. If Arod can hit this, without knowing it is coming:
then a batter who knows what the speed is going to be should be able to adjust if they have the proper mechanics.

DD's played A level club and has hit at a high level for many years, so it's not that her mechanics all of a sudden changed. The pitching she's seeing in HS is levels below what she would see at a showcase. So it seems for a good hitter it should be so easy to just adjust, see ball-hit ball, relax, do what you've always done, etc.

She's just got an awful case of what would be like the yips in golf and I'm not sure how to help her work out of them.
 
Jun 8, 2016
16,118
113
She's just got an awful case of what would be like the yips in golf and I'm not sure how to help her work out of them.

When she is playing travel she handles off-speed pitches well?

If it is indeed mental then I don't know. Maybe tell her to focus on hitting the ball back through the box?
 
Feb 26, 2012
105
0
Indiana
As already stated, keep with the slow front toss...including slow front toss to the outside corner that she hits oppo...and get timing practice while on deck. Keep being encouraging.
 
Sep 21, 2017
230
43
PA
Talk about just competing, a lot! Competing every single pitch. If her mechanics are fine, riseball is right, it's all mental. Coaches who neglect the mental aspect are doing their players a great disservice. We spend as much, if not more, time on approach and mindset as we do on mechanics. Talk about how her only job on deck is to get on time. If the girls in front of her are timing it up well, have her mimic them (timing) during their at bats. On deck isn't for meaningless practice swings. Talk about approach, have the approach of gap to gap, depending on location. Slow her mind and body down. I would bet a good amount of someone else's money her hands are choking the life out of the bat...breath and relax the muscles and mind. She can't think things like "I have to get a hit". Her thoughts should be on hitting the ball hard and helping the team, given what the situation needs, that's it.

A couple timing drills we do are the 3 plate drill and bouncing tennis balls from in front, varying the distance where it bounces from.
 
Last edited:
May 17, 2012
2,804
113
Agreed. The most common issue from hitters I see is that they can't hit slower pitching or faster pitching. I find it's almost always related to resistance or lack thereof built into the swing.

Hitting slow-pitch softball as others suggested is a good way to practice. If you are indoors mix fastballs with change-ups (bounce them on the floor one time throwing overhand). Don't let them "guess" the timing....they need to move (resist) when you start your pitching sequence.

If they are going to "guess", that's a different approach and goes to the mental aspect as others suggested.
 

ez_softball

Life at the diamond...
Apr 14, 2017
158
28
Arod essentially plants the stride foot in rhythm for a fastball and then he resets on the off-speed pitch, re-strides on-time with his actual swing mechanics. This same approach for my daughter has been key in adjusting to slower pitching and change-ups. We call it a "toe touch" that allows her to stay balanced and launch at different times based on pitch speed.
 

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