Criticism on DD hits please

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Mar 4, 2016
66
6
Hello everyone. My daughter plays softball and she hits pretty well. I want to help her get better but I do not know that much about hitting (just the basics at best). I might do more harm than good actually so I'm looking for some help. She is a pitcher so I spend most of my time reading on that and helping out in that area. But she has been to a few hitting coaches here and there (maybe 5 or 6 total). Everything she has learned has been from Team coaches. She has always been one of the top hitters on what I would consider a B class team. Anyways, I'll be happy to answer any questions. This video was her highlight video she created from this past weekends games. Hits are first and go to about the 2:03 mark, then its her defensive plays. I also have the full game video if you would like to see her full at bats, including swings & misses, foul balls, etc...


Thanks in advance for any input. Also, if its decided that she doesn't need to change anything then that would be useful info as well so any and all suggestions are welcomed and appreciated.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZd6g-LEPOE&t=1s
 

NBECoach

Learning everyday
Aug 9, 2018
408
63
One quick observation on the hitting. The front foot comes dangerously close to being out of the box. If DD is consistent with the step then no need to change but be aware of it as good umpires will look for that.
 
Mar 4, 2016
66
6
One quick observation on the hitting. The front foot comes dangerously close to being out of the box. If DD is consistent with the step then no need to change but be aware of it as good umpires will look for that.

Interesting enough. I noticed this as well and asked her about it. She said the coach told her this was technically a baseball field and the batters box wasn't the correct size so don't worry about stepping out this box. I didn't even know there was different size boxes in baseball than softball. I will point out what I think could be a potential issue but first I'd like to see if I can get a few more opinions before I mention it. Hopefully someone else will notice it and not just me.

I also wanted to mention in my original post that she does get a lot of base hits and her batting average stays pretty consistent around .375 but she has never hit one over. She has come close several times but just lacks that extra power to get it over. Which surprises me because she's a pretty strong kid so leads me to believe something is holding her back with her swing.


Thank you for the response. :)
 

Chris Delorit

Member
Apr 24, 2016
343
28
Green Bay, WI
Djubs,

Nice post and kudos on your terrific attitude!

Sometimes when a father and a daughter already have a good understanding of the game, it just takes a couple of pictures or videos to do the talking.

I'll post a couple of videos for you. Yes, they're men...but I think it may just translate nicely for you both. ;)

If she can study, steal and apply any small details in areas like plate approach, posture, relaxation, discipline and mechanics, it's a valuable chapter in the book of fastpitch softball hitting. For the guys who've played fastpitch after playing baseball, you probably won't find one who wouldn't tell you that they would have been better baseball hitters had they had the opportunity to grow up playing softball first.

If you have any questions, just give a shout back.

Chris

 
Last edited:
Apr 20, 2018
4,581
113
SoCal
First of all, that is a very good swing. She is a line drive hitter. Have her do long tee drills where she get instant feedback from the trajectory of the ball and slowly and slightly change her launch angle. But then she has to miss it a hair under the equator (backspin) and then opps! They will leave the yard.
 

SB45

Dad, Coach, Chauffeur
Sep 2, 2016
150
28
Western NY
Nice swing, lots of good things. I think you are looking for the details in her swing that might be leaking power. IMO, I think she could sequence her swing a little better...basically I see her rotating everything at the same time once she starts to launch her swing...I believe some call this a swinging gate type of swing. I'd rather see her starting her front hip rotation first...resisting letting the rest of the swing launch at the same time. Create more torque. Ken Krause laid out a good order on here somewhere that goes something like...hips...then shoulders..then hands. Create more torque...more lag...but I wouldn't change much. focus on rotating the front hip hard to launch the swing...hopefully that will create some more separation with the shoulders and hands.
 
Dec 5, 2012
4,143
63
Mid West
SB45 nailed it... I also felt her sequencing is a touch off, and could coil up a bit more in her load. But overall she looks like a stud!!
 
Mar 4, 2016
66
6
Great observation and also exactly what I was thinking. Leaking power is the perfect way to describe what I was thinking was happening. I knew about separating the hips and hands but I seem to be getting mixed opinions on that. When I brought it up to one of the other parents on the team he said "she's getting plenty of separation" but when I compare her to other hitters its an obvious difference. We will work on rotating that front hip hard tonight and see if we can pull some extra power out of her.

Also, does anyone see an issue with her front elbow or does that look okay? One of the things that stood out to me while comparing her swing on film to other hitters on her team is the front elbow. Looks like she is pulling that front arm across her torso instead of extending it out. Could this be a result of having the gated swing? Meaning if she rotated that front hip sooner would that allow her to extend that front elbow out more instead of pulling it across the front of her body? She has actually hit several that had plenty of distance to go yard but everyone of them were about 15-20 ft foul and every time its been left field side.
 

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