That is a worthwhile goal!
10yo DD - Getting Closer ?
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That is a worthwhile goal!
I'm jealous. I'd like my 9yos swing to look this good but she's not as interested as putting in the work you DD does.Still trying to figure it out. She has been squaring the ball up very well lately.
We just played a state 10u state tournament (84 degrees in FL) this last weekend and she was crushing everything.
Please let me know your thoughts & suggestions.
Thx,
Batdragon
My DD became highly motivated when we changed travel teams. She is lucky to be on one of the best 10u travel teams in the country and she is surrounded by highly motivated and talented players. Being surrounded by great players seemed to really motivate her internally to work on her mechanics in hitting & fielding.
Also, once she realized that the focusing on her mechanics lead to more success on the field she became addicted to getting better.
She definitely has a few more things to work on, but she seems to be getting there. It is pretty exciting to watch. It is so cool how some small changes to mechanics can make such a huge difference.
- Aug 20, 2013
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batdragon, what organization is she with? Swing looks really good!
Tell her she is doing awesome! And tell her frequently.
There are going to be setbacks where she reverts back to old habits, especially in games, and you are most likely going to get frustrated when that happens. It is important to be prepared for how you are going to handle it mentally. Confidence is a huge component of hitting and you as coach/dad can either make it or break it for her. It is something I am working hard at this year- trying to remain upbeat and positive in the face of adversity instead of taking the easy way out and coming down hard on dd when she makes mistakes and ruining her confidence.
Keeped focused on the goal, whatever it may be, and don't worry so much about the bumps in the road. Have fun and enjoy the ride!
There are going to be setbacks where she reverts back to old habits, especially in games, and you are most likely going to get frustrated when that happens. It is important to be prepared for how you are going to handle it mentally. Confidence is a huge component of hitting and you as coach/dad can either make it or break it for her. It is something I am working hard at this year- trying to remain upbeat and positive in the face of adversity instead of taking the easy way out and coming down hard on dd when she makes mistakes and ruining her confidence.
Keeped focused on the goal, whatever it may be, and don't worry so much about the bumps in the road. Have fun and enjoy the ride!
redhotcoach
Out on good behavior
- May 8, 2009
- 4,698
- 38
This will be my 9th year coaching and on the theme of fball's post. Let her strike out! Having had dozens of girls, and dozens of parents, very very few let their dd strikeout...and that includes me in hind site. Anyone that is posting on dfp is a kind of a nut anyway obviously including me, and I don't believe any of you if you say "I always let my dd strike out...no pressure" well if you haven't put to much pressure on your kid, you will. I think crankermo was the first to put the "ok to strikeout" words in my head. I just hope to put it in the back of everyone elses head.
2nd they are girls...they WILL cry. All of them. I have had girls that get on other girls for crying, then 2 months down the road that girl is ballin all the time. Don't hug em...don't come into the dug out...don't encourage them to run out to you...just give em a wink, maybe a "you'll get em" or "love ya"...that's enough. Now if she becomes the kid that never practices or works hard, then strikes out and cries every at bat, some tough love is necessary.
2nd they are girls...they WILL cry. All of them. I have had girls that get on other girls for crying, then 2 months down the road that girl is ballin all the time. Don't hug em...don't come into the dug out...don't encourage them to run out to you...just give em a wink, maybe a "you'll get em" or "love ya"...that's enough. Now if she becomes the kid that never practices or works hard, then strikes out and cries every at bat, some tough love is necessary.
RHC,
Great post. Trust me when I say, giving them the freedom to fail/strike out is the best gift you can give them. My opinion is that 99% of players and coaches that DESIRE and ACHIEVE the HLS have the trait of being perfectionists and that causes them to be hard on themselves which in turn makes them afraid of failure. This game is predicated on failure and how you react to it, the great ones accept it but figure out why and try to limit the rate of failure. The good one just keep going down the easy path.
I'm not going to sit here and lie and say that Brooke and I had the Brady bunch type relationship during her journey, there were a lot of tears and fights along the way, trust me. I'm a very demanding dad/coach and there are things I wish I would've done differently but I honestly don't know if we would've gotten to where we are right now without some of that craziness. I love and cherish my kids more than anything in life and I want the best for them because I know what they are capable of. Every single parent on here has the same desire for their kid/kids or you wouldn't be on here. Good luck to everyone and enjoy it
Great post. Trust me when I say, giving them the freedom to fail/strike out is the best gift you can give them. My opinion is that 99% of players and coaches that DESIRE and ACHIEVE the HLS have the trait of being perfectionists and that causes them to be hard on themselves which in turn makes them afraid of failure. This game is predicated on failure and how you react to it, the great ones accept it but figure out why and try to limit the rate of failure. The good one just keep going down the easy path.
I'm not going to sit here and lie and say that Brooke and I had the Brady bunch type relationship during her journey, there were a lot of tears and fights along the way, trust me. I'm a very demanding dad/coach and there are things I wish I would've done differently but I honestly don't know if we would've gotten to where we are right now without some of that craziness. I love and cherish my kids more than anything in life and I want the best for them because I know what they are capable of. Every single parent on here has the same desire for their kid/kids or you wouldn't be on here. Good luck to everyone and enjoy it
I think a big part of the equation is why they're striking out. If they are watching good pitches go by because they are afraid to swing and miss, and are praying to draw a walk (this was my DD), then there needs to be an adjustment to the mental approach in the box. This is a case where some coaching needs to happen. If they are swinging at good pitches, and just getting beat, I have no problem with it. They will get a high-five from me for their effort, and encouragement for the next time. Generally speaking, I don't even have much trouble with a girl who chases bad pitches, but puts in a good effort to hit the ball. To me, this means that she's thinking aggressively (good!), but we need to do some work on pitch recognition. Taking a late, tentative stab at a ball way out of the zone, however, goes back to mental approach.
FiveFrameSwing
Banned
Bold above .... I'm going to disagree with you on that. To me, that is something you work on in every batting practice ... ... ... sort of a mentality that what you teach yourself to swing at in BP will be what you swing at in games.
While I do not perform an eye training drill that has the hitter calling out the colors of differently pitched balls, I will on occasion perform an eye tracking drill that has the hitter calling out location (either 'inside' or 'outside'), with the mentality being that one of the first things we are trying to identify in the box is the location of the pitch.
