10yo Maddie

[Eric F]

I would be looking at the differences of the rear elbow/arm between the two gifs.

Yes. I saw that, too. She used to start her rear elbow higher, but has gotten away from it.

The tempo of her practice swing is much more relaxed, too - starting slow and early. The foul ball swing is very different.

 

[JJsqueeze]

What are her results Eric? I would think she is getting some monster hits when she gets ahold of them. Going down looking at any sort of borderline pitch does point back to more mental aspects than swing issues though. I know there are varying philosophies but in our house our philosophy is that we would rather see swinging strikeouts than walks and going down looking is about as bad as mistaking the kitchen sink for the toilet. Brutal, but after a steady diet of this, and some really bad instances of going down looking, they swung enough to stop looking at third strikes, lost any fear of swinging at a third strike and now can take a walk with the best of them but they do it on their terms. I have seen exactly three strikeouts between the two DDs since march. Sure they swung on some 3-0 counts for popups in there, but by and large the aggressiveness pays off huge at the plate.

I know you are a technical minded guy, but Maddie is a little stud and should not be going down looking EVER EVER EVER. She is too good not to be swinging at anything in the same hemisphere as her bat.

 

[rdbass]

The tempo of her practice swing is much more relaxed, too - starting slow and early. The foul ball swing is very different.

Foul ball, I see no 'start slow and early'. I see swing.

 

[softballphreak]

Here's a few swings during an at-bat in this past weekend's game...


The biggest focus right now is getting her to keep her hands from dropping as she strides. This has been part of her hitting pattern since she started playing, and it's been a very tough nut to crack. We have been working a lot on reinforcing the top hand swivel action, but it's not showing up against live pitching yet. Her low hand-set is leading to a lot of fly balls, but it leaves her very vulnerable to pitches up in the zone.

This at-bat resulting in her looking at a borderline low and outside pitch called for strike 3. She was not happy about the call, and it took her head out of the game for the next inning, which got her moved from 2B to RF.

Appears that a little "rock the u" would be a big help here. Nice swing!

 

[Eric F]

What are her results Eric? I would think she is getting some monster hits when she gets ahold of them. Going down looking at any sort of borderline pitch does point back to more mental aspects than swing issues though. I know there are varying philosophies but in our house our philosophy is that we would rather see swinging strikeouts than walks and going down looking is about as bad as mistaking the kitchen sink for the toilet. Brutal, but after a steady diet of this, and some really bad instances of going down looking, they swung enough to stop looking at third strikes, lost any fear of swinging at a third strike and now can take a walk with the best of them but they do it on their terms. I have seen exactly three strikeouts between the two DDs since march. Sure they swung on some 3-0 counts for popups in there, but by and large the aggressiveness pays off huge at the plate.

I know you are a technical minded guy, but Maddie is a little stud and should not be going down looking EVER EVER EVER. She is too good not to be swinging at anything in the same hemisphere as her bat.

Through 6 games she is 4-for-9, with 4 Ks and 3 BBs. Her hits tend to be gap-to-gap line drives and fly balls. I would put her in the top 3 on our team for hitting power.

I completely agree about attitude at the plate. We talk about it a lot, but she's not yet bringing it to the box.

 

[Eric F]

Foul ball, I see no 'start slow and early'. I see swing.

I agree. That's what I see, too.

Foul ball - rushed tempo...

Practice swing - slow and early start...

 

[rdbass]

At least your showing your work.
Here is Maddie's swing:

Just tell her to let it rip. Don't be afraid to strike out.

 

[Eric F]

At least your showing your work.
Here is Maddie's swing:

Just tell her to let it rip. Don't be afraid to strike out.

We obviously still have a lot to work on, but I feel like things are headed in a very positive direction. In practice, we've worked a lot recently on turning the barrel with the focus being top hand swivel, but it still isn't fully programmed.

Striking out is her biggest fear. She LOATHES failure, and usually falls apart mentally after a mistake. Getting this straightened out is as big a challenge - maybe bigger - than any of the mechanical aspects.

 

[softballphreak]

Through 6 games she is 4-for-9, with 4 Ks and 3 BBs. Her hits tend to be gap-to-gap line drives and fly balls. I would put her in the top 3 on our team for hitting power.

I completely agree about attitude at the plate. We talk about it a lot, but she's not yet bringing it to the box.

There's an article I read in one of the mental strategies books. It tells of "acting" the part. Much like an actress would do on a set. The more you "act" the part, the more it can become part of your demeanor. Your game face so to speak.

I tell players from time to time to "showboat it" a little. Visualize how a champion would feel and act and "try that on" to see how it fits!

 

[CLM265]

I asked my homes resident 8YO what she noticed different in the practice and game swing and one of the things she mentioned is the back foot action is different. She said that it looked like she was spinning her back foot in the game swing.