A hitter is swinging/ 'committed' to every pitched ball. Up until the hitter decides not to swing or 'commit' to the pitched ball.
Yes. This is the way I should have put it before. Every pitch is a "YES!"....until it's a "no".
11yo Maddie
- Thread starter Eric F
- Start date
Welcome to Discuss Fastpitch
Your FREE Account is waiting to the Best Softball Community on the Web.
Yes. This is the way I should have put it before. Every pitch is a "YES!"....until it's a "no".
Practice makes perfect -- but if struggling with a particular concept I think you have to move beyond "memory triggers" to training the exact thing you want to fix.
Rent a pitcher and get her swings (and takes) against live pitching as much as possible. I like a tee-to-front-toss-to-machine-to-live-pitching progression, but at some point if mechanics are falling apart against live pitching no amount of front toss is going to fix it -- and trying and failing against live pitching in practice is a no-lose situation.
- Apr 13, 2015
- 36
- 0
Agreed. We try and set up her hitting (and taking) against pitchers on her team. That's what that video above is from. It's nice to do it off a 'real' pitcher as opposed to even a coach pitching because the windup is usually not a 'game' type windup, if that makes sense...
So you say you want her to stride more but don't want to tell her how far?
Gave you a generic formula from Howard. Take it or leave it...ok with me.....works for all my students....
SL
Last edited:
- May 3, 2014
- 2,149
- 83
Lose the knee flexion start. Either stay tall and swing from there or start lower to eliminate that move. It's just wasted motion that is creating a timing issue.
- Apr 13, 2015
- 36
- 0
While I'll agree it's wasted motion, I have always thought the load process was an individualized and personalized movement. Doesn't matter how you get to launch, as long as you get the coil happening, which I think she does. I just think she needs to move that startup process up in the timeline a little bit so the positive move is happening a couple tenths of a second earlier. Not trying to sound so defensive...lol..I just don't want to mess with something that feels comfortable to her.
Plus I think it really helps her 'sink' into the ground. I remember Don Mattingly doing something similar.
Last edited:
FiveFrameSwing
Banned
Correct, your daughter needs to improve her "timing of the pitcher" such that she is moving forward just as the ball is being released by the pitcher.
To make up for doing this 'earlier', it will help if she initially loads the rear leg 'slower' .... as in 'earlier and slower'.
This here ... what you wish to tackle ... is the holy grail to hitting. You are on the right track.
what if you combined both Butters and Fives suggestions, and ride the back knee flex forward ? Sink forward and down,starting tall, slow and early?
So you say you want her to stride more but don't want to tell her how far?
Gave you a generic formula from Howard. Take it or leave it...ok with me.....works for all my students....
SL
No, I don't want to tell her how far. I like what she does when it's natural for her (but more than just a pick-up/put-down). I don't see a need to put a constraint on that specific component in her swing. Maybe I would for another hitter, if it was leading to an issue, but for my DD, I don't feel it's required.
In my experience, generic formulas are fine for getting things in an approximate ballpark when things are really far out of whack. Beyond that, you're better off dealing with the individual as an individual.
If you're having success with the stride formula, that's just fine. I don't doubt your success. There may be a time when I want to apply it, too. That time is not right now, or with my DD.
- May 3, 2014
- 2,149
- 83
Why do hitters need to load the knees? Are they jumping up to swing? It's a wasted move. If anything I see a lot of good hitters straighten the rear leg/knee a bit during the timing of the pitch.
