16yo Maddie

[Eric F]

I like how as she's gotten more comfortable with her sequencing she's opened herself up to bigger movements creating real power. Kudos to her and her coach(es including you). That was also a very nice adjustment.

I also like how when she practices (as we've seen in other videos) she's focused now on results, ie, driving balls over the fence or hitting the foul pole lol....the body moves as it must to deliver BIG results like that, whether in practice or games. Congrats to Maddie. Wasn't long ago she contemplated walking away, right? I hope she is having fun and she takes the game where she wants it to go

Yes. Last fall, she had a rough time, and stepped away from the game for a few months. Her enjoyment of HS ball kept her from leaving the game completely, and the short HS season got her juices flowing again. She's backed off from being on a top PGF-competitive team (for now), and is just enjoying playing the game. The experience also changed her path for college. At this point, it looks unlikely that she wants to pursue a sports-focused D1 experience, but rather something that is more balanced with academics and other parts of life.

 

[Eric F]

Nice job with a pitch up in the zone. Two things I notice that I focus on with my kid are the extra bat movement during the load and a slight dropping of the hands. However, it's obvious that neither affected her ability to hit this ball. Good looking transfer and follow-through.

We have found that staying athletic is good for her. In her case, this means allowing her to be free to move her hands/arms before launch, or include a kick/tap-back. For some players, this can create issues, especially if it is contributing to inconsistent downstream actions.

 

[RichK]

Yes. Last fall, she had a rough time, and stepped away from the game for a few months. Her enjoyment of HS ball kept her from leaving the game completely, and the short HS season got her juices flowing again. She's backed off from being on a top PGF-competitive team (for now), and is just enjoying playing the game. The experience also changed her path for college. At this point, it looks unlikely that she wants to pursue a sports-focused D1 experience, but rather something that is more balanced with academics and other parts of life.

Sounds familiar x 2 for me. It's cool to watch kids figure out their own lives. That's a helluva swing though. Go Maddie!

 

[_MIA_]

Maddie's first games as a 16yo, she banged this one a bit over 230'...

Keep improving kid!!

 

[Eric F]

Keep improving kid!!

Wow. You dug deep in the archives for that one! That was the fall after her first season of 10U. During the following spring season, she made the move to TB, and her development took off in a big way. Thanks for the memory!

 

[Shawn]

That pitch was well up in the zone. She has to stand up (come out of her posture a little) to hit it. Don't think you can teach that. Just an athlete with great eye hand coordination. Launch angle was very high. What was the hang time on that bomb?

yes she is making a great adjustment. I wouldn’t call this standing up, more of a posture adjustment (front shoulder to back hip)

 

[_MIA_]

Wow. You dug deep in the archives for that one! That was the fall after her first season of 10U. During the following spring season, she made the move to TB, and her development took off in a big way. Thanks for the memory!

I just followed the links back..

 

[ANNASDAD]

She looks great Eric, making it look effortless! I wouldn't say she stood up either, she was looking for that pitch and locked in on it!

 

[Eric F]

First AB with her new Ghost Advanced


She miss-hit this just a little low, but it carried very nicely right out of the yard. It's fun to see her power at a point where imperfect contact still does damage.

This makes 3 bats in a row where she hit a HR in her first day with a new bat. No, I will not be buying her a new bat every week. She hits HRs on other days, too.

The best news of all came last week when she told me that she loves playing again, including going to practice. It was almost exactly a year ago when that love was gone, and she quit the game. She's still a bit on the fence about playing college ball, but I think she taking a step closer to making that decision. Her current team is pretty mediocre, as far as level of competition, but she's having fun. More than anything else, that's most important.

 

[Orange Socks]

First AB with her new Ghost Advanced


She miss-hit this just a little low, but it carried very nicely right out of the yard. It's fun to see her power at a point where imperfect contact still does damage.

This makes 3 bats in a row where she hit a HR in her first day with a new bat. No, I will not be buying her a new bat every week. She hits HRs on other days, too.

The best news of all came last week when she told me that she loves playing again, including going to practice. It was almost exactly a year ago when that love was gone, and she quit the game. She's still a bit on the fence about playing college ball, but I think she taking a step closer to making that decision. Her current team is pretty mediocre, as far as level of competition, but she's having fun. More than anything else, that's most important.

So she's happy with the bat? Tell her that she can do the same damage in college too! She would make any College coach happy with that swing!