8u player swinging halfway

[chevy706]

So I've coached 8u for a few years now, and I've had 5 and 6 year olds swing part way and have their bat stop due to lack of strength. But this year, I've got an 8 year old that in practice swings through and drives the ball, but come game time, swings until contact and stops like she's afraid to hurt the ball. Any ideas on how to cure this problem?

 

[_MIA_]

So I've coached 8u for a few years now, and I've had 5 and 6 year olds swing part way and have their bat stop due to lack of strength. But this year, I've got an 8 year old that in practice swings through and drives the ball, but come game time, swings until contact and stops like she's afraid to hurt the ball. Any ideas on how to cure this problem?

My 4 YO DS does that sometimes..when I tell him to swing hard it usually stops..

 

[Hawk_]

Look how their knuckles are lined up. Might be there they are "boxing" their hands and because of it can't make it through the zone smoothly.

 

[efastball]

in practice swings through and drives the ball, but come game time, swings until contact and stops

90% of kids this age do not stride until they think the ball is a strike. By then it's too late, and they can't finish their swing.

In practices, randomly hold the ball and make sure every kid begins their stride every time.

Also, 99% of kids this age have bat drag and the bat head never gets past the hands. Make sure they are using a 'box' grip, not the mythical door knockers, and make sure their rear forearm is flat at toe touch (almost all of them will have vertical forearm), and make sure the bat head is up, not down/flat at toe touch.

 

[Hawk_]

90% of kids this age do not stride until they think the ball is a strike. By then it's too late, and they can't finish their swing.

In practices, randomly hold the ball and make sure every kid begins their stride every time.

Also, 99% of kids this age have bat drag and the bat head never gets past the hands. Make sure they are using a 'box' grip, not the mythical door knockers, and make sure their rear forearm is flat at toe touch (almost all of them will have vertical forearm), and make sure the bat head is up, not down/flat at toe touch.

I disagree with just about everything here. Politely of course

 

[Gags]

I have a slightly older lefty on my rec team that did the same thing. Very, very intelligent girl, so in her case, it seemed like she was taking it too literally - the point is to hit the ball, which she did, so she stopped her swing, b/c she completed the task. Since this mostly happened in game situations, it could also be a fear of NOT completing the task - they feel they're better able to get the bat on the ball by using a swing that's controlled enough to let them stop right at contact.

Earlier this year, I had them do the Happy Gilmore off a tee during practice. Suddenly, she was really smacking the ball, b/c the built up momentum almost forces you to follow through.

Did a little live BP at the end of the same practice, and asked her to try it again during front toss - to walk into the swing (even though she's a lefty, and fast, my intent wasn't to introduce slapping). Once she got a little bit of the timing down, she had some solid hits and was swinging through the ball. She went back and forth with it during games the rest of the season - it was harder to time-up kid pitch, and being smaller, she didn't really see many strikes to swing at.

But try the Happy Gilmore drill (start 2 steps behind tee, even with where C would set up, be sure the first step with the rear foot goes behind the front foot (to help close the hips), and then step and swing with the front foot) - the extra power she sees may encourage her to keep swinging THROUGH the ball (and swinging hard) during games.

 

[RichK]

At 6-8, something's going to 'win' at collision point, the ball or the bat. If it's the ball, hitter is going to get stingers, etc. and be afraid to swing at all. With an aggressive swing, the bat 'wins.'. Get your hitters to realize they are holding the more potentially damaging 'weapon' so use it!

 

[So Cal Seth]

So I've coached 8u for a few years now, and I've had 5 and 6 year olds swing part way and have their bat stop due to lack of strength. But this year, I've got an 8 year old that in practice swings through and drives the ball, but come game time, swings until contact and stops like she's afraid to hurt the ball. Any ideas on how to cure this problem?

Just needs to be a mentality. A mentality to do damage, crush the ball. That needs to be her goal in the box - crush the ball, hit it to the grass. Make it a competition.

 

[The Man In Blue]

Gags ... I’m just skimming this thread, but I really don’t understand how beating up an aging gameshow host is going to help.