Anybody know and tips or drills for helping my daughter use her hips.
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This hip rotation drill helped my DD understand how the hip turn is supposed to feel...Softball Hitting Drills - Hip Rotation Drills - YouTube
Partials are the ticket. Have her rotate without the extension component. Extension after all happens after contact.
Maintain the hitters box and have her rotate to the ball. Once she gets to contact which happens deeply with this drill, then challenge her to hit the ball out of the infield. Just make sure to watch for the dreaded hand throwing or early extension.
We used a small beach ball (12" or so) slightly deflated to maintain the 'hitters box' it also forces the hitter to keep the hand tight to the body or the ball will drop out. Extension causes loss of the ball.
Every hitter I've seen that was taught this way develops tremendous power regardless of physical size. Anectodal, I know but some of these girls can flat out git it!!
Maintain the hitters box and have her rotate to the ball. Once she gets to contact which happens deeply with this drill, then challenge her to hit the ball out of the infield. Just make sure to watch for the dreaded hand throwing or early extension.
We used a small beach ball (12" or so) slightly deflated to maintain the 'hitters box' it also forces the hitter to keep the hand tight to the body or the ball will drop out. Extension causes loss of the ball.
Every hitter I've seen that was taught this way develops tremendous power regardless of physical size. Anectodal, I know but some of these girls can flat out git it!!
Actually you can keep it in the center of the chest. This forces the hands to stay tight. This is a thread from approx. 1 year ago. Her hitting coach had her hit with the ball for 2-3 weeks to reinforce the correct arm position. My daughter also used this technique to help HS team mates who suffered from the dreaded 'hand throwing disease'. LOL
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Because the hand throwing is lessened the hip rotation must kick in to 'get to the ball'.
It is really accentuated when doing partials. Rotate to contact. Sorry, I couldn't find video of that drill. My daughter does 15 minutes of partials every batting session. Goal is to rotate torso and hips into the ball while maintaining the inside path to the ball. Ideally, the hitter should try to hit every ball to the right side (for right handed batters). You know they are on it when they hit the inside pitch up the middle or to right side of the cage.
It is really accentuated when doing partials. Rotate to contact. Sorry, I couldn't find video of that drill. My daughter does 15 minutes of partials every batting session. Goal is to rotate torso and hips into the ball while maintaining the inside path to the ball. Ideally, the hitter should try to hit every ball to the right side (for right handed batters). You know they are on it when they hit the inside pitch up the middle or to right side of the cage.
I prefer to teach the hip turn this way;
http://firstpickclub.com/video/hipdrill.wmv
It focuses more on driving from the back leg, to create torso rotation. It forces them to use both legs, and not to just twist.
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IMO, many of the comments here and about hitting are BS.
Too many "coaches" concentrate on a few "technicalities" that they agree with and teach strictly based on that.....
Your daughter might need to understand a swing relative to her. I'm sorry, but all individuals do not swing the same and not effectively are the same.
someone that discounts throwing the hands at the ball has no idea what it takes to effectively hit a ball and then describe that process to someone else.
I have a u12 and a u8 and have commished and coached at both levels. the most effective way that I've been able to get girls to understand engaging their body to hit the ball is to explain it like a bullwhip.
most do not understand that the tip of a bullwhip hits the speed of sound and that is what causes the "crack". to make that happen is the shaft moves first (the legs rotating), then the length of the braided part snaps (the torso), then the last little leather part snaps (arms/hands) in a whipping motion. the goal being the barrel of the bat to be moving the fastest at the point of contact with the ball. That is throwing the hands at the ball.
we do a drill where the batter throws the bat at the ball and releases the bat. the bat should fly towards the pitcher plate. this help square the bat at contact and get the bat head moving around around at contact (throwing at the ball)
a good hitter doesn't swing the same every time. they have a goal, then they have an instant goal and their swing is changing based upon that. trying to teach a batter to develop a systematic swing instead of a natural swing will not develop a good hitter
IMO
- Oct 25, 2009
- 3,335
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I don't use that drill. One thing I don't like about the one in the video is it causes the shoulders to open too soon. Another reason is it has a tendency to cause the hips to spin instead of rotate.
- Oct 25, 2009
- 3,335
- 48
I wonder if that age level has even seen a bullwhip. I want them to think in terms of throwing the barrel at the ball, not the hands.
