Approach

[clemenslee1]

Thanks for all the input guys

 

[Lightning]

DD is a first year 14U and her hitting coach is working with this approach for DD:

1. Look outside, react inside. (She's more comfortable this way than looking inside and reacting outside. But he tells her that if she's mostly seeing inside pitches, she needs to look inside, react outside.)
2. Adjust her torso tilt in her stance to hit the top of the zone, so she only has to go lower and can ignore everything higher.
3. Don't worry about whether the pitch is a ball or a strike, just worry about whether or not she can drive it.
4. Be aggressive everywhere except for up in the zone.
5. Don't take pitches just to take a pitch, especially the first pitch which might get more of the zone than subsequent pitches.
6. Don't look at strike 3.

 

[canyonjoe]

I definitely agree with refinements as they develop. That said, I still don't like anyone watching 3K.

if it's really a strike of close I agree, but if the throw one that's in the dirt and called or a foot outside you can swing and miss so as not to "go down looking" but it's the same result except usually it's just a ball and will be called that. To expand what you swing at to swing at anything makes no sense to me.

 

[Eric F]

if it's really a strike of close I agree, but if the throw one that's in the dirt and called or a foot outside you can swing and miss so as not to "go down looking" but it's the same result except usually it's just a ball and will be called that. To expand what you swing at to swing at anything makes no sense to me.

I never said to swing at anything on 2K. If the pitch is definitely a ball, let it be a ball. If the pitch is close enough that you're just hoping it's going to be a ball, you should be swinging. Actually paying attention during the game to how the ump is calling pitches will help you know how big you need to make your hitting zone (not enough players do this). If you're experienced/skilled enough, you can foul it off and give yourself another chance for the P to deliver something you can hit hard.

A K looking has zero chance of producing anything. Zero.

All that said, it's a battle. Sometimes the pitcher wins the battle.

 

[Fluid Fastpitch]

>>> Don't worry about whether the pitch is a ball or a strike, just worry about whether or not she can drive it. <<<
This, this, this, this, this. Never want to hear a player walking back to the bench mumbling about how strike 3 was a ball. Doesn't matter. You could've put it in the grass!

Also, I will never, ever be mad at you for swinging at strike 3 (unless it rolled in, then we might talk), but I'm guaranteed to be pretty cheesed if you watch a meatball down the middle.

 

[TDS]

>>> Don't worry about whether the pitch is a ball or a strike, just worry about whether or not she can drive it. <<<
This, this, this, this, this. Never want to hear a player walking back to the bench mumbling about how strike 3 was a ball. Doesn't matter. You could've put it in the grass!

Also, I will never, ever be mad at you for swinging at strike 3 (unless it rolled in, then we might talk), but I'm guaranteed to be pretty cheesed if you watch a meatball down the middle.

I remember years ago eliminating that variable when coaching little league. Told the kids you get 2 strikes and the umpire will miss one every AB.

 

[Eric F]

I remember years ago eliminating that variable when coaching little league. Told the kids you get 2 strikes and the umpire will miss one every AB.

"Next time you get to 2 strikes, I want you to close your eyes and swing whenever you feel like it. You will have more chance to hit the ball than you did by watching strike 3 go by." - Coach Guido

 

[Work=wins]

Not a fan of ‘expand w 2 strikes’. Especially when a pitcher has control. At the upper levels they can dot corners or throw it just outside that dot. You get the gist. Entrust your player/dd to work ‘hard’ at the plate. Coaches/dads get over yourself. It’s their time to play. Let them learn. Helps speed up pitch movement and tracking skills also. They will learn to ‘know’ pitchers tendencies in regards to movement w every new pitching change.

when a player of mine is in the box w 2, I remind them ‘work hard w 2, all you all day!’ . or something of that nature. Let em learn. Let em play. Jmho.

 

[Eric F]

Not a fan of ‘expand w 2 strikes’. Especially when a pitcher has control. At the upper levels they can dot corners or throw it just outside that dot. You get the gist. Entrust your player/dd to work ‘hard’ at the plate. Coaches/dads get over yourself. It’s their time to play. Let them learn. Helps speed up pitch movement and tracking skills also. They will learn to ‘know’ pitchers tendencies in regards to movement w every new pitching change.

when a player of mine is in the box w 2, I remind them ‘work hard w 2, all you all day!’ . or something of that nature. Let em learn. Let em play. Jmho.

What - specifically - does "work hard" mean?

Do you see a problem with helping players develop a strategy for different pitch counts?

 

[_MIA_]

Not a fan of ‘expand w 2 strikes’.

I agree with letting a hitter figure out
what works for them in terms pitch selection but I think swinging at pitcher’s pitches with no strikes or conversely, looking for the perfect pitch with 2 strikes, is not a winning strategy regardless of how good the pitcher is.