- Apr 16, 2013
- 1,113
- 83
I'll say a few things regarding this thinking and my DD. She is trying to hit the bottom of the ball. Her HR avg is somewhere between 1 and 2 every weekend. It most likely comes down to muscle memory. When we do BP she is very specifically trying to launch the ball at an angle. When we do BP on the field she's trying to put it over the fence and has around a 70% success rate. She rarely hits the ball on the ground. When she does you can tell that she was ahead of the ball slicing it from the backside upward, putting an insane amount of forward spin on it. That creates a 12 to 6 curveball spin that I've never seen anyone field in a game. Not only does it not create a line drive, it curves downward so hard, and when it hits the ground it literally takes off. Regardless, I would say the most she gets out on is pop ups. When she squares up the ball it's usually a hard hit line drive about 20 feet in the air. Sometimes it still clears the fence, sometimes it goes straight to an outfielder's glove.
In regards to a faster pitcher, she does exactly what another poster said above. She tries to hit the top. Again, it comes down to muscle memory. I'd say on avg, she sees pitching around 55mph (16/18u). Her body just knows where to swing with the amount of drop the ball has. A faster pitcher won't produce as much drop, but your muscle memory can't be overcome so easily. If the ball is at x position, you swing at y position, you don't think about it anymore, you just do it. So when a faster pitcher comes along your muscle memory doesn't change. You "trick" it by specifically trying to hit the top of the ball. This is what works for my DD. It may not work for you and yours, but I'm giving you her thought process when she's facing a faster pitcher.
In regards to a faster pitcher, she does exactly what another poster said above. She tries to hit the top. Again, it comes down to muscle memory. I'd say on avg, she sees pitching around 55mph (16/18u). Her body just knows where to swing with the amount of drop the ball has. A faster pitcher won't produce as much drop, but your muscle memory can't be overcome so easily. If the ball is at x position, you swing at y position, you don't think about it anymore, you just do it. So when a faster pitcher comes along your muscle memory doesn't change. You "trick" it by specifically trying to hit the top of the ball. This is what works for my DD. It may not work for you and yours, but I'm giving you her thought process when she's facing a faster pitcher.