Barrel getting under the ball

[Rambler34]

My DD is in will move up to 8U in the fall. To start getting ready I bought her a Worth Storm 29" with a 13 drop. She was using a 26" with a 10 drop. The smaller bat is a t-ball bat which is perfect for them when hitting 10" RIF balls but she needed something else for hitting "real" balls.

I have had her swinging it as much as possible just to help build strength but I have noticed two things. First she hits the new bat very hard and it has not hurt her bat speed or swing mechanics as far as her load, stride and swing path of her hands. Secondly she has been hitting the ball in the air more and after looking at videos it appears the barrel drops a little on her through the contact zone. This has taken her from being a line drive hitter to hitting the ball higher. I am not going to change her swing to compensate for the barrel dropping a little though.

Even though it has not impacted her yet can this harm her swing? I want her to build strength and it does not hurt her all star team for her to be hitting the ball so hard but will the short term gains hurt her in the long run?

 

[Dragoncoach]

ht wt chart

check out some of the bat manufacurers websites. they have ht wt charts as well as age charts. I wouldnt let her use a bat if its too heavy that it changes her mechanics. Can she hold it with one hand straight out for 30 sec? Does her barrel drop before her swing or is it a result of going after low pitch? My DD used a t-ball bat the first yr she playd 8u (machine Pitch) and hit it very well, just had to move her close to the plate.

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

It depends on what you mean when you say your daughter's "barrel drops a little on her through the contact zone".

If she's swinging with a diagonal swing plane, and you have a mental image of a swing with the barrel parallel to the ground at 'contact', then you may believe her "barrel drops" too much, when in fact that portion of her swing may be healthy. Post some video.