Baseball hitting instructor

[ArkFastpitch]

First off, my intent with this post is not to debate whether or not there is any difference between a "baseball" swing and a "softball" swing. That horse has been beat to death. Here's my dilemma. We are currently looking for another hitting instructor for DD. There are two "softball" specific instructors in my area and yes we have been students of both at one time or another. The first one didn't work out too well for us because of scheduling issues. The second DD loves and has been with for several years. Problem there is that one has taken a job as a HC at a small college and has since relocated.

So here we are today without a hitting coach. There is a "baseball" hitting instructors in my area. To the best of my knowledge, this coach does not currently or that I know of has ever worked with a softball player. I know most will say that hitting is hitting and I totally agree, however would not having any experience with softball deter you in any way from going this route?

 

[quincy]

No. Like any instructor go for a little while and reaccess.

 

[KCM]

My daughter hitting instructor is a baseball coach / hitting coach. She actually was his first softball player and he asked us first to see if he would be successful with her before bringing on more softball players. She always been a contact hitter but no power just grounders or little pops over infield. After 1 lesson she was hitting the fence with line drives and after a month her first home run. Of course he said she was easy to teach because she had all the great mechanics but was just a little to far forward on contact.

He is great motivator and has done well for my daughter.

 

[Amy in AZ.]

I do not limit myself to softball lessons. I teach hitting to both boys and girls. Go for it.

 

[rdbass]

No. Like any instructor go for a little while and re access.

I agree and can only add, that I never played fast pitch softball just baseball. I am the only 'hitting coach' my DD has had and she does OK.

 

[ArkFastpitch]

Just got done meeting with the "baseball" hitting instructor. He asked me several times what kind of swing I was wanting DD to have. I'm assuming he wanted me to say either baseball or softball but I kept saying efficient and powerful. At first I thought he was excited to possibly pickup another student but was quickly shot down because he "Didn't know softball". I tried debating the fact that hitting was hitting and he agreed but said he" just didn't know softball". So now I guess I need to make a deal with the devil and sell my soul to the technical hitting forum.

 

[InsidePitch]

Be careful entering the technical hitting forum. Do not enter lightly.

JK, personally I just can't wade through the hundreds of posts with gifs showing minute differences and technical jargon used only here that requires me to learn anatomy and physics. I defer to a hitting coach and leave it at that.

 

[ArkFastpitch]

Be careful entering the technical hitting forum. Do not enter lightly.

JK, personally I just can't wade through the hundreds of posts with gifs showing minute differences and technical jargon used only here that requires me to learn anatomy and physics. I defer to a hitting coach and leave it at that.

The good thing about a session in the technical hitting forum is when I'm done I'm unstoppable at scrabble. Im a double and triple word score beast afterwards. All kidding aside there is some really good info in there and some really passionate posters. I just have a hard time following some of it.

 

[BT3100]

I will share our experience, but again as posted it's more about the coach versus the sport they specialize in.
We took DD to a local baseball academy last year for hitting instruction. The coach was a former minor league baseball player and had a great approach. We worked with him for 20 weeks and saw some improvement. Once our lesson plan was over we signed on with a different location who had a "softball coach". The coach was a former D1 player and currently the head coach for a good D2 program in the area.
She assessed my DD the first day and asked me if I played baseball. I said "no, why". She said "your daughter has a "baseball swing"".
I was shocked but a year later my DD swings the bat so much better than 12 months ago and with more power than I could have hoped for. Some of it may be a the girl to girl bond that they formed but I watch her work with my DD as I am watching other coaches work with the boys and the coaching looks different.
Just my opinion.

 

[mann]

I will share our experience, but again as posted it's more about the coach versus the sport they specialize in.
We took DD to a local baseball academy last year for hitting instruction. The coach was a former minor league baseball player and had a great approach. We worked with him for 20 weeks and saw some improvement. Once our lesson plan was over we signed on with a different location who had a "softball coach". The coach was a former D1 player and currently the head coach for a good D2 program in the area.
She assessed my DD the first day and asked me if I played baseball. I said "no, why". She said "your daughter has a "baseball swing"".
I was shocked but a year later my DD swings the bat so much better than 12 months ago and with more power than I could have hoped for. Some of it may be a the girl to girl bond that they formed but I watch her work with my DD as I am watching other coaches work with the boys and the coaching looks different.
Just my opinion.

Took a while for those baseball mechanics to sink in