Bat Speed -

[Cobb_of_Fury]

I'm sure this has been coverd 10,000 Times but...

I'm helping to coach a 12U team - we have a number of girls that have just started travel ball and are not used to the faster ball speed.

What is a good drill to help increase bat speed-


Thanks

 

[bamajeff]

I'm sure this has been coverd 10,000 Times but...

I'm helping to coach a 12U team - we have a number of girls that have just started travel ball and are not used to the faster ball speed.

What is a good drill to help increase bat speed-


Thanks

Be careful on focusing solely on batspeed. High level slow pitch softball players have the fastest batspeed on the planet, but would have real trouble hitting MLB pitching or top level softball pitching with their swings. You can increase batspeed by doing some things that will hurt your swing quickness which is vital to hitting pitchers who have movement and change speeds(softball or baseball). I would instead video their swing and identify the issues each has individually(they are probably not all the same), and come up with an action plan from that.

 

[Cobb_of_Fury]

Be careful on focusing solely on batspeed. High level slow pitch softball players have the fastest batspeed on the planet, but would have real trouble hitting MLB pitching or top level softball pitching with their swings. You can increase batspeed by doing some things that will hurt your swing quickness which is vital to hitting pitchers who have movement and change speeds(softball or baseball). I would instead video their swing and identify the issues each has individually(they are probably not all the same), and come up with an action plan from that.

- You are correct I should have said quickness not so much speed.
But, as a group they tend to lag a bit behind the ball and are swinging over top.
Some of it may be as simple as them pulling their head.

But analyzing individually is a good idea.

I have been working a lot on using the lower half slamming the back hip etc.

Nothing to fancy just trying to get them to a good starting point.

Like I said a lot of these girls are very green - Good athletes but they have had no proper training (and a lot of improper training).

I have been reading through the hitting forum and watching all the videos - Talking to collage hitters and coaches for advice.

I've only been coaching for 4 years on and off so I'm still trying to learn.
I do enjoy the challenge though

 

[klamath632]

Surprisingly enough, adding underloading to your regimen can do wonders for improving bat speed. Along with your tee drills and others stuff, try having the girls swing a four foot long section of PVC pipe and hit wiffle balls with it for a minute or two.

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

Believe it or not, but the answer to hitting faster pitching is not necessarily to perform the same swing faster.

More often than not, the answer is to be ‘slow and quick’ …. As in adopting the ‘Holy Grail’ of hitting.

Sequence …. Slow and early …. Rhythm …. SnF ==> slow and quick.

 

[JAD]

Check every player on the teams bat and make sure none of them are swinging "too much lumber"....there are some psycho softball parents who seem to think "bigger is better" when it comes to bats and they want their DD swinging the heaviest bat on the team.

 

[obbay]

Something I like to do is have them see fast pitching. by this I mean get used to the speed so that it is not intimidating.

- set the pitching machine to a fast speed and have them stand in the box ready to hit and just take pitches. but watch the pitches all the way in. then work on bunting the fast pitching.
- another thing (which I got from Howard) is to have them put on an opposite fielding glove (Righty batter has a lefty Fielding glove ). get set to hit but instead of swinging a bat at the ball, catch the ball in the glove.
- something I haven't done in awhile (but intend to this season) is use the personal pitcher. whiffle golfball pitching machine. can get some good speed on the pitches and it's a small ball requiring focus. start out with a large bat (tennis racquet or one of those really fat whiffle ball bats and decrease the size/increase weight until they are swinging their game bat.