Batting Progress for my DD

[Wellphyt]

I don't know if that is what she was taught but that is how she understood it .

Just to make this a little easier lets start at the beginning and move forward . Lets start with batting stance .

Pic1 is her original stance .

Pic2 Hands Lower and closer to her back shoulder

Pic3 leaning forward

Pic4 Or leaning forward ? (here she is leaning towards me not towards the pitcher)

I prefer the hand position in Pic #2. Very similar to Ted Williams. Compact but powerfull. Hands about even with the top of the strike zone.

 

[Wellphyt]

OK , we went out this morning for some hitting at the local High School . Figured I would post a short video of the DD . We have narrowed up her stance a little bit and she is getting some of her weight back . She didn't seem to be hitting quite as far today but she is not typically a morning person either . Sorry I cut off her bat but some days I am a better videographer than others

Her swing would improve a lot if someone taught her how to weight shift using her hips. Right now she is just shifting her weight in a linear fashion onto her back foot. The backward weight shift is not linear, it's rotational. The first thing I would do is teach her how to rotate her hips back (coil or hip cock). In order to cock the hips you have to pick up the front foot. The front knee turns in slightly to facilitate the hip cock. You can't get a good weight shift if you don't cock the hips. You can't unwind the hips into the pitch if they never get wound.

A second key movement is the stretch part of the swing. Which means that during the stride (or the forward movement that you see in most good hitters as they try and maintain balance after they pick up their front foot to perform the hip cock), the hands stay back.

Both the hip cock and the stretch sequence can be found in a good sidearm throw. Or as Slaught says; pretend you are skipping a rock off of the mound.

A lot of fastpitch players today are being taught to reduce their preswing movements to almost nothing. They are being taught to stand in the batter's box like statues and just swing the bat because they don't have time to do anything else. The reality is that the exact opposite is true. If a batter doesn't get themselves moving, if they don't get themselves ready to hit; they are toast.

She needs a hip cock, she needs a sequence. She needs someone to tell her that it's ok to pick up her front foot, cock her hips, stride and let her hands load back as she strides. She is basically hitting from her batting stance. The batting stance is not the same position that good hitters hit from.

 

[Amy in AZ.]

Let me send you to this link concerning overhand throw as it applies to hitting. If a girl can't throw, generally, she can't hit. If you have been here awhile, you are aware of this.
http://www.discussfastpitch.com/sof.../782-overhand-throwing-linear-rotational.html

 

[Michael N]

Just got back from tourney so no video this week . She did not hit well until the last game of the tourney but it is far more of a mental problem than mechanics at this point . She is freezing at the plate , I believe she is afraid to strike out , I talked to her at length about telling herself that she is swinging every time except when its a bad pitch (Yes , Yes , Yes , No instead of No , No , No ,Yes) .

In the last game her team was in the losers bracket and had battled back from a 7-2 deficit to an 8-7 game in the last inning . 2 outs and 2 runners on 2nd and 3rd . She was up to bat and had a full count with her Mom chanting "Yes , Yes , Yes" when she uncorks on one that surely would have hit the fence . Unfortunately even though the Left fielder started off moving in the wrong direction she corrected and made a diving catch for the 3rd out and the end of the game . My DD was devastated but I spoke with her at length and congratulated her on a clutch hit and reminded her that her job as a hitter is to hit and the job of an outfielder (she plays center) is to ruin a hitters day . Unfortunately this girl did her job every bit as well as my DD had done hers .

Her 12U season is over but she has been invited to play one last tourney with a newly formed 14U team for one last tournament in August . We have found a new batting coach in her Uncle who coaches a HS team and I will try and post a new video soon . She continues to work hard and is looking forward to a 6 week Fall Ball season that will start Sept. 11 and then on to Volleyball for her Jr. High with Sunday Workouts with her travel team . Its been a big year for her and she has come a long way , I look forward to sharing her progress with everyone on the board as well as seeing where all this leads her .

 

[softballphreak]

Tell her congratulations on a hard hit! She did her job. After it leaves the bat it's not her job anymore.

She's going to be fine. Keep it up.