Coach wants 2nd yr 14u player to convert to slapping

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BigSkyHi

All I know is I don't know
Jan 13, 2020
1,385
113
Feel she is young enough to take a look at it. What if she can hit better left than right and add the slapping skills to that base? Maybe have her look at this Natasha Watley site to she if it something that catches her interest?

https://www.natashawatley.com/
 
Feb 27, 2019
137
28
Feel she is young enough to take a look at it. What if she can hit better left than right and add the slapping skills to that base? Maybe have her look at this Natasha Watley site to she if it something that catches her interest?

https://www.natashawatley.com/
We have been watching her material since that practice. I told her if she can do it, it would be another skill to help get her recognized for recruitment. Currently her lefty bat work is incredibly awkward.
 
Feb 27, 2019
137
28
How fast is your kid and what are her goals? You can be a successful slapper in travel ball with mediocre speed but it won't be what's needed in college if this is her goal. Need true elite speed.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
She is fast, I don't have a home to first time to illustrate her speed but when the team does any form of group run like suicides or line sprints she is first done or the top three every time.
 
Aug 20, 2017
1,474
113
Sounds like a slapper to me! Better questions would be exit velocity hitting right handed. I’ve got 14U girls consistently in the 60’s there. If she is low 50’s I’d say slapping would benefit her and the team.
 
Feb 27, 2019
137
28
Sounds like a slapper to me! Better questions would be exit velocity hitting right handed. I’ve got 14U girls consistently in the 60’s there. If she is low 50’s I’d say slapping would benefit her and the team.

The team has never taken any measurements on exit velos. For power, she hasn't knocked one over but in practice she ranges outfield hits in the top 20% or so for distance off the tee. probably lower 40% in live pitching hitting distance over the last year due to timing/contact issues. She has recently been turning that around though and has been hitting solid ropes for singles and doubles this fall. (she gives credit to a teammate's bat she's using)
 
Apr 20, 2015
961
93
She is fast, I don't have a home to first time to illustrate her speed but when the team does any form of group run like suicides or line sprints she is first done or the top three every time.
That doesn't necessarily matter if her team is slow...lol. As far as BA it's only as good as your game changer and your competition. I'd definitely look at what others have mentioned exit velocity and figure out an estimate of her home to first...if she's over 2.8 I'd pause. I have a very fast righty that I may some day regret not switching to lefty who is in the 2.7 range but she has power to all fields and can hit for extra bases and otf. She has also been working out of a slump so I feel your pain

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Oct 11, 2010
8,337
113
Chicago, IL
DD has only batted rightly in games. At practice she would hit lefty sometimes, never could get her to do it in a game. She also worked on slapping from the left occasionally.

No harm in it that I saw. Big thing is if she commits she commits. No jumping over to the right side with 2 strikes.

If it doesn't work it doesn't work and go back to being right full time.

At least in our area there are some good slapping instructors. I don't think any of DD's coaches had a clue what slapping was.
 

Turl

Loves to watch slappers in action!
May 4, 2015
18
3
Central Iowa
@Filterbing let her keep plugging away at it. @KPower is absolutely correct in SO many facts on their post. (read their post twice if you have to because it is so true. HaHa) If you give it time, your DD will get better and better and will begin to love it even more. My DD tried turning when she was 10 because she has speed, but she struggled, and gave up. Then at 12U decided to switch again. She has now been doing it for 2 1/2 years, going to lessons every week (has only missed 2 weekly lessons in those 2 1/2 years), is the #2 hitter on her 16A tourney team because she always gets the ball down on the ground if our lead-off gets on, and loves being that triple threat that reads the defense, makes a plan, and steps in the box to execute it. People even ask if she is a natural lefty because her mechanics look so smooth.

The slapping, small-ball game is not dead . . . it's blossomed into a hybrid. Slappers can dissect the infield with their drag bunts, soft slaps/pokes, push bunts, etc and still power slap/hit away when defenses creep in and get burned when a slapper hits it over their heads to the fence for a double or even triple; Aubrey Leach for Tennessee is a perfect hybrid example. (great 2019 Tennessee video of their slappers highlights here: 2019 Tennessee Slappers )
 

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