Correction for swinging over the ball

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Sep 10, 2008
2
0
Hello everyone,

Our Fall Softball in our rec league just started up. I took my daughter, who is 16, to indoor batting cages last night to give her some batting practice (she hadn't played for a couple of months).

She is now (maybe was before) swinging over the ball a great majority of the time. Any suggestions on how to correct this?

Thanks for your help,

Rich
 
May 7, 2008
977
0
San Rafael, Ca
The answer/apporach depends on what type of swing your daughter has.

Video is the best basis for a discussion.

The typical fastpitch swing is still a swing/down/arm swing.

Even with light bats, the kids tend to be late and it's better to be late if you want a grounder hoping the defense will boot it (not usually) or air mail the throw (which still happens at the highest levels under pressure, but is another story).

My personal preference is for the MLB type swing pattern where a good swing is about the adjustment you make. How to think about this is best described by Williams (SCIENCE OF HITTING) and Epstein (MIKEEPSTREINHITTING.COM).

The idea is that you use mechanics that optimize contact by lengthening a matching "contact zone" by adjucting the swing on the fly as late as possible to minimize the combo of timing and spatial error.

This reaults in what Williams called the "slight upswing".

if you are EARLY, in this case you get the overspin/hump back liner/nasty grounder. Just the opposite of the swing down arm swing (which has a TINY conact zone that cuts acrioss the path of the ball in a way that produces a tiny intersection).

If you are LATE, you get underspi/fly ball.

The tendency when you are going well with the MLB pattern is to start loading up and leaning back and overswinging with the back arm side.

This creates a longer loopier swing that eventually results in being late a lot/hitting under. As Williams said, when you miss, you usuallymiss under.

You need to keep yourself in the envelope by tightening things up. Williams called this "setting your sites higher" or staying on top of the ball or swinging more levl. But still a SLIGHT upswing (always the same pattern, the slight upswing, adjusted to match pitch).

This makes for a quicker/less loopy swing that makes you less likely to be late/under the ball.
 
Aug 1, 2008
2,314
63
ohio
Can you post any video?


No matter what kind of swing she has or even if she learns new mechanics, this is one drill you can always do.


Set up a tee with white paint inside of the tee below the ball or a white rag. Have her look out in to the distance like there is a pitcher, tract an imaginary ball to the tee, hit the ball off the tee and keep your eyes were the white is for a full second or 2 after contact.

Practice doing this then try the machine again.




Straightleg
 
Aug 1, 2008
2,314
63
ohio
341

allot of times kids will drop there hands when the ball is on the way to the plate, swing under the ball.

You could also try setting the tee on a 5 gallon bucket were the ball is at the top of the chest and hit a bucket of balls. Try to keep your hands alittle above the barrel of the bat on the swing.


In simple terms:
Keep hands in same location across chest as you lower the tee. That means the barrel will drop as the tee is lowered. You can achieve this by tilting (bending) at the waist more, the lower the tee the more you tilt at the waist while keeping the hands going across the chest.



Then go back to the machine.







Straightleg
 
May 25, 2008
199
18
Pickerington Ohio
rht341, Just a suggestion since there is no video. Be sure she is palm up , palm down at contact and not rolling her wrist over too soon. If she is this can cause a hop in her swing over the ball or at least fouling the ball off the top. Check her grip, be sure she lines up the knocking knuckles or at least close to it. Here is a drill to be sure she is palm up, palm down. Have her hold an old cd between her hands, palm to palm and have her go through her hitting motion. When she gets to contact, have her fling the cd straight out at the imaginary pitcher. The cd will fly like a Frisbee if she is in the correct palm up palm down position, if not it will fly like a wounded duck. Straightleg, Those are good drills. Thanks.
 
Aug 1, 2008
2,314
63
ohio
go4
Thanks, I kinda do the same thing as you for palm up, palm down.
Hold a ball in your hands get into your stance and throw the ball side arm into the net.

Palm up palm down throw, same as your drill.
Keep them wrists from rolling at impact.




Straightleg
 
Jul 17, 2008
65
0
in the dugout
rht341, Just a suggestion since there is no video. Be sure she is palm up , palm down at contact and not rolling her wrist over too soon. If she is this can cause a hop in her swing over the ball or at least fouling the ball off the top. Check her grip, be sure she lines up the knocking knuckles or at least close to it. Here is a drill to be sure she is palm up, palm down. Have her hold an old cd between her hands, palm to palm and have her go through her hitting motion. When she gets to contact, have her fling the cd straight out at the imaginary pitcher. The cd will fly like a Frisbee if she is in the correct palm up palm down position, if it will fly like a wounded duck. Straightleg, Those are good drills. Thanks.

i found some cheap rubber frisbies at wal mart that i used this summer for these drills. they worked great and are easy to catch so the girls could throw them back an forth to each other.
 
May 7, 2008
442
16
DFW
341

The rolling of the wrist will, as suggested, cause's the head of the bat to come up and your DD will hit the top of the ball. I am more inclined to think that she may be coming up out of her stance during the swing if she is tilted at the start of the swing.

I would look for her rising up out of her stance which is changing her swing plane to the ball.

Elliott.
 
Aug 1, 2008
2,314
63
ohio
Hey Elliott hows it going.


That does happen allot with girls for the first 1-2 lessons. Standing up as they progress through the swing.



Straightleg
 

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