Current State of Softball Swing vs Baseball Swing

[Tewks]

BTW Tewks, are you teaching slapping (in all its variations: hard, soft, bunt, power slap etc)? I'd think you'd find it interesting. Maybe time to move from trying out (and filming) your lefty swing to your lefty slap mechanics : >

I'm up for that. I don't currently teach slapping and I'm wasn't even aware of the variations. I just remember that clip of the girl hitting a bomb from the slap setup and loving it. I'm going to be attending a lot of softball games this spring and summer to get a better feel for the game. Jay Weaver (son of Dave Weaver/Catching Coach) tells me all the time about the bunting game due to the defensive demands for catchers.

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

Ha, ha...

My daughter routinely tells me that the girls on the team don't like explanations or demonstrations. She says, "we need to do it to learn it." I subscribe to the "you learn by doing" philosophy.

Btw, don't most instructors explain and demo what they what a student, male or female, to do before they have the student perform the activity? How else do you communicate to them what you want them to do?

I use a combination. I break the material down into “points of emphasis” when planning out a hitting session. Demonstrations are short and concise. There is a visual component and audio component to the demonstration, as the ‘objective’ and ‘feel’ is described. Hitters then go through a process of hands on activity in which they receive feedback on their efforts.

The intent is to provide a visual, give an explanation, describe the feel within visual context, have hitters repeat the drill/activity with an objective in mind of what they should be extracting from the drill/activity.

I want my hitters understanding ‘why’ they perform a drill. I should add that there is a 'quiz-like' component as well, as I will often ask why a hitter is performing the drill that they are performing ... and what they are supposed to be extracting from the drill.

 

[starsnuffer]

Or, as most kindergarten teachers would tell you, "say it, show it, do it, and then have the students say it, show it, and do it".

-W

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

This is our process: AB Player Development

Thank you Tewks.

 

[Tewks]

Thank you Tewks.

That was written before I was very active in the forum world. I think I was posting on High School Baseball Web, but that's it.

 

[Tewks]

Or, as most kindergarten teachers would tell you, "say it, show it, do it, and then have the students say it, show it, and do it".

-W

One of our player's parent is a Curriculum Coordinator - a teacher of the teachers. She uses, "I do, you do, we do."

 

[starsnuffer]

One of our player's parent is a Curriculum Coordinator - a teacher of the teachers. She uses, "I do, you do, we do."

Right, but that's just 1 of the 3 learning styles. Don't forget auditory (say it) and visual (show it). This is why it's important for a coach to actually know how to swing a bat, gotta practice what you preach (it's cliche day on the forum!)

-W

 

[SBFAMILY]

Explain it in Measurable and observable terms. That is more that just doing the drill! ( from a teacher). The difference in those that teach or those that just show someone how to do a drill. Example how do you explain grip? How do you show grip? Do they stand in front of you or do they stand behind you to see it the world the way you see things? Think about that for a second. Many stand in front of a student. How do you measure it? My wife has been a LD teacher for 35 years, so how you teach is just as important as how you present it.

 

[Wellphyt]

Explain it in Measurable and observable terms. That is more that just doing the drill! ( from a teacher). The difference in those that teach or those that just show someone how to do a drill. Example how do you explain grip? How do you show grip? Do they stand in front of you or do they stand behind you to see it the world the way you see things? Think about that for a second. Many stand in front of a student. How do you measure it? My wife has been a LD teacher for 35 years, so how you teach is just as important as how you present it.

So when you teach grip, do you recommend that a female player stand behind you and a male player in front of you or vice versa? Or do both male and female players observe the grip from the same vantage point? What do you think about the players holding the bat like a golfer might hold a golf club when they address the ball? Worked everytime for my daughter and three others I showed it to two weeks ago.

 

[SBFAMILY]

You teach All Students, Male or Female to see the world the way you see it. This is a common mistake with most non professional teachers. This is not a male female issue. Now I agree on how to teach the grip like a golf club, but how do you measure it? This is easy to measure and have the students feel it. We like the golf club idea. We hold the bat up in the air in front of us, with our back to the students so they see it. Example how do you teach someone to tie a shoe? Do you stand behind them and show them how at say 4 or do you stand in front of them? Many of you have kids with learning disabilities playing for that you will never know they have an issue, because most parents hide it from coaches. Stronger with head up or down at contact? Now we demo it so they can feel it.