Dont just stand

[Bullseye]

We left our first insttuctor after 6 months of struggle at 14.
The first words of feedback to my oldest daughter second hitting instructor. Dont just stand there. Instructor told her get your feet apart, legs and body athletic position and then we'll hold the bat.
Helped everything.
Evened out her weight. Promoted chest in over the ball. Easier front toe open. Increased power. More barrell thru. Reaches curves no prob.
Now she's a D1 pitcher with a place in the line up. Waiting to see whats happening in 3rd year.

 

[Northball]

Dont just stand there.

Good advice for many facets in softball and life! Sounds like your daughter applied it well!

 

[radness]

Smart! Good for her!

 

[julray]

We left our first insttuctor after 6 months of struggle at 14.
The first words of feedback to my oldest daughter second hitting instructor. Dont just stand there. Instructor told her get your feet apart, legs and body athletic position and then we'll hold the bat.
Helped everything.
Evened out her weight. Promoted chest in over the ball. Easier front toe open. Increased power. More barrell thru. Reaches curves no prob.
Now she's a D1 pitcher with a place in the line up. Waiting to see whats happening in 3rd year.

Good posture will certainly help with barrel path..

Congrats!

 

[radness]

(i also teach athletic balanced/strong posture feet apart)

Yikes...this happened
Student came to her hitting lesson.
When students show up, ask a few questions~ how are they doing? when's the last time they played softball? and then I asked this question~ did you learn any new drills at your team practice?
The 10 year old student said "the coach wants me to bat like this" and proceeded to stand with her feet together straight up. seriously feet together standing straight up. Then he wanted her to take a giant leg lunge to swing. Instead of her balanced and strong athletic posture feet apart.
I will say that her swing especially for a 10 year old and her connecting with the ball is something a person should say 'hooray you look organized and are producing'. But this is how softball goes and we know we discuss this topic often of when coaches change things in this case it's rec ball coach.
So we stopped and talked about what happened
(thot process)
and then physically when he wanted you to stand to try and swing like that. The 10 year old (who's a very intelligent person is also a
pitcher.)
Said it made her confused.
Asked did you learn anything from it?
She said
It doesnt work!

So I said okay.
That experience is over, let's continue with our hitting lessons. Show me what you know works and she got in her athletic hitting posture swing which looks beautiful and we proceeded to crush softballs into the net.

After the lesson encouraged student
Its ok to use your mind and voice to speak up and have a conversation when moments like that happen with a coach.
Encourage you to use the knowledge you have gained and share it through a positive conversation! Its ok ask questions, its a great way to get the other person to explain themselves!

The mom contacted me later that night and said after our hitting lesson her daughter went to her team practice and swung the way she knows how athletic and strong. Starting with muscles ready to go! Her mom said she was crushing bombs!
Which probably was the
best lesson to help teach her coach!

 

[CoachJD]

If I told a hitter "don't just stand there" I'd be worried she'd try batting while sitting on the ground.

 

[efastball]

Instructor told her get your feet apart, legs and body athletic position and then we'll hold the bat.

I'm sorry but keeping your feet apart in the stance has no bearing on hitting success.

Where you hold your hands or feet in the stance makes no difference. It's what you do when you stride that matters.

More than likely the OP was striding open during the stride. The wider feet likely lessened that, but didn't correct. This will lead to a mediocre, weak swing.

Hitters should be striving to close their hips as they stride forward.

Most hitting instruction focuses on the wrong things. Time is your biggest enemy.

 

[radness]

I'm sorry but keeping your feet apart in the stance has no bearing on hitting success.

Where you hold your hands or feet in the stance makes no difference. It's what you do when you stride that matters.

More than likely the OP was striding open during the stride. The wider feet likely lessened that, but didn't correct. This will lead to a mediocre, weak swing.

Hitters should be striving to close their hips as they stride forward.

Most hitting instruction focuses on the wrong things. Time is your biggest enemy.

Those pictures show not straight up. See some athletic posture going on.
( while i do think stride is important, there are other factors to whats occuring with that. Certainly there are examples of no stride swings thats a debate in other threads)
___________________
Absolutly YES starting with an athletic posture, engages muscles to help in swing approach.
Athletic posture engages core, and legs to core/hips.
Need our muscles to create stride! Ready for explosive movements. Upper body/hips equally important!

Standing straight up is the least engaged muscle position. Besides sitting and lying down.

Feet apart has to do with balance. Can still stride!

Young players learning starts with figuring out how to use their body.
HAVE TO LEARN how to move and use our body first, and what the muscles can do to help!

 

[Work=wins]

Having a wider stance inhibits adjusting w the stride and other means will be needed. I think older kids and pros use narrower stances bc they are a bit more in control of their bodies. I think for smaller kids a wider stance can help w learning to control things better. And moving from the middle. Since the pitching is isn’t too tough, it won’t matter.

Old school softball coaches think/thought that a wider stance helps getting ‘into your legs’. I think it actually does the opposite sometimes. Usually a kid will come out of the legs too hit w a wide stance trying to create ‘more’. Or push off the ground bc they don’t feel quite leveraged. Instead of staying in the ground and using that energy at launch. Just my experience.


I agree w efastball in regards to stay closed into foot down. Helps adjustability and direction and other fundamentals.

 

[radness]

Having a wider stance inhibits adjusting w the stride and other means will be needed. I think older kids and pros use narrower stances bc they are a bit more in control of their bodies.




I think for smaller kids a wider stance can help w learning to control things better. And moving from the middle. Since the pitching is isn’t too tough, it won’t matter.

Old school softball coaches think/thought that a wider stance helps getting ‘into your legs’. I think it actually does the opposite sometimes. Usually a kid will come out of the legs too hit w a wide stance trying to create ‘more’. Or push off the ground bc they don’t feel quite leveraged. Instead of staying in the ground and using that energy at launch. Just my experience.


I agree w efastball in regards to stay closed into foot down. Helps adjustability and direction and other fundamentals.

Having a wider stance than what inhibits adjustment?

As for how far apart feet are starting with.
See here on DFP multiple examples of narrow to wide stance in the MLB examples posted.
There is not a 'pro' standard.


For more detail.
There are those that start
narrow feet, almost together.
Others start much wider, to almost stretched out.
Myself,
Never would i stand with my feet closer than shoulder width.
Knees atleast as wide as shoulders.
Feet about 24" apart.
(measured big toe to big toe)



And stride...