Down the rabbit hole I go…

[MidwestFastpitchDad]

I’m very excited to read on through the hitting section of the forum. My 13u has really struggled and I feel she’s been getting bad advice. Specifically, I feel the coaches are trying solve for bad mechanics instead of teaching good mechanics. I’ve been watching videos non-stop and reading opinions. I plan to try drills with her to find what works. Hopefully I don’t swing and miss.

 

[Lance Steckler]

what is she currently struggling with?? Pitch id? stance? Load? hip turn? As you've probably figured out, a good swing and approach at the plate is not a 30 sec fix.

 

[RADcatcher]

I’m very excited to read on through the hitting section of the forum. My 13u has really struggled and I feel she’s been getting bad advice. Specifically, I feel the coaches are trying solve for bad mechanics instead of teaching good mechanics. I’ve been watching videos non-stop and reading opinions. I plan to try drills with her to find what works. Hopefully I don’t swing and miss.

Can respond with questions that may have a good point within them.

What level of softball is this and how long has your daughter been involved in softball?

How long has she been trying to reproduce these mechanics the coaches are suggesting?

Are there other players on the team that are reproducing the coach's mechanics that are having success?

How much time does your daughter put in her own individual work?

If you were to look at her mechanics do you think she's doing what she should be?

You have been looking through videos
Non-Stop. How much time has your daughter put in to that type of effort by herself?

From the videos you have watched...
Do you think that at this point,
you simply like a different set of mechanics than what the coaches are trying to help your daughter with?

Maybe now you just have a conflict of interest of what they are trying to have her do? Simply if you posted an example of the mechanics the coaches are trying to teach her there may be people who are going to agree with it. Because there are different mechanics that can be used. There are varying approaches people take.

 

[Rolling Hard]

Post video of her tee swing and front toss swing preferably from straight in front view. (camera perpendicular to her belly button)
The two most common mechanical errors I see in young hitters:
1.Armbar on the load leading to a cast swing. Can't hit inside pitch fair. Fix: Deltoid or neck slot tee and front toss work not allowing lead arm to straighten. Over and over and over and over everyday. Armbar cast swing is very hard to fix.
2. Spinning out leading to a cutting across the ball swing unable to reach or drive outside pitch. Fix: Tee and front toss mimicking the outside pitch getting deep and driving line drives to right field. This is a task oriented fix and is much easier.
But post the video.

 

[Cornbread]

I’m assuming timing is an issue. So many compensations are made when timing is off. Anyway, good luck! It can be an enjoyable rabbit hole to go down if you have the right mind set. Nothing is gospel. No quick fixes. Tee swing probably will not match front toss swing will probably not match game swing

 

[MidwestFastpitchDad]

what is she currently struggling with?? Pitch id? stance? Load? hip turn? As you've probably figured out, a good swing and approach at the plate is not a 30 sec fix.

Pitch ID isn’t even in the conversation yet. Load is bad but improving. Stance doesn’t seem great but it was taught to her by the organizations hitting instructor. Hip turning, I have been showing her the last few weeks as I’ve began to research and see the patterns. I’ve been working with her on keeping her head down on the ball and keeping her hands connected to her hip turn as well.

Her stance is offset with the front foot back- open stance I guess. It seems so off balance. She’s tends to step toward the right hand batters box instead of toward the pitcher and extend or reach for the pitch.

 

[MidwestFastpitchDad]

I’m assuming timing is an issue. So many compensations are made when timing is off. Anyway, good luck! It can be an enjoyable rabbit hole to go down if you have the right mind set. Nothing is gospel. No quick fixes. Tee swing probably will not match front toss swing will probably not match game swing

This. I’ve noticed her frustration of moving from tee to side toss to coach pitch to machine. I’d say her machine hitting closely resembles her game hitting - lots of early fouls, swing and misses and straight back to pitcher hits.

Her timing isn’t bad- aside from those fouls to first base side. Since she was little I’ve preached for to stay loose and keep moving in the box so she doesn’t freeze up. But you look around and high level players all have their thing in the box.

Really trying to work on “when she moves you move”.

 

[MidwestFastpitchDad]

Can respond with questions that may have a good point within them.

What level of softball is this and how long has your daughter been involved in softball?

How long has she been trying to reproduce these mechanics the coaches are suggesting?

Are there other players on the team that are reproducing the coach's mechanics that are having success?

How much time does your daughter put in her own individual work?

If you were to look at her mechanics do you think she's doing what she should be?

You have been looking through videos
Non-Stop. How much time has your daughter put in to that type of effort by herself?

From the videos you have watched...
Do you think that at this point,
you simply like a different set of mechanics than what the coaches are trying to help your daughter with?

Maybe now you just have a conflict of interest of what they are trying to have her do? Simply if you posted an example of the mechanics the coaches are trying to teach her there may be people who are going to agree with it. Because there are different mechanics that can be used. There are varying approaches people take.

She’s B level travel but really has goals playing through college. She does work outside of practice, but hitting hasn’t been addressed as much. We hit the cages when our schedules allow and I’ve got the tee set in the basement for winter. She’s ready to put in work on her own. But until she knows what’s wrong and how to fix it, it’s going to be pointless.

Her coaches have a lot of “fast hands” “quick bat” as feedback during games. Practices are closed to parents so I don’t get the full picture of what’s happening in there.

I’ve told her to start watching college and AU women and try to emulate their stance to find something that feels right-I used to emulate lots of MLB hitters stances as a kid playing with my buddies.

 

[MidwestFastpitchDad]

Post video of her tee swing and front toss swing preferably from straight in front view. (camera perpendicular to her belly button)
The two most common mechanical errors I see in young hitters:
1.Armbar on the load leading to a cast swing. Can't hit inside pitch fair. Fix: Deltoid or neck slot tee and front toss work not allowing lead arm to straighten. Over and over and over and over everyday. Armbar cast swing is very hard to fix.
2. Spinning out leading to a cutting across the ball swing unable to reach or drive outside pitch. Fix: Tee and front toss mimicking the outside pitch getting deep and driving line drives to right field. This is a task oriented fix and is much easier.
But post the video.

This is side view from yesterday. I’ll get a front view this week. This particular swing seemed an improvement vs where we started

 

[Bat Trac]

and extend or reach for the pitch.

Her timing isn’t bad- aside from those fouls to first base side. Since she was little I’ve preached for to stay loose and keep moving in the box so she doesn’t freeze up. But you look around and high level players all have their thing in the box.

Hello everyone - My first post here at DFP. It's an exciting time for you... enjoy, and best of luck to both of you.

I am basing my reply on the fact that she most likely has the most common flaws since we don't have a video to see... you mentioned "reaching for the pitch" and "foul balls to the first base side." This is usually a directional issue with the rear elbow initiating/slotting towards the opposite batter's box instead of towards the pitcher. This will cause many challenges like arm bar, casting, and dropping the barrel, which all can lead to dragging the bat. Perhaps you can try placing a spongy ball in her rear elbow and having her maintain it while she turns her top hand knuckles from the back to the front towards the pitcher as quickly as possible while rotating her trunk.

Staying loose and keeping moving in the box are great suggestions, but it can be challenging for youth hitters as well. For youth players, the more excess movement they make, the more they have to manage while trying to hit a moving ball, which isn’t ideal. Youth players do not have the strength and coordination to instantly create stability to launch a ballistic movement, such as swinging a bat at a moving ball. Excess movement happens more often during live pitching because kids naturally “fill up time and space” with excess movement as a timing mechanism. The extra movement at the plate requires the hitter to have to time their launch position perfectly. Can they consistently get the barrel in the best position to launch from every time?

Any chance you can post some video of her swinging at a live pitch?

Best of luck to you.