Good mechanics, makes contact, goes nowhere...

[vdubya]

Ever wish you could trade good mechanics for some good hits to the grass?

What advice do you offer a girl with pretty swing mechanics, who never K's, but who also doesn't hit the ball out of the infield at 12yo?

Small for age, but even smaller kids can give it a ride.

There are plenty of kids with horrendous mechanics by comparison who hit better. Kid has even been told to try 'swinging for the fence,' and understands that a K is no worse than an easy out generally...still a lot of soft outs.

Without video, what are we talking here? Does this description point to any particular problem?
Thanks,
'dub

 

[crankermo]

Without video it's impossible to give a correct answer. But IMO if she has good mechanics she should be hitting the ball into the grass easily no matter her size.

 

[vdubya]

Agree with your opinion, but no answers...

 

[whatsup]

First thing that comes to mind is a bat that is too big/heavy for her...

 

[RookKev]

Does the grounder have enough speed to get to the grass? Perhaps she is really squeezing the bat and hias it deep inherent palms? Maybe moving it up into her fingers some can help with the bat speed? If you factor in theforcesat play and what ultimately gives the ball ball it's velocity, you should be able to figure out the missing component. Maybe the mass of the softball is eating up her swing? Is she hitting mainly right side of the infield, meaning the ball has probably gotten into her more than she is attacking it? Just some quick guesses there...force equals mass times acceleration. Which one is she missing?

 

[softballphreak]

Have her hit off of a tee from home plate for distance. Don't do this just for testing, do this as a drill. Lot and lots of repetitions. Watch out that she doesn't get in the habit of long fly balls--you're looking for line drives.

The difference on the tee here is that most tee work is done into a net a few feet away. Long tee is much better than hitting into a net. They will make adjustments to get better hits.

After she starts hitting farther work the outside/inside, high/low tee, also.

 

[vdubya]

Does the grounder have enough speed to get to the grass? Perhaps she is really squeezing the bat and hias it deep inherent palms? Maybe moving it up into her fingers some can help with the bat speed?

>Kid uses the Carrier/Bustos grip(index finger hook, thumb not wrapped, hammer grip. turbo slot gloves with bat in fingers) I'm wondering if she shouldn't squeeze that bat for a more solid, less 'absorbing' contact.


"If you factor in theforcesat play and what ultimately gives the ball ball it's velocity, you should be able to figure out the missing component. Maybe the mass of the softball is eating up her swing? Is she hitting mainly right side of the infield, meaning the ball has probably gotten into her more than she is attacking it? Just some quick guesses there...force equals mass times acceleration. Which one is she missing?

Very often the pitcher or a middle infielder throws her out. She bats left. 30/21 scn5b (swings lighter than a 30/20 1b). It seems to me that the lack of mass is a major factor for smaller kids that must somehow be overcome. An obese kid with a crappy, even slow, swing can jack the ball. Somehow the mass of the player that is attached to the bat seems to figure in. Now, how to compensate as some of her smaller peers have? Some smaller kids with a nice smooth swing hit well even with average (to the eye) bat speed.

This swing is nice and smooth, has wt transfer and rotation, not army, looks connected...at clinics this kid gets singled out as an example of 'how a swing should look.' She has easily one of the 2 best swings on my team but can't make the lineup because her hits have no energy and with zero strikeouts her BA is crap. (The other kid is leadoff but has 35 more pounds of mass.)

This is just frustrating, but something is up because the results are consistent.
Thanks for the replies!
'dub

 

[softballphreak]

Watch her bat as she makes contact to see if the ball is deflecting the bat too much. If so maybe she needs grip, wrist or forearm strengthening drills.

 

[SBdad]

Is she just swinging at the ball and not through it.... just hoping to make contact and not strike out?

My DD started doing this in high school and kept hitting weak grounders to short and third...and to pitcher. I told her if she didn't start powering through the ball and start getting on, then the coach would move her down to the bottom of batting order. Sure enough, she got moved down to the bottom. We started working on her swinging with more power and focused on swinging through the ball with a better follow through. She eventually started pounding the ball to the out field again.

 

[RichK]

Worked this winter with the "smallest girl" on our team that sounds very similar, swing mechanics and in particular bat path looked really good, very few strike outs but also few hits out of infield. First, the bat. She was using a -12 Demarini rails which wasn't helping her. But the girl you mention is using a -9, so not that. You are right, it is partially about mass, and that includes the bat.

The other thing * is * mechanical. At the plate, versus live pitching, is she REALLY getting off her back side or is she spinning on her back heel. Without seeing her but hearing her results, I bet her hips are turning but she could is spinning on her back heel and essentially moving backwards on contact, especially versus live pitching. She needs to be transferring what little weight and body mass she has > ) to and through the ball.

A "nice-looking" swing can mask this problem. But the results speak for themselves, physics isn't voodoo : >

This was the image that guided our work together and what we were trying to fix:

<img src="http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1901038/weightshift..png" alt="weight shift"/>

The tee work into a long tunnel is a great suggestion, followed by side toss and front toss and then finally live pitching, making sure at each step she is aggressively loading into and then getting off her back side using her biggest muscles (hips, rear leg, back) to generate power. Good luck.