Haley

[Mike-Coach-Q]

 

[julray]

Your DD looks athletic and strong, you should be a proud dad. How does she perform in a game vs a decent pitcher vs soft toss with this swing ? Does she hit a lot of hard grounders?

Have you ever seen a kid pull off the ball? Basically get to the ball and then take a sharp right turn? I feel your DD is the same thing, except she gets to the ball and then takes a sharp upright turn, lots of top spin.. perform very well in soft toss, but not quite as well in a game (her game swing might be different so I could be way off here, just basing off the tee swing). My point is, I think she would be making much more impact by getting through the ball more, stay on plane longer. Don't force the upright turn, it will happen.

Anyway so much talk about launch angles etc, and you might be modeling your DD's swing that way, but I believe she's losing power, distance and solid contact because of it. IMO damage is done out front, however if you force upward path, your room for error will be minimal.

 

[3girls]

I agree with julray, Swing looks good, but it will be difficult to be consistent with an up hill swing. my middle girl had been working to reduce her angle for over a year...she hits HRs consistently, but strikes out too much and flys out too much. A change in her swing angle has had a dramatic Improvement in her production and even increased her HR/AB.

She will likely do better by staying on plane longer and finishing the swing lower. The swing from December 22 look the best to me.

 

[Mike-Coach-Q]

Thanks for the great observations, very appreciated. Her tee swing is steeper than all the other swings not by design. Agree more work is needed and will continue to work on keeping the barrel in the zone longer.

In games she is a little early and rushed so she misses opportunities that could have been a great hit if she'd stay relaxed and let things come to her. Taking a dead pull hitting and teaching her to cover the plate is going to take time.

She's not my daughter, she plays for me at the high school I coach at. I'm very proud of her and her work ethic and attitude is unbelievable.

I just wanted to share her progress and journey with those that enjoy softball and are hitting enthusiasts like I am.

 

[julray]

Thanks for the great observations, very appreciated. Her tee swing is steeper than all the other swings not by design. Agree more work is needed and will continue to work on keeping the barrel in the zone longer.

In games she is a little early and rushed so she misses opportunities that could have been a great hit if she'd stay relaxed and let things come to her. Taking a dead pull hitting and teaching her to cover the plate is going to take time.

She's not my daughter, she plays for me at the high school I coach at. I'm very proud of her and her work ethic and attitude is unbelievable.

I just wanted to share her progress and journey with those that enjoy softball and are hitting enthusiasts like I am.

Good on you for coaching.. also if her bat was in the zone a little longer those ones shes a little early on would probably end up in the seats . Even Donaldson says "most damage is done out front, but as a hitter you don't want to be too focused on that"

In regards to keeping the barrel in the zone longer, I think you should check out Casey Smith (https://www.instagram.com/outfronthitting/) and see what he has to say about posture. He's easy to understand for coaches and players.

 

[Mike-Coach-Q]

Thanks I'll check it out

 

[Mike-Coach-Q]

Haven’t worked with Haley for over ten weeks. Have some footage of her swing. Hopefully thing will open up soon. Be safe

 

[BigSkyHi]

Haven’t worked with Haley for over ten weeks. Have some footage of her swing. Hopefully thing will open up soon. Be safe

Kid working hard - Booyah! Normally striking out is a timing issue.

 

[erniekru]

I really like your sentiment regarding the swing is ultimately the players and that if you change it, it becomes your responsibility.

Anyway, I've got a question, what is your reasoning for (seemingly) striving for the same launch angle regardless of pitch position? In the quoted post, the tee is positioned at the very high end of the strike zone, maybe even a ball, and the batter maintains that same upwards attack. Just wondering

 

[Mike-Coach-Q]

These video swings are her working on improving her swing. Not a finished product. In this swing she is trying to swing level to the ball. As she learns to use her arms less and master her hands and turning the barrel , the barrel path should improve. Great question. Good luck