Hard work pays off....

[gophert]

I found this site in Oct 2012 looking for hitting help for my 9 yr old. After admitting she needed help and receiving hard but fair advice from many of you. We went to work.

We started with this:

[video=youtube_share;fwYZQzz3SEg]http://youtu.be/fwYZQzz3SEg[/video]

and yesterday she hit her first out of the park home run!!!!!!!! Thanks Again!

 

[CoogansBluff]

The ''before'' clip might be the best (or worst) example of bat drag ever put on film.

I know it's very rewarding to see your daughter having made significant progress in her swing and results. And she's only 11. And she's belted one over the fence? That's awesome. So is this site, btw.

 

[gophert]

The ''before'' clip might be the best (or worst) example of bat drag ever put on film.

I know it's very rewarding to see your daughter having made significant progress in her swing and results. And she's only 11. And she's belted one over the fence? That's awesome. So is this site, btw.

We still fight the bat drag on occasion, but we have worked to minimize it as much as possible. It's a hard one to fix quick when you look where we started. The field was a smaller field, I'm thinking 175 at the corners. She took it straight away center. Either way, a poke for a 11 yr old and a renewed confidence in "coach dad".

 

[CoogansBluff]

Either way, a poke for a 11 yr old and a renewed confidence in "coach dad".

No doubt.

When my DD was 11, we practiced on a field where the fence was 180-185, and she couldn't come close to hitting one out. Two years later, she hit her first 200-foot HR, and she's 14 now and can go 220 if the stars are aligned just right. I say that only to suggest that your DD may have great potential as a power hitter if she has the size for it because she's ahead of where mine was. And mine also is still being treated for bat drag. It's not a bad case of it, but it can flare up.

 

[NorthMS]

Congrats to you both!!!

 

[iMlearning]

Congrats Gophert!!!
As far as bat drag goes...I'm very familiar. DD is now 15 and when I take her out to the field I now use foam balls and TCB balls (and a lot of times the Impact bat) The reason was once she got a taste of hitting one over the fence, she would swing for the fences and her form (and bat drag) were at it's worst. Since I use foam balls, she concentrates more on technique and not distance. They use real balls in practice twice a week but don't have a fence
Just telling you this now that she's felt how good it feels to hit one out

 

[CoogansBluff]

Congrats Gophert!!!
As far as bat drag goes...I'm very familiar. DD is now 15 and when I take her out to the field I now use foam balls and TCB balls (and a lot of times the Impact bat) The reason was once she got a taste of hitting one over the fence, she would swing for the fences and her form (and bat drag) were at it's worst.

I see the dilemma in that. Having my daughter hit on an actual field has been great for her to naturally figure out what helps her hit the ball harder and on a line. I think that's an underrated way to learn, or you might say old-school way to learn. But hitting on a field has also led to her admiring the distance she gets and led to her not wanting to let the ball travel deep in the zone and assorted issues that may come with that, including bat drag. More lately, we've begun appreciating the ability to control where the ball is being hit (left, center, right, etc.) over distance. Used to be that 90 percent of the balls were going to left/left center, and I didn't object because that's where she could hit 'em the farthest. But now that she values letting the ball get deeper, and the ability to ''place'' her hits, the balls are pretty scattered in the outfield, though more toward CF than anything.

 

[rdbass]

I like 'hit the ball where it is pitched'. A hitter can't and shouldn't try and pull every ball. I like when my DD hits a ball pitched on the outside corner to right field.

 

[iMlearning]

I see the dilemma in that. Having my daughter hit on an actual field has been great for her to naturally figure out what helps her hit the ball harder and on a line. I think that's an underrated way to learn, or you might say old-school way to learn. But hitting on a field has also led to her admiring the distance she gets and led to her not wanting to let the ball travel deep in the zone and assorted issues that may come with that, including bat drag. More lately, we've begun appreciating the ability to control where the ball is being hit (left, center, right, etc.) over distance. Used to be that 90 percent of the balls were going to left/left center, and I didn't object because that's where she could hit 'em the farthest. But now that she values letting the ball get deeper, and the ability to ''place'' her hits, the balls are pretty scattered in the outfield, though more toward CF than anything.

That's why we use the impact bat a lot, so she can see if she's getting nice line drives and we practice hitting to all fields. Her team has been playing mostly on fields with 300 foot fences and she can't quite make it over LOL

 

[iMlearning]

I like 'hit the ball where it is pitched'. A hitter can't and shouldn't try and pull every ball. I like when my DD hits a ball pitched on the outside corner to right field.

You just learned that today from Bustos! JK I agree totally!