Help me help her

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Apr 4, 2019
18
3
Florida
Man all you guys rock I can't thank enough all the positive advice and appreciate it immensely. Pretty crazy you would think moving to Florida you would have all kinds of choices on batting cages and hitting instructor whatever but there's absolutely nothing within 50 miles of us. Either orlando or Gainesville is closest anywhere I can find they have 2 games next week I'll definitely keep you guys updated. Any chance anyone agrees maybe all.this pulling back and dropping hands or shoulder has to do with her bat being too heavy it's only ounce heavier than last year but big difference with good pitching and she's not a big girl at all.
 
Sep 29, 2010
165
0
If you want a drill to help keep those hands where they should be and to help her learn how to use her core and shoulders to create the correct bat angle I have one.

What you want is a somewhat flat (not all the way flat!!) soccer ball or something similar. Have her pinch it between her top hand and the top of her shoulder while hitting off the t. Instruct her to keep that ball in there through her negative move and into toe touch. Tell her the only time the ball can drop is when she commits to swing and her hand start the launch.

This will help her get the feel for a how the swing starts and power is generated.

I've used this drill a lot with my daughter and when she struggles a bit I just give her the cue "stay connected" and she knows what that means. You have to be careful though because she can end up too rotational doing this drill but you can add a couple of extra parts in to the mix to ensure that doesnt happen.

One thing we have done is "opposite field bat throws" while holding her ball between her hands and shoulder. This helps keep her from being too rotational and ensures her arms not barring out. Basically she does the above drill and throws the bat as far as she can toward shortstop. (Shes lefty.)

Another thing we always did to keep her frm being too rotational was heavy doses of long t. If you dont know what that is, she would hit off the t into a popup net 20 feet away dead center. My kid got so good at this she could hit 20 30 balls in a row hard right into that net.
 
Oct 13, 2014
5,471
113
South Cali
Man all you guys rock I can't thank enough all the positive advice and appreciate it immensely. Pretty crazy you would think moving to Florida you would have all kinds of choices on batting cages and hitting instructor whatever but there's absolutely nothing within 50 miles of us. Either orlando or Gainesville is closest anywhere I can find they have 2 games next week I'll definitely keep you guys updated. Any chance anyone agrees maybe all.this pulling back and dropping hands or shoulder has to do with her bat being too heavy it's only ounce heavier than last year but big difference with good pitching and she's not a big girl at all.

It could have something to do with it.Lighter is better than heavy. Hitting is about quickness, control and precision. Not brute force.
 
May 24, 2013
12,461
113
So Cal
Any chance anyone agrees maybe all.this pulling back and dropping hands or shoulder has to do with her bat being too heavy it's only ounce heavier than last year but big difference with good pitching and she's not a big girl at all.

It's a mechanics issue, and probably an issue with understanding what's involved in a good swing. My DD (14yo, 150lbs) will sometimes do BP work with a 33/30 wood bat. This is 7 ounces heaver than her game bat. The extra weight doesn't fundamentally change her swing pattern.
 

rdbass

It wasn't me.
Jun 5, 2010
9,131
83
Not here.
It could have something to do with it.Lighter is better than heavy. Hitting is about quickness, control and precision. Not brute force.
Yeah, lighter bat is the answer for bad swing sequence & mechanics on this hitter....Oh brother.....tap out again.....
 
Oct 13, 2014
5,471
113
South Cali
Yeah, lighter bat is the answer for bad swing sequence & mechanics on this hitter....Oh brother.....tap out again.....

Hey Shrek stop trolling. Lighter is better to be quicker and have more control. You don’t think so???

I gave my diagnosis beforehand.The OP asked another question... duh. Try to keep up and follow along.
 
Last edited:

Cannonball

Ex "Expert"
Feb 25, 2009
4,854
113
Zimmy, I'm not an expert. If I were giving your dd lessons, I would try to get your dd to create a sense of what her hands and body are doing. In saying this, I would have her do "neck swings" or "shoulder swings." IOWs, hitters have to create a relationship, however brief, between their back shoulder and hands. By resting that bat on her shoulder, gaining a sense of what her hands are doing in relationship to that shoulder but also that back hip, your dd might be able to make her swing more efficient. I have attached a couple of still pictures of my dd. These stills represent a concept called a "fall back swing" where my dd was taught to get back to basics when she felt that she was struggling at the plate. Note where the bat is on the shoulder. From here, and by taking the hands out for a brief part of the swing she could deliver the barrel effectively and then add her hands back later. Scott Sarginson was the first person to suggest this concept that I know of and it really worked for my dd.
 

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