Help With Slap Hitting!?

[Jordan]

Hey so recently my younger DD (16) joined a new 18u B team. They just had their first tournament and dd did pretty good. She did well at CF and had a triple and a 500 batting average. After the last game though dd’s Coach went up to me and her and said he thinks dd should try slap hitting from the left side. I wasn’t really expecting this cause while my dd is small (5’2) and pretty quick but not super fast (consistently runs a 2.9-3.0 20 yard dash) and she hits the ball decently well. Last year dd had a 350 batting average. Is it worth doing or should dd just stick to her normal hitting. Dd is ambidextrous so the hitting from the left side isn’t a problem (she often bunts from the left) and while she has slap hit every now and then she never had much success with it.

 

[Vertigo]

My advice - if you decide to go this route, your dd will have to focus on only hitting from the left side. Switching back and forth is possible, but she’ll need to see pitches consistently from the left side for several months to become an effective slapper. Find her a slapping coach. Also, make sure that they teach the various nuances of slapping which include drag bunting, push bunting, soft slap, hard slap, chop slap, and hitting. Being a triple threat hitter is extremely effective. Learning proper foot work is also extremely important now that umpires are calling out of the box very frequently.

Dd started slapping two years ago right after her fall season ended. Worked on it all winter and during school ball so she was ready to go with it the summer after her sophomore year. Her BA shot up by .200. She also did strength and agility which helps her speed and quick break out of the box.

I‘d say your DD’s current speed would be fine for an 18U B team.

However, if she consistently is hitting for EB, no need to make her a slapper! Dd switched because she was consistently hitting grounders but was often almost safe many times from the right side. Her problem with hitting was between her ears. Plus, she’s the one who wanted to make the switch. If it’s your DD’s coach and not your dd who wants to do it, stick to the right side. The player has to want to do it or else they’ll never work at it on their own.

 

[Jordan]

My advice - if you decide to go this route, your dd will have to focus on only hitting from the left side. Switching back and forth is possible, but she’ll need to see pitches consistently from the left side for several months to become an effective slapper. Find her a slapping coach. Also, make sure that they teach the various nuances of slapping which include drag bunting, push bunting, soft slap, hard slap, chop slap, and hitting. Being a triple threat hitter is extremely effective. Learning proper foot work is also extremely important now that umpires are calling out of the box very frequently.

Dd started slapping two years ago right after her fall season ended. Worked on it all winter and during school ball so she was ready to go with it the summer after her sophomore year. Her BA shot up by .200. She also did strength and agility which helps her speed and quick break out of the box.

I‘d say your DD’s current speed would be fine for an 18U B team.

However, if she consistently is hitting for EB, no need to make her a slapper! Dd switched because she was consistently hitting grounders but was often almost safe many times from the right side. Her problem with hitting was between her ears. Plus, she’s the one who wanted to make the switch. If it’s your DD’s coach and not your dd who wants to do it, stick to the right side. The player has to want to do it or else they’ll never work at it on their own.

Thanks for the answer! My Dd does seem interested In slapping but she’s not sure if she needs to do it. She wants to learn how so she can be a triple threat but at the same time she’s worried about committing to slapping so late in her softball career. She’s worried that she’ll spend her last few years of travel softball learning to slap which will cause her batting average to drop for a bit. Is slapping worth it at such an old age and would it help dd get to play in college? Oh also Dd is usually a good extra base hitter but she consistently has periods where she can just never make contact. Some tournaments she’ll bat a 600 while other times she’ll bat a 100.

 

[Shelia]

Thanks for the answer! My Dd does seem interested In slapping but she’s not sure if she needs to do it. She wants to learn how so she can be a triple threat but at the same time she’s worried about committing to slapping so late in her softball career. She’s worried that she’ll spend her last few years of travel softball learning to slap which will cause her batting average to drop for a bit. Is slapping worth it at such an old age and would it help dd get to play in college? Oh also Dd is usually a good extra base hitter but she consistently has periods where she can just never make contact. Some tournaments she’ll bat a 600 while other times she’ll bat a 100.

My DD learnt to slap hit in 14u And it helped her BA a lot. 16 is a bit late to learn slapping but she could do it if she practices it a lot. Also 2.9-3.0 should be a decent speed for an 18u B team plus she still has time to get faster. Not many fielders will be able to field a good hit slap in 3 seconds.

 

[Vertigo]

Honestly, I’d say if your dd is pretty consistent at hitting for EB college coaches will probably want her more for that than slapping. However, the things that will greatly improve your DD’s chances of getting recruited are her emailing college coaches and playing on a higher level showcase team that gets into the better showcase events.

Slapping only helped in my DD’s case because she was fast and was not an overly effective hitter from the right side when she moved to higher level ball.

 

[Jordan]

Honestly, I’d say if your dd is pretty consistent at hitting for EB college coaches will probably want her more for that than slapping. However, the things that will greatly improve your DD’s chances of getting recruited are her emailing college coaches and playing on a higher level showcase team that gets into the better showcase events.

Slapping only helped in my DD’s case because she was fast and was not an overly effective hitter from the right side when she moved to higher level ball.

Thanks for the help! I’ll tell DD’s coach that while we might practice here and there that I feel like we should stay Hitting for power. Also Dd was on a nice 16u A team but the team suddenly disbanded because of the coach’s health so we had to rush and join a team. Dd will start emailing colleges!

 

[Jordan]

My DD learnt to slap hit in 14u And it helped her BA a lot. 16 is a bit late to learn slapping but she could do it if she practices it a lot. Also 2.9-3.0 should be a decent speed for an 18u B team plus she still has time to get faster. Not many fielders will be able to field a good hit slap in 3 seconds.

Okay thanks for the response. I’m hoping Dd will get faster as well! Dd’s Older 17 year old sister is a consistent 2.7 and is the fastest girl on her 18u A team. I’m hoping my younger Dd can get as fast as her sister but I don’t have my expectations too high since my 17 yr old Dd is a bit taller (5’4) and has been consistently faster than my younger Dd all her life (at 16 my older Dd was a 2.8). I’m gonna keep working with younger Dd to try an get her to that 2.8-2.9 area!

 

[radness]

Adding a skillset takes adding that training time.

Best to keep skillset she already has hitting right handed.
(especially 16 yr. old)
Keep training hitting right handed.
(wouldnt leave that behind)

Add the other.

 

[Ksphenom]

If you're consistent hitter from the right side going lefty is a long journey but with great rewards for the quick.

People can be proficient in 6 months or less w/slapping but the normal timeframe could be couple of years if going completely left for all your hitting going forward.

I agree with those who say keep working on the right too. The more quality swings you have can only help no matter the side.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

 

[Jordan]

So I texted Dd’s Coach and told him that I don’t think it’s a very good idea for dd to prioritize slapping when she’s been hitting for power perfectly fine. I did say that we could work with dd here and there on slapping but I didn’t want dd to commit to it. His response was basically this:” I understand your concerns but Dd still has some time to learn slap hitting. I think it would be really beneficial for her cause she’s fast and it could help her with her inconsistent hitting. I would like you to reconsider slapping but if you really don’t want to do it then I won’t force your Dd to do it.” He really wants dd to slap even though she’s been hitting fine. I think it’s cause he hasn’t seen much of dd’s Hitting so he might just think she got lucky at the tournament. I’m gonna talk to it with dd again cause dd does seem mildly interested in slapping.

Edit: Oh also if you’re wondering why he called dd’s Hitting inconsistent it’s cause she went 1 for 6 in pool play. I figured this was cause dd wasn’t used to her new bat and needed to work with it some more. The next day after dd got used to her bat she went 5 for 6 getting 2 doubles and a triple.