Hitting Distance Off of Tee

[SBFAMILY]

Better post on what the 2 ball 2 t's teaches and why we do the drill, since some don't understand why or what you are teaching:

Double Tee Drill

We take two tees and line them up about 18 inches apart in a straight line towards the pitcher. The tee closest to the pitcher is about two inches higher than the ball on the tee towards the catcher. Can you drive the ball from the back tee through the ball on the ball on the front tee? If you open the front shoulder you will see that you will pull the ball so it does not hit the ball on the front tee.

Now hit the bottom of the ball on the back tee and it will go over the ball on the front tee and you are seeing what you can do with your bat and this is called situational hitting!

You will be surprised as to what you can do with your bat once you focus on the hands above the plane of the pitch! You can set up two tees to hit outside pitches and inside pitches to improve your wrist release and staying inside the path of the ball and rotating as needed.

Just visited the University of Hi, not sure they will agree with you. Impart back spin? All studies show on base % is higher hitting line drives than any other type hit.

 

[SoCalSoftballdad]

there is value in teaching batters how to hit home runs (descending angle, impart backspin)

Can you define "descending angle" and how that helps hit home runs?

 

[Greenmonsters]

At the highest levels, it looks to me like the Womens game is moving toward the big fly just like MLB (see U of Hawaii). There is a place for all aspects of the offense (small ball, contact, line drive hitters etc...) but all those offensive tools generally require the batter to defeat 8 fielders and have teammates also execute in order to score runs. In the home run game, there is only 1 fielder to beat and that is the Pitcher, no help from the rest of the lineup is needed. If the player exhibits the right tools (good mechanics and good bat speed), there is value in teaching batters how to hit home runs (descending angle, impart backspin) and when to attempt to execute it (early in the game, runners on base less than 2 down, when it can do the most damage (put a game out of reach), etc... (not tying run on third, 2 down bot 7th)).

BTW... That girl in the videos, she has some good bat speed. 1st inning, 2 runners on, less than two outs, I'm telling her to hit me a bomb.

What? We're not talking about SP w/ 300+ ft fences, rather FP and 200 ft fences right?

 

[Mrek]

Well, you can muscle the ball out. And for those who can, they can hit it on a line 15 ft high and get to go 220' and more. However those who can't muscle it out can get 5-10-20 extra feet by coming through the zone on a slightly descending angle, imparting some back spin to the ball getting the extra carry. Just the opposite of hitting the ball with a slightly ascending angle and generating topspin. We have all seen a a ball crushed on a line that even has a few revolutions of topspin land on the warning track, just like we have seen the fly ball that looks like a can of corn but "just keeps going" to land over the fence helped back a little backspin. Yes this is a technique used to extreme in slowpitch but it still occurs in fastpitch and in baseball. Go to a MLB batting practice, you can see "floaters" leave the yard all over the place. (Albert Pujols et al, doesn't need backspin). I'm sure Hawaii values on base. They also value slugging. They put all those HR's they hit this year to good use. All I'm saying is there are situations that dictate not just "HARD", but "HARD and FAR".

 

[softballphreak]

Well, you can muscle the ball out. And for those who can, they can hit it on a line 15 ft high and get to go 220' and more. However those who can't muscle it out can get 5-10-20 extra feet by coming through the zone on a slightly descending angle, imparting some back spin to the ball getting the extra carry. Just the opposite of hitting the ball with a slightly ascending angle and generating topspin. We have all seen a a ball crushed on a line that even has a few revolutions of topspin land on the warning track, just like we have seen the fly ball that looks like a can of corn but "just keeps going" to land over the fence helped back a little backspin. Yes this is a technique used to extreme in slowpitch but it still occurs in fastpitch and in baseball. Go to a MLB batting practice, you can see "floaters" leave the yard all over the place. (Albert Pujols et al, doesn't need backspin). I'm sure Hawaii values on base. They also value slugging. They put all those HR's they hit this year to good use. All I'm saying is there are situations that dictate not just "HARD", but "HARD and FAR".

I understand what you're saying about backspin but I think if you're accurate enough to do that you're more than accurate enough to hit a rising line drive that will carry over.

I'm all for raising the game to a power game at HS/TB level. It wasn't but a few years back when Michigan changed the game philosophy with its power hitters. After years of slapping being the dominant philosophy.

If your DD can play the power game by all means go for it. I believe fastpitch is going to be more and more like baseball. There are going to be more HRs than ever in the coming years. More players will be swinging for the fence. That's something that can and should be taught along with traditional skills.

 

[Mrek]

Just some final thoughts from me...

My DD is athletic but not the biggest in stature (16 yo 5'7" about 125). Often she looks like the "skinniest" girl on the field. She can run a little bit (in the 2.90s from the RH box) and was being pigeonholed as a small ball player. She is an "A" ball player. But she got with a new TB team and coach who has more of a big fly philosophy. Got her to attack down on the ball and she hit 4 HR's in TB this summer on fenced 200' fields (never hit one out before that). Now, is this best for her "long term" softball career? Probably not. Can she try, in the right situation, to break open a game or a least do more damage than a "solid liner up the middle for a single". Yes. Best yet, after being a small ball player, she thinks this hitting aspect is SO MUCH FUN. I don't know if she will play beyond high school, but I think she is going to have a good time for her last 2 years of HS/TB.

Not to drag down the thread, but here's a story I love from this year's TB...

My DD team is playing the 1# seed and host of a 30 team A ball tourny. My DD team does not have alot of rep but does have some good players, especially on the offense and the coach is the one mentioned above. The host team throws their #3 and the game is 1-1 going to the bot 3rd. Their #3 was a little wild and puts two runners on. Our #3 hitter is up, probably our best offensive player. They go to their #1. The #1 warms up throwing all FB and pretty hard (62-64 by the radar gun in my head) and has the swagger of a #1. Long story short, first pitch FB lands about 225 away, 4-1, we win 5-1 knocking the host out of the tourny. Now you can say "my pitcher wouldn't throw FB" but the hitter went up giving herself at least one swing to do some damage, not hit a line drive single. Did she put backspin on the ball, maybe not proactively, but instinctively because she was looking for one shot to go deep. Maybe I don't do the moment justice, and maybe this happens all the time on other DD's Gold level teams, but for me it was the best at bat of the summer for the whole team.

Thanks for the conversation.

 

[mrslug01]

Can you define "descending angle" and how that helps hit home runs?

Descending angle means ground balls. I think we all know that swinging down on a ball going down is going to result in ground balls. Swinging slightly up at the ball coming down will allow us to hit it square. Still get back spin as long as bottom half of ball is hit right?

 

[LongBall]

What's the point of teaching rotational hitting if your not trying to got yard! Yes it maximizes bat head speed but this swing has a natural slight incline to the swing and is meant to create lift! Some situations need a ground ball behind the runner and so on. We also have some kids who just don't have the legs and core! these athletes typically hit what is there home run about deep center field so we make adjustments with them. Also, if we are getting badly beat by a dominate pitcher we make adjustments like small ball and manufacture runs with speed and savvy base running. But if they can get the timing, stick with the pitch they like to hit with nobody on. I want them hitting hard and using the natural swing path (no thinking)! Kids are different and it depends on the type of training day, but if we are working on maximizing the swing with the legs and just letting the hands come we are aiming for the fence. We have four girls who can hit out off a tee. You know what part of the order they hit in and who I call on to pinch hit if I need a deep fly ball and the next girl up is not that player. Speed coming off the bench is important but so is someone who can hit it deep if needed.

 

[softballphreak]

What's the point of teaching rotational hitting if your not trying to got yard! Yes it maximizes bat head speed but this swing has a natural slight incline to the swing and is meant to create lift! Some situations need a ground ball behind the runner and so on. We also have some kids who just don't have the legs and core! these athletes typically hit what is there home run about deep center field so we make adjustments with them. Also, if we are getting badly beat by a dominate pitcher we make adjustments like small ball and manufacture runs with speed and savvy base running. But if they can get the timing, stick with the pitch they like to hit with nobody on. I want them hitting hard and using the natural swing path (no thinking)! Kids are different and it depends on the type of training day, but if we are working on maximizing the swing with the legs and just letting the hands come we are aiming for the fence. We have four girls who can hit out off a tee. You know what part of the order they hit in and who I call on to pinch hit if I need a deep fly ball and the next girl up is not that player. Speed coming off the bench is important but so is someone who can hit it deep if needed.

What age are your girls that can it out off the tee? What kind of build, height, etc? Bat specs, if possible. Thanks.

 

[amanda_cake]

... I'm starting to feel like I'm the only one NOT trying to go yard. lol. I'm all about the base hits that add up, that knock runners in. If I go yard, so be it. I've hit a couple of home runs (in the park home runs in fields with baseball fencing/no fencing). I'm one of those girls that play small ball, though... so a homerun is a rarity. Line drives in the gaps, well placed bunts, and right handed slash/slap bunting is good enough for me.