Hitting instruction

[TNSoftballMom]

I want to get some input from hitting instructors and students (or their parents) on what kind of things (drills, etc.) your hitting instructor "prescribes" for your daughter between lessons. This would be both during the playing season and in the offseason.

The reason I ask is my 14U daughter just started with a hitting coach and he has quite the list of things for her to do between lessons. He says it's a waste of time for her to only come to lessons and do nothing in between.

Would love your feedback!

 

[Greenmonsters]

He's absolutely right. Whether its hitting, pitching, playing the piano, etc, if you don't practice between lessons, why would you think you'd get better? It takes somewhere close to 10,000 reps to ingrain a new movement - that's a year of weekly lessons or about a month with lessons and 250 swings a day. Your choice.

 

[rdbass]

That is why it is also important for the parent to learn along with the student. So when they are home practicing you the parent will know if they are doing thr drill correctly.

 

[Bouldersdad]

Then instructor tells you what to do and you work on it on your own time. You do not get better by instruction alone. Constant reinforcement and repetition of the correct mechanics.

Tim

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

That is why it is also important for the parent to learn along with the student. So when they are home practicing you the parent will know if they are doing thr drill correctly.

Big time! I invite the parents into the cages, along with their daughters, for exactly this reason. The more a parent understands, the better IMO.

 

[CycloneSoftball22]

Big time! I invite the parents into the cages, along with their daughters, for exactly this reason. The more a parent understands, the better IMO.

Unfortunately , there are just too many parents out there that simply expect the coach to be the one responsible for players development. These are also the same parents that complain about teams practicing too much and are quick to blame the coach when their DD doesnt perform well. For instance , I have a 14u pitcher that has been going to the same pitching coach for about 7 years. Her development has become stale. She needs a fresh approach. I downloaded all the Hillhouse videos from Youtube and put them on a disk for her /family to view. This was 3 weeks ago , but they still havent looked at them.

 

[rdbass]

You can lead a horse to water but, you can't make them drink. I make (used to) CD's and DVD from the gifs and videos posted all the time and give them to coaches and parents. When I ask them what did they think? They tell me they never viewed them. Their lost. If my DD doesn't succeed it isn't for lack of us trying. I am at everyone of my DD's practice (bball and softball) I watch what she does and what she is instructed to do. So, when we practice on our own I am on the same page as the coach. Sometimes my book has more pages then the coaches. Thanks to this site and great posters.

 

[starsnuffer]

If I had a dime for every parent that thought they could "buy" their way to their kid getting better. . . .

Attitude and effort is everything. The instructor is there to assess, adjust, and teach what the kid needs to work on for the week. The kid has to put in the work, and they have to put in the work in a way that allows them to improve. They can't just go to the T and hit 100 balls and assume they're going to get better. They have to go to the T with the goal that they WILL be better when they complete their training session.

The drills my own kid gets from her hitting instructor vary week to week. A big part of that was underloading for a few months (60 swings with a very light bat followed by 60 swings with her game bat 3x per week) that increased her swing 6mph so far. She did inside/outside for a while, then high/low, currently she's working on reloading to hit the change. Some homework she gets is studying pitchers/batters at local games or even when she's in her own tournaments.

-W

 

[Sticks]

I did it both ways!! Bought lessons with no practice, never retained the swing! Finally 2 years ago got serious took lessons all winter, took 2-3 extra nites working the drills in the garage and have got nothing but compliments about her swing. Practice doesn't make perfect-it makes permanent!!!! Don't waste your money!!

 

[SoGASoftball]

TNSoftballMom, sorry these folks have jumped at the chance at assuming you are complaining about your DD working between lessons. Not sure that was your message?

My DD is 10U, and her instructor has suggested lots of tee work, lots of soft toss, lots of tossing behind a net 15-18 feet off the plate. Specific drills have included "hammering" the ball off a tee witih top hand and short bat while on back knee. Me bouncing tennis balls in front of the plate from 15 feet out - I think to learn to stay back. I think these two drills were aimed at helping something she saw during the lessons. I'm sure at 14U the drills get more specific, and some are probably geared toward rectifying something the instructor saw during the lessons. What were some of the drills from your DD's instructor?