I'd describe myself the same as you, decent understanding of the swing after going through the Right View Pr material, reading a bunch of info at Bat Speed, Englishby's site, SetPro, Bustos clinics, etc. The thing I stress to my players is to simply be ready to hit. Too many girls haven't started the swing and got to toe touch by the time the ball is leaving the pitcher's hand, they are still just standing still and making the decision to swing way too late. Have them to get to connection on every pitch, once they can do that, they can make the decision to swing or not to swing and if they do pull the trigger they have a good chance to hit with timing. Our school has a Jugs pitching machine with a windmill attachment, so our players can watch the ball track around to release. A drill I use is a variation of Candrea's skipping the rock drill to teach getting to connection. We set up the machine to throw a ball down the middle of the plate. The girl steps in to bat with a tennis or whiffle ball in her hand instead of a bat, a ball is feed through the pitching machine and she is to go through the hitting process(load, stride, toe touch, connection, etc.) and the goal is for her to throw the ball in time to hit the pitched ball just in front of home plate. Hitting the ball isn't the point and I tell the girls to throw without hitting the pitched ball. Hopefully this helps in teaching her to hit with timing and to understand how soon and when to start the swing in order to hit. Hopes this helps.
Hitting Mechanics vs. Hitting
- Thread starter RichK
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I'd describe myself the same as you, decent understanding of the swing after going through the Right View Pr material, reading a bunch of info at Bat Speed, Englishby's site, SetPro, Bustos clinics, etc. The thing I stress to my players is to simply be ready to hit. Too many girls haven't started the swing and got to toe touch by the time the ball is leaving the pitcher's hand, they are still just standing still and making the decision to swing way too late. Have them to get to connection on every pitch, once they can do that, they can make the decision to swing or not to swing and if they do pull the trigger they have a good chance to hit with timing. Our school has a Jugs pitching machine with a windmill attachment, so our players can watch the ball track around to release. A drill I use is a variation of Candrea's skipping the rock drill to teach getting to connection. We set up the machine to throw a ball down the middle of the plate. The girl steps in to bat with a tennis or whiffle ball in her hand instead of a bat, a ball is feed through the pitching machine and she is to go through the hitting process(load, stride, toe touch, connection, etc.) and the goal is for her to throw the ball in time to hit the pitched ball just in front of home plate. Hitting the ball isn't the point and I tell the girls to throw without hitting the pitched ball. Hopefully this helps in teaching her to hit with timing and to understand how soon and when to start the swing in order to hit. Hopes this helps.
I keep hearing this but it's not what I see. Is this an RVP thing? MPEG4 7 of 16, Fastpitch You can use the arrow keys to toggle back and forth. I see the ball well in flight and the toe still in the air.
You should probably define that term for everyone for clarity since it's one of those terms that Right View redefined for the hitting world.
Hitting is an unnatural movement so it is very important to lay down the mechanics. You have to make sure your players have fully understood the mechanics and how to execute it before you let them hit of live pitches (this is what you should let them do after teaching them to hit off the tee and from soft tosses). Because when you let them hit of live pitches they might want to change there hit because want to hit the ball and they forget the mechanics all together. Just make sure you let them hit of a machine first then from a pitcher.
FJRGerry
Abby's Dad
I agree with SnocatzDad that bunting is a vital step in learning tracking the ball. I wonder this has been used as an alternative?
Batter gets into a contact position (maybe after a slo-mo swing) and coach soft tosses from about 10 feet so batter can work on contacting ball by hinging rear knee and raising/lowering lead elbow (as I understand how Mike Epstein teaches). Batter isn't swinging - just raising or lowering the bat to make contact.
Batter gets into a contact position (maybe after a slo-mo swing) and coach soft tosses from about 10 feet so batter can work on contacting ball by hinging rear knee and raising/lowering lead elbow (as I understand how Mike Epstein teaches). Batter isn't swinging - just raising or lowering the bat to make contact.
On bunting being good tracking practice. You bet. An excellent way to help kids learn to track higher speeds than they are used to. ON the two items you mentioned about Epstein, you really need to study a bunch of video of elite hitters and check those ideas against that video.
- Oct 14, 2008
- 665
- 16
I teach with a drill that is simular to yours with the exception of catching the ball rather than skipping it at the pitched ball, have a right handed batter use a left handers glove, the glove hand should mimick where the top hand is if she had a bat, as the ball is pitched from the machine, we go thru our whole load toe touch, heel plant routine and bring the back hand thru the slot and watch the ball in the glove......... I have found this to be very effective getting hitters to track the ball........ just another variation on a good drill
Tim
First of all, thanks for all the responses (and sorry to be away while the discussion was growing). You all got the gist of what I was asking. Certainly it makes sense about focusing on tracking, and the drills to do that. The thing I'm finding is how quickly old habits return under the pressure of a live pitched ball ; >
I don't know if this is a good analogy, but here goes: it's like teaching someone to box or do karate with perfect form and then you throw them in a fight and they find themselves eye gouging and kicking below the belt just to survive!
I guess that makes this a process. Seems to me the continual reinforcement of proper mechanics off tee, soft toss, front easy toss, etc., are important so the player can "feel" their mechanics and gain confidence in relying on them, eventually against good pitching, movement, someone trying to get them out.
Tks again.
Tks all.
I don't know if this is a good analogy, but here goes: it's like teaching someone to box or do karate with perfect form and then you throw them in a fight and they find themselves eye gouging and kicking below the belt just to survive!
I guess that makes this a process. Seems to me the continual reinforcement of proper mechanics off tee, soft toss, front easy toss, etc., are important so the player can "feel" their mechanics and gain confidence in relying on them, eventually against good pitching, movement, someone trying to get them out.
Tks again.
Tks all.
That may work for those hitters, but they're not the average. They are well above that level, which is why we're looking at them.
Hitting is about timing. Many girls don't put in the kind of work to get that four or five frame swing you keep talking about. Or they don't have the athleticism. But that doesn't mean they'll never hit. They have to adjust to what they can do.
Getting the toe down earlier puts them in a position to be able to swing on time, whereas maybe they couldn't otherwise.
In a perfect world you can follow what you see on video to the letter. In the real world, maybe not, especially when it comes to timing issues. Just as in a perfect world every player would be able to run to first in 2.7. But they can't.
I think that's one of the best analogies I've ever heard.
