hitting oppo...

[fastpitchdad8]

Hey everyone

we've been doing tee work setting the tee under a portable home plate so the vertical part of the tee is on the outside back corner of the plate (just off corner and deep..hope that makes sense).

anyway most of our team does really well...line drives to right center and hard ground balls through the right side. the problem is when we move to front toss from about 15-20 ft away and pitch to the corner and ask them to drive it oppo we see mostly popups to shallow right.

anyone have any thoughts?

 

[softballphreak]

Hey everyone

we've been doing tee work setting the tee under a portable home plate so the vertical part of the tee is on the outside back corner of the plate (just off corner and deep..hope that makes sense).

anyway most of our team does really well...line drives to right center and hard ground balls through the right side. the problem is when we move to front toss from about 15-20 ft away and pitch to the corner and ask them to drive it oppo we see mostly popups to shallow right.

anyone have any thoughts?

Yep, popups and weak grounders to 2nd are typically what happens in the beginning. And if your players are like the ones I've worked outside pitches, then they don't mind moaning and groaning.

But, the good news is it won't take long at all before they are driving pitches to right center gap. And not just outside pitches. Stick with it. The more you do it the sooner they start hitting the gap. And we're not talking months, more like two weeks—or even less.

Word of caution: work some extreme inside pitches along with the outside ones. Don't slack on the outside pitches, though. Hands start close to the chest on all pitches.

 

[fastpitchdad8]

thanks phreak. we've been working on it off and on for a few weeks. when we go front toss we do work in and out and ask them to hit it where its pitched.

we're still seeing most everyone try to pull outside pitches in games. I think (hope) once they drive a few the other way in games the light bulbs will go on

 

[Cannonball]

You need to do a progression drill. Start by throwing the inside pitch. Then, pitch one down the middle. Then, one outside. At each progression, the hitter should be allowing the ball to get deeper. (More over the plate.) Really, for young hitters, it takes a long time for them to develop the ability to sit longer and allow the ball to get deeper. However, you can start the process now and give a lot of positive reinforcement when they try to do it right.

 

[softballphreak]

thanks phreak. we've been working on it off and on for a few weeks. when we go front toss we do work in and out and ask them to hit it where its pitched.

we're still seeing most everyone try to pull outside pitches in games. I think (hope) once they drive a few the other way in games the light bulbs will go on

When I work outside I stay with outside until they start hitting to right field. The main thing that I believe needs to be learned is not to dump the barrel. Dumping the barrel when trying to go opposite field happens because they believe they have to lower the barrel to do it. The actual feeling is more of a level swing. It won't be level, of course, but that's the feeling. That's the aha part of the outside swing.

They need to think outside the box. To experiment with keeping the barrel higher than it feels like it should be. And it happens through trial and error. When I'm working with an individual instead of a team it seems they pick up on it quicker. After 10-12 buckets of balls (about 200-250 pitches), all outside, they start driving the gap. With a team that would take forever.

But the key is to stay on it until it clicks. Encourage them to raise the barrel and hit off the back hip. There's nothing to lose and a lot to gain—the deeper they can let the ball come in the more likely they'll hit for power.

 

[mann]

When I work outside I stay with outside until they start hitting to right field. The main thing that I believe needs to be learned is not to dump the barrel. Dumping the barrel when trying to go opposite field happens because they believe they have to lower the barrel to do it. The actual feeling is more of a level swing. It won't be level, of course, but that's the feeling. That's the aha part of the outside swing.

They need to think outside the box. To experiment with keeping the barrel higher than it feels like it should be. And it happens through trial and error. When I'm working with an individual instead of a team it seems they pick up on it quicker. After 10-12 buckets of balls (about 200-250 pitches), all outside, they start driving the gap. With a team that would take forever.

But the key is to stay on it until it clicks. Encourage them to raise the barrel and hit off the back hip. There's nothing to lose and a lot to gain—the deeper they can let the ball come in the more likely they'll hit for power.

I am very impressed softballphreak, you are spot on. you nailed it!.
They do after working OPPO, want to dump the barrel. this is what I have been working on, to repair, since teaching my team OPPO. which they do, and are, and did, catch onto quite well.

Yes , you must then Work hard on extreme inside, to get them to keep the barrel up, and turn., again after teaching OPPO

I used every drill I could come up with, to get them to not dump. I worked high inside for two days straight, with Bonds tommohock drill, and good separation.

I really had to have them keep their hands up, right up under their chin, but

the payoff, watching them take that ball to the opposite side is a great feeling, and the smiles are wonderful.

I can tell, you are a coach, have experience, and have good advise, thank you for helping us.

 

[fastpitchdad8]

You need to do a progression drill. Start by throwing the inside pitch. Then, pitch one down the middle. Then, one outside. At each progression, the hitter should be allowing the ball to get deeper.

this seems like a good idea. thx cannon

 

[fastpitchdad8]

When I work outside I stay with outside until they start hitting to right field. The main thing that I believe needs to be learned is not to dump the barrel. Dumping the barrel when trying to go opposite field happens because they believe they have to lower the barrel to do it. The actual feeling is more of a level swing. It won't be level, of course, but that's the feeling. That's the aha part of the outside swing.

They need to think outside the box. To experiment with keeping the barrel higher than it feels like it should be. And it happens through trial and error. When I'm working with an individual instead of a team it seems they pick up on it quicker. After 10-12 buckets of balls (about 200-250 pitches), all outside, they start driving the gap. With a team that would take forever.

But the key is to stay on it until it clicks. Encourage them to raise the barrel and hit off the back hip. There's nothing to lose and a lot to gain—the deeper they can let the ball come in the more likely they'll hit for power.

can I get a brief definition of 'dumping the barrel' please?


the bolded...are we talking about back hip as contact point?

 

[MountieSB]

Another cue to use with kids working on hitting the outside pitch is have them really work on driving the inside seam/inside half of the ball. If you are always trying to drive the inside seam, they're automatically (or relatively automatically after practice!) going to have to wait for the ball to get deeper to drive it. I agree, don't change the mechanics (dumping the barrel) - change the focus of where to hit the ball. I agree with phreak, you can fix this relatively quickly one-on-one vs. whole-team. It just takes lots of reps . . . and patience.

 

[softballphreak]

can I get a brief definition of 'dumping the barrel' please?


the bolded...are we talking about back hip as contact point?

Dumping the barrel is when they have the barrel too low below the plane of the ball. They're thinking the barrel has to be lower to hit the ball to right field. What they end up doing when they work it out is bring the barrel up a little higher—closer to the plane of the ball, not higher as up in the hitting zone, for example. The symptoms of the bat being too low, or dumped, is a lot of sliced pop ups. After they start making the proper adjustment they start hitting hard gappers to right center.

By "hitting off the back hip" I mean the hands will be back until they swing. Not down as low as the hips, but back.