Recently I have noticed on video that my daughter is often hitting the ball more than a foot in front of her front foot, which appears to result in an early wrist roll, and less than ideal extension through the ball. How far in front/behind the front foot should contact be made for an inside, down the middle, or outside pitch? Any suggestions as far as drills/techniques to help her let the ball get deeper before contact?
Hitting the ball out front
- Thread starter Roz
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- Oct 14, 2008
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The one important thing missing here is where are the pitches? You can't hit a ball on the very inside corner and hit it on the fat part of the barrel and not be in front of the front foot. I would guess with ideal mechanics perhaps 8". For a pitch down the middle it would be even with the front foot, and for a pitch on the outside corner, well behind the front foot.
If your daughter is throwing her hands directly at the pitch, as is sometimes phrased, she may end up hitting the ball too far out front to keep it off her handle and hands. Her extension should be inside the ball, not directly at it.
If your daughter's hands are rolling over early, the first thing I would check is her grip, and make sure her knuckles aren't over rotated. Have her get her grip, and then rest the bat head on her shoulder. Then both index fingers are raised and pointed straight out, in alignment with the palms. They should be almost parallel.
If your daughter is throwing her hands directly at the pitch, as is sometimes phrased, she may end up hitting the ball too far out front to keep it off her handle and hands. Her extension should be inside the ball, not directly at it.
If your daughter's hands are rolling over early, the first thing I would check is her grip, and make sure her knuckles aren't over rotated. Have her get her grip, and then rest the bat head on her shoulder. Then both index fingers are raised and pointed straight out, in alignment with the palms. They should be almost parallel.
Here is one of softballs best hitters
FiveFrameSwing
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- Oct 14, 2008
- 665
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Yup the inside pitch hit in front of the plate is still hit at the front foot. Middle further back and outside further back still. Nice vid.
Tim
If that is an inside pitch, your pitcher doesn't have very good command of the strike zone! An inside pitch would be painting the black; as in touching the corner, not being on the inner half. I still say 8" max or the bat head is wrapping around the ball on a pitch on the corner. The rest of your points I have no problem with.
Here is softball's 2nd best hitter.
High inside, just where you don't want to pitch to a dead puller. Her head will tell you where it's going.
[video=youtube_share;c-ZcXaU5yjU]http://youtu.be/c-ZcXaU5yjU[/video]
High inside, just where you don't want to pitch to a dead puller. Her head will tell you where it's going. [video=youtube_share;c-ZcXaU5yjU]http://youtu.be/c-ZcXaU5yjU[/video]
Thanks for the excellent video and insights. In looking at the video, the other thing that strikes me is how well she "squares up the ball" as her bat is nearly perpendicular to the path of the ball regardless of the pitch location. Any suggestions as far as drills that might help my DD improve in this area?
I can't argue that she didn't hit it well. And it is a nice looking swing. But we are talking from one corner of the zone to the other. I will trust you that this was a pitch that painted the corner. And if so, then for her to have hit the ball on the "fat" part of the bat, where would she have hit it. I will say this is 4" out in front. Yes, she hit it well, but to center it up on the fat part of the barrel, where would she have made contact? I am still saying 8" max. And if she hit it off the tip, and hit a rather dead ball, it could have been a foot. And yes, that is bad!
I have one more comment to add. The outside pitch hit in the video above does not to me demonstrate good hitting mechanics. She is leaning to reach it, rather than letting that pitch get deep in the zone and hitting it toward left field. The swing is the same! Identical except that the belly-button and back knee point to LF. Sorry if I stepped on any toes. In fact Bustos and Mendoza have taken a few hundred bad swings.
I have one more comment to add. The outside pitch hit in the video above does not to me demonstrate good hitting mechanics. She is leaning to reach it, rather than letting that pitch get deep in the zone and hitting it toward left field. The swing is the same! Identical except that the belly-button and back knee point to LF. Sorry if I stepped on any toes. In fact Bustos and Mendoza have taken a few hundred bad swings.
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