Hitting the stick..

[SEGa]

what do yall think about the hitting stick? I use it alot for my girls to get in cuts quickly, pretty much anywhere, i know it does not replace the tee.. another place it is handy last season when coaching 8U rec. was during games when some of the girls were pulling head off the ball or closing their eyes. you could step out the dugout and let them take a few cuts. is there any downside to using it?

 

[obbay]

I agree that it's an excellent tool. I have been using it for about 4 years now and I find it to be an excellent way to help players keep their eye on the ball, work through swing problems and just get a lot of swings in relatively quickly. It has helped girls correct problems from feet to followthrough. I've been able to get girls who swing like they're playing badminton and teach them to swing like they're going to kill something! Most effective for U12 players but effective at all levels. Especially if you don't have video and you need to work on form.

Most recently my 10yo got new bat that was a little bigger than what she had been using. At first she swung kind of wildly with all sorts of problems (most notably disconnection) but within a couple days (using this for no more than a dozen or two swings, once a day) she was swinging that new bat better than she swung any bat all season.

Another thing from the same session, she wanted to work on inside pitches so she could try what Jessica Mendoza instructed on one of those Home Depot Clinic commercials during the WCWS. worked great. Wanted to try low pitches so she could work on tilt -again worked great and she looked good.

The only problem I see is when it isn't used correctly and girls rush their swings, going for quantity of swings rather than quality. or maybe if the coach doesn't use his head and doesn't watch the kid to see what they need to work on. I've seen the latter - coaches thinking about something else or they think the hitting stick is doing something all by itself. Sometimes I take for granted how effective it is and don't use it enough.

 

[coach D'E]

We have used the hit-a stick for a couple of years. It is a good way to warm up and have the girls get the feeling of hitting a real ball. It is a good opportininty to work on bat speed before and during a game. Calling the fast twich muscle into play on each quick swing. Also, we have the girls get into their stance and have them close their eyes. A coach will than move the ball into a different position and say "Open." The girls will open their eyes and have to track the balls' location and deliver a good swing. This helps their responce mechanism .You could also put white athletic tape around the sweet spot of a bat and get a red "Sharpie" and color a dot on the ball in it's center lacation. Have the girls swing and hit the ball , than see where the red is on the white tape.

 

[obbay]

That 'close the eyes' drill is one of my favorites.
Also, when you get girls who won't turn their body into the pitch or only swing to contact, hold the ball in front of their lead shoulder so it is between them and the 'pitcher'. At first they don't get it because they can " only hit it foul" but eventually they get it. I also do this behind them where you aim the stick at their front hip pocket and they have to turn around to hit it. The stick I bought (Hit-2-win) came with directions and at least a dozen drills.

 

[SBFAMILY]

We do not use it. Many other good ways to warm up a kid.

 

[Amy in AZ.]

Having played on many teams that never swung a bat prior to games, I like the hit 'n stick. Any parent can be taught to stand and hold it. So many kids aren't swinging a bat at home, that it is excellent for use in the driveway, too.

As with the tee, always throw down something to use as a home plate.

 

[Ken Krause]

It's never been a favorite of mine. Not sure why, I just never cared for it. It's probably good for working on particular pitch locations, though.

 

[miker]

what is the stick's effect on a composite bat, I shied away from it for fear of damaging an expensive bat...we've used wiffle balls to warm up hitting pre-game.

 

[obbay]

I honestly don't know the answer, but my thought is that the impact of hitting the stick is less than hitting a real-live pitched ball. The "ball" on the end of the stick is smaller so it may be possible to create a greater point-load (like hitting rocks), but I just don't think so. I never let girls use composite bats in the batting cages but I didn't think twice about letting them use the composite bats with the stick.
good question!

 

[Amy in AZ.]

I have never seen a bat that was damaged from the hitting stick. Since the stick doesn't remain stationary, I don't see a problem.