How often should your DD take hitting lessons?

[straightleg]

I go about the pace bouldersdad goes. Probably less. 2-3 weeks in a row 1 time then they go work on it. 2 or 3 lessons.

One of my new girls hit 2 homeruns opening day. 3 lessons
In my favor she is a big strong girl. It will get better.




SL

 

[PEPPERS]

There are always things to learn about hitting, I keep my kids for a period of 8 weeks straight on the avg then release them. They will come back every 4 to 6 weeks after that as a general rule. I have some that are back every 2 weeks or so. There are some things I cant show a kid that is just learning the system. Sometimes the dust has to settle , the mechanics have to have a chance to sink in before we can add other things. The ones I have that are dedicated to hitting even at 12 u are some of the better hitters in their age group.

I do go to ball games and check up on my kids, sometimes at their parents request, sometimes because the kids ask me. sometimes its to just show respect to the families I have been blessed to work with over the years And alot of times because parents have a vested interest in their child's swing. I have been called many things n my life, A lawyer is a new one.

You take a look at the best hitters in the game today I can guarantee you that they spent as much or more time with their instructors as the pitchers they are facing did with theirs. Its one of the reason the game has changed. It has now become a game of offense and not a pitchers duel like it was 10 years ago.

Good hitters are born great hitters are made. Its just like pitching, does anyone think Finch happened over night in her garage?. It takes years for Athletes to get to that point, Hitters included.

Bustos tells folks it takes on the average of 10,000 hours of work to achieve the level she is. That in its self seems almost impossible for most to mentally grasp. Maybe thats why their are so few players at her level.

Tim

Tim,
There is a lot of wisdom in your post, going to a hitting lesson once a week forever is not going to make one a great hitter. Taking the information learned in the lesson, going home and applying it and working on it is what will eventually make a difference. The lesson is important, but the time spent in between that lesson is what makes the difference IMO.

Tim the fact you take the time to go to games and observe your students is a credit to you, I wish when my daughter was younger she had someone that had that type of interest in their students. Kudos to you for taking that type of interest.

The problem I see sometimes is kids start having success and then lessons stop, practice stops and the hitting stops. They say to themselves, I’m doing everything the same why am I not hitting? The swing should be a work in progress as long as they play.

I don’t go out and look for kids, I help those that ask and have never charged anyone. I had this one lefty that I worked with for years and she was 501 and maybe 130 lbs, she could hit 2 or 3 over the fence from a tee out of 10 balls. JR year in HS she made second team all region, then she quit coming to lessons, quit practicing and senior year she became so discouraged she quit the team.

 

[Bouldersdad]

The problem I see sometimes is kids start having success and then lessons stop, practice stops and the hitting stops. They say to themselves, I’m doing everything the same why am I not hitting? The swing should be a work in progress as long as they play.

That is spot on. Agree 100%. Because you are successful at hitting in no way means you should stop seeing your instructor. You may not need to see them weekly, But reinforcement from someone that knows your swing and can spot trouble before it rears its ugly head can go a long ways in creating and maintaining a productive and successful swing.

Its like any other skill in our sport, the few that have the drive to keep working and perfecting those skills are the ones we see go on to play college ball and beyond. And in some small way the HC that is behind the scene can have a sense of pride that they have had a positive influence on it.

Tim

 

[GOINGDEEP]

Mr Tim, I too commend you for taking interest in your students outside of your training facility. That was one thing I liked about Ernie Parker, I would see him quite often at TB tourneys watching his students. I had one of his in 14U, he would watch and offer advise after the games, never disrupted my coaching or threw his weight around.

Now here is a question. I know this is part of your income, but why must they keep coming back for lessons? Is it a tune up or oil change for them? Are these the types that can't retain the instruction? Do they not have a parent that helps them? Are they picking up bad mechanics between lessons? Are they losing their timing?

I wasn't too bad of a hitter in college, so I taught mine to hit and enjoyed every minute of it. Can I just not grasp the idea that some parents lack the knowledge to teach or that they really don't give a rats behind to spend the time with their child?

I'm just curious........what do you do in a typical lesson? Could you explain from the time they walk through the door? Stretches, tee work, soft toss, batting cage, videos, pitching machine, short toss?

I've watched some pitching lessons for girls that have asked, I've also watched from the corner of my eye hitting lessons going on next to us. I never saw anything that couldn't be worked at home with a parent or buddy.

Don't get me wrong, I know the guy who owns this facility, his son plays BB at my daughters HS. He can't answer my question either without saying it's a cash cow. He has a pretty good resume starting in 2000 with the Giants. He also played with Cleveland Indians, Texas Rangers , Minnesota Twins, Philadelphia Phillies.

I mean no disrespect because you seem like one of the few good guys. I just wish more parents would take the time to help their kids one on one.

 

[Bouldersdad]

You actually hit the nail on the head and answered your own question, You have the ability to see if your dd or ds has something go wrong with his or her swing. most parents do not. and most of the time if they did it will cause one hell of a spat between dd and dad.

This is not a full time business for me. I own and run a business separate to the lessons i give. This is a way for me to do what i really enjoy and that is helping a kid achieve. For years I did it out of my home, and did not charge. Then I noticed something. If parents have a vested interest in something rather than free. it creates a commitment that the parents and kids both work thru.Even instructing about 15 kids a week on the avg the cash part of it is negligible. I have alot of single parents, and even parents that come to me from 3 hours or more away for instruction so what is paid is pretty much on a case by case basis.

My 8 week program starts and ends as follows.

Start by throwing to check for weight shift,
let them take some swings on their own and film it with RVP to explain what i believe should be corrected
Take a swing speed to get a starting point. Normally 20 swings and then find the common swing speed
Starting with the swing foundation basics, in other words what i feel is the swing we should use
Start tee work, working front and back hand
Bottom half weight shift and rotation
Put the swing together on the tee
After the mechs are enough to start working more advanced the first thing I teach is hands centered
Go to hitting outside from center of tee to understand weight shift and bat head release, then do the same for inside
work 2 tee drills for a visual on the inside outside
move tee to regular inside outside.
Take swing speed and rvp to compare with starting numbers and form
once hand path has been cemented start with whip hit
work center and outside with 2 tee drill with whip hit
work side toss and front toss with whip hit and bat
work machine pitch using the barry bonds drill
work lite flite machine pitch for whip hit
take ending swing speed and rvp
student is released to be on their own

Come backs are up to the parent, some return on a regular interval, some do not its really up to the person in question, I leave that up to the parent and child.

I dont know to many parents that have the ability to instruct the whip hit and even fewer yet that can instruct it at an advanced level with a moving ball.

to me instruction means more than teaching how to hit a ball. Theres the mental aspect of the game also that not only parents but alot of coaches dont get, I get as many return for that part as they do the hitting.

Tim

 

[straightleg]

You actually hit the nail on the head and answered your own question, You have the ability to see if your dd or ds has something go wrong with his or her swing. most parents do not. and most of the time if they did it will cause one hell of a spat between dd and dad.

This is not a full time business for me. I own and run a business separate to the lessons i give. This is a way for me to do what i really enjoy and that is helping a kid achieve. For years I did it out of my home, and did not charge. Then I noticed something. If parents have a vested interest in something rather than free. it creates a commitment that the parents and kids both work thru.Even instructing about 15 kids a week on the avg the cash part of it is negligible. I have alot of single parents, and even parents that come to me from 3 hours or more away for instruction so what is paid is pretty much on a case by case basis.

My 8 week program starts and ends as follows.

Start by throwing to check for weight shift,
let them take some swings on their own and film it with RVP to explain what i believe should be corrected
Take a swing speed to get a starting point. Normally 20 swings and then find the common swing speed
Starting with the swing foundation basics, in other words what i feel is the swing we should use
Start tee work, working front and back hand
Bottom half weight shift and rotation
Put the swing together on the tee
After the mechs are enough to start working more advanced the first thing I teach is hands centered
Go to hitting outside from center of tee to understand weight shift and bat head release, then do the same for inside
work 2 tee drills for a visual on the inside outside
move tee to regular inside outside.
Take swing speed and rvp to compare with starting numbers and form
once hand path has been cemented start with whip hit
work center and outside with 2 tee drill with whip hit
work side toss and front toss with whip hit and bat
work machine pitch using the barry bonds drill
work lite flite machine pitch for whip hit
take ending swing speed and rvp
student is released to be on their own

Come backs are up to the parent, some return on a regular interval, some do not its really up to the person in question, I leave that up to the parent and child.

I dont know to many parents that have the ability to instruct the whip hit and even fewer yet that can instruct it at an advanced level with a moving ball.

to me instruction means more than teaching how to hit a ball. Theres the mental aspect of the game also that not only parents but alot of coaches dont get, I get as many return for that part as they do the hitting.

Tim

Maybe I should come for a lesson or 2
Nice workout.




Tim
I sold all my machines, 4 hitting stations, 2 pop up nets and batting cage I used at home. Sold it all to a young Hawks travel team
I Just do tee work and soft toss in my garage.



SL

 

[GOINGDEEP]

Thanks for the reply Tim, I really like your program. I bet you help the single parents financially and that is an admired trait in this money hungry world. I have had DD's in the past with only mom in their lives, and have invited them to work with my daughter and I when we train. I'm blessed to have a great father figure and my heart goes out for kids without one.

Instruction is more than "teaching how to hit a ball", DD and I will break down a pitcher by analysis before a match up. I will short/hard toss what that pitcher is "known" to have and her usual pitching sequence.

I too have a work in progress, a rebuilding so to speak. DD has lead her TB, MS, and HS in HR, BA, and slugging%. But last year we had a tear in the rotator cuff, so we had to take a year off.

Her pitching is better than it ever has been, even picked up some MPH and more movement. But her batting has a glitch, she is way ahead of the ball. In 12 games she hasn't struck out but everything is down 3rd base line or LF, she's always been a dead puller but this is even worse. I can't even count how many LF foul balls she has hit.

Guess I'm in a pinch and try not to ride her too much because a year ago we weren't sure if she would ever play again. And her pitching is so much better I don't want to trade tit for tat with the hitting. We keep working and hope her timing comes around, it's still early in the season.

 

[JAD]

My DD takes one batting lesson per week, outside of her normal team practices. The repetition helps build muscle memory and in Georgia if you find a good batting or pitching coach you need to book weekly lessons just to keep your time slot! LOL

 

[fourts]

Goingdeep, My DD goes every other week thru the off season (don't really have one) Aug. to May. Then we go as needed maybe once a month or less thru regular season. We work at home 2 or 3 times a week on T work and soft toss and on rare occasions the pitching machine. Why we do this isn't so much that I can't help her, but when you watch someone so much you tend to miss the little things that change over time. I believe the same things happen to hitting coaches as well, never hurts to have an extra eyes. Also as for the "cash cow" comment; I believe MLB teams and players have hitting instructors as do college so why wouldn't school age'rs?

 

[SBFAMILY]

fourts, how true. That is why a few times a year, the dd still goes to see Howard. He will see something I missed.