Young kids don't understand that hitting and throwing have the same motion. As posted by straightleg. Be postive and don't switch . Keep in mind to be a good slapper you still have to be able to hit. Next only the very fast should be slappers. Age my dd moved at 11, but it was based on her name Howard gave to her " Swifty" She had the second fastest time in Ohio at one showcase at 13.
Is it time to switch?
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WARRIORMIKE
Pro-Staff Everything
She needs a xeno bat!
She's fine. If your worried about her strength then have her eats some wheaties! Lol
Other than than she looks awesome
She's fine. If your worried about her strength then have her eats some wheaties! Lol
Other than than she looks awesome
I'm a big fan of LH with slap skills but I wouldn't rush to switch her to LH. Her swing looks good. If things don't click, she can still switch to LH at 12 or so and be effective in HS. I know players who switched in their freshman year and made all state by graduation.
Thanks to all i really appreciate the advice...great call on just congratulating good swings and hits and leave other comments out. i like it. Stupid coparison but almost like workng with a hunting dog or horse..
.. In regards to the bat funny you mentioned it. She was using a 29/17.5 one piece. Never really complained about it but last week noticed balls dieing off the bat and a buddy said it sounded funny. Cant find a crack but wacked it with a ball mallet and the sweet spot was gone! Weird Was looking at a xeno or mako but shes a little to weak still for a drop ten picked up the CF6 ina -11 so far likes it. Thanks again for all the advice guys great site!! i am sure I will be on here whining some more at some point.
I like the game swing better, and I'm not seeing the "problems" you mentioned. Mechanically, the game swing is one of the better swings I've seen for a 9yo (IMO). There are mechanical tweaks that could be made for some fine-tuning, but I don't see any big flaws that would be the root cause of struggles at the plate.
I suggest letting her relax a bit and find her confidence.
JJsqueeze
Dad, Husband....legend
agree...that is a good swing for a kid that age. What are the results that are getting her benched? is she striking out a lot? being passive? hitting popups or weak grounders? Her problem may be less mechanical and more with her hitting approach. Just like a kid with poor mechanics can get good results, a kid with good mechanics can fail to get the bat on the ball consistently.
Yep. I see that frequently. Sometimes in my own 9yo.
One of the things we are working on now is "hitting zone" vs. "strike zone". My DD has a tendency to hold up on borderline pitches, but they are often called strikes by the umps we see in 10U rec ball. In our recent hitting practice sessions, we are working on her hitting pitches a few inches outside or inside the edge of the plate and/or a little high or low. Expanding the "hitting zone" gives her an advantage - mentally and physically - against a pitcher ruled by the strike zone.
I would start working on it but not because of your current struggles. My DD is alot like yours it sounds, she loves the game and loves to put time in to improve. We have slowed down to 3 days a week this year (from 5 last) but counting actual team practices shes still getting 5 days per week in and its a fight to get her to take any less. She doesnt get in trouble much but when she does, grounding her from practice is the only method we have that works. She loves softball and loves even more that its her and her daddy spending time doing something together.
Identifying her problem really depends on what the problem is to begin with and maybe i missed where you stated it. Im sure the experts here can dissect her swing and point out the flaws but in general, the swing looks pretty good for a 9 year old. Is she making contact but not getting it out of the infield, is she popping it up, is she fouling them off.......etc....etc.... the answer to that question will give everyone a much better idea of "what" your trying to fix. Sometimes its not even mechanical, its just mental and we all know that is the hardest part of the game to fix. Just keep doing what your doing, with that swing and her work ethic the problem will take care of itself.
The reason i said to start working on it (lefty/slapping) is nothing more than a change of pace. My DD loves working on her game and even though she loves it, its still work. When we flip over and start hitting lefty, its fun and a good break. When she strikes out right handed, she gets irritated and immediately tries to figure out what went wrong so she can solve the problem. From the left side, she just laughs it off. So, anytime i think shes taking things way too serious then i switch her over to the left side. She only did it 4 times in games this year but went 3 for 4 and she still laughs and talks about the one time she struck out from the left side, the laughter wouldnt be there if she had been on the right. Fun it up a little while putting in the work, no harm in that.
Personally, i would spend a bunch of time at the left side of the plate just getting her comfortable swinging, thats the hardest part. As soon as she consistently makes contact from the left side, then you can start throwing in the feet. I think most ball players should start from the left side young, that gives them more options as they get older. My advice, use it like we do, as a change of pace and something your working towards slowly as opposed to the right side where they always want quick results.
Identifying her problem really depends on what the problem is to begin with and maybe i missed where you stated it. Im sure the experts here can dissect her swing and point out the flaws but in general, the swing looks pretty good for a 9 year old. Is she making contact but not getting it out of the infield, is she popping it up, is she fouling them off.......etc....etc.... the answer to that question will give everyone a much better idea of "what" your trying to fix. Sometimes its not even mechanical, its just mental and we all know that is the hardest part of the game to fix. Just keep doing what your doing, with that swing and her work ethic the problem will take care of itself.
The reason i said to start working on it (lefty/slapping) is nothing more than a change of pace. My DD loves working on her game and even though she loves it, its still work. When we flip over and start hitting lefty, its fun and a good break. When she strikes out right handed, she gets irritated and immediately tries to figure out what went wrong so she can solve the problem. From the left side, she just laughs it off. So, anytime i think shes taking things way too serious then i switch her over to the left side. She only did it 4 times in games this year but went 3 for 4 and she still laughs and talks about the one time she struck out from the left side, the laughter wouldnt be there if she had been on the right. Fun it up a little while putting in the work, no harm in that.
Personally, i would spend a bunch of time at the left side of the plate just getting her comfortable swinging, thats the hardest part. As soon as she consistently makes contact from the left side, then you can start throwing in the feet. I think most ball players should start from the left side young, that gives them more options as they get older. My advice, use it like we do, as a change of pace and something your working towards slowly as opposed to the right side where they always want quick results.
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