Is slapping a dying thing?
- Thread starter HasBeenorNeverWas
- Start date
Welcome to Discuss Fastpitch
Your FREE Account is waiting to the Best Softball Community on the Web.
- Jun 20, 2015
- 851
- 93
like you already alluded, the 'emergency type' slappers will learn really quick or become easy outs. 14u, the 3b start to be able to out throw the just quick runners.
inumpire
Observer, but has an opinion
- Oct 31, 2014
- 278
- 43
A lot of the players at the younger age groups don’t want to put in the time to learn how to slap or to become a triple threat.
Plus there aren’t as many people who know how to teach it now days.
As a long time umpire, I see fewer slapper than we did 10 years ago. Same with bunters. Small ball can wreak havoc on a weak defensive team.
- Dec 5, 2017
- 514
- 63
I've never understood that logic. "Ok, you can't hit so lets make it easier by switching you to the other side of the plate and let you hit while moving. Problem solved"
- Dec 5, 2017
- 514
- 63
When my dd asked me to try slapping she was 9 and a pretty decent hitter. Small and quick, not much power. We tried it one night after I watched a ton of video's from a lot of the well known slappers. She took to it pretty easily. However, we spent the majority of that first winter prioritizing swinging away from the left until she became pretty good at it and then worked on slapping. I feel that was the best approach. She is a true triple threat now in my opinion vs a girl that just soft slaps grounders and hopes to outrun the defense. We still start every hitting session at home with her self tossing a bucket and then swinging away with me pitching at least a bucket sometimes two. As she has gotten older/stronger, she likes swinging away and hard slapping in games due to her having more confidence. She still messes up sometimes and hits grounders when she meant to hit it to the grass in the air, but so do most 12 yo's that are just swinging away. If not we wouldn't need hitting forums 
- Dec 5, 2017
- 514
- 63
In our small 12u world we don't see a lot of slappers unfortunately. I enjoy watching a girl that is a true slapper.
- May 17, 2012
- 2,807
- 113
I've never understood that logic. "Ok, you can't hit so lets make it easier by switching you to the other side of the plate and let you hit while moving. Problem solved"
This. If you struggle to hit how will you ever be a triple threat?
I would make everyone a slapper at 10u and then weed out those that can't hit or don't have the speed. I always thought the process was backwards.
I've never understood that logic. "Ok, you can't hit so lets make it easier by switching you to the other side of the plate and let you hit while moving. Problem solved"
Agreed.
Honestly, I think it's two things:
1. The coach is out of ideas or recognizes the girl just isn't putting in the work to learn how to hit
2. Something new might give them new energy and motivation
But I think it just prolongs the "she just can't seem to hit" issue.
That's true. DD finds it hard to stop at 2nd when the ball is still at the fence.
I say this because DD usually finishes a season with more triples than doubles. She hard-slaps and when it hits a gap (easier to do when the fielders are drawn in) she makes it to 3rd a lot of the time. About half her extra-base hits are slapping, the rest from swing-away.
I hope so, those illegal outta the box 90% of the time cheaters
