Looking for some hitting help. 9 years old!

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May 9, 2011
2
0
Hitting balls foul towards third base.

coach say's timing is off.

My little girl hit's a lot better in batting cage with the ball speed around 50mph!

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Thanks
 
Last edited:
Oct 25, 2009
3,335
48
You need a tripod for your camera. But at least you didn't shoot cloud shots like I did before using a tripod.

Batting cages are much easier to time compared to a pitcher.

The main problem I noticed with her swing is she is dropping her hands bad. As far as hitting left side foul balls her hands are too far away from her body. She needs to keep her hands close to her chest and stay inside the ball. She should hit the inside of the ball. The side of the ball that is closest to her. She will need to let the ball get in deeper--somewhere between her front foot and the centerline of her body for a pitch down the middle. She is coming around the outside of the ball.

She needs to hit a LOT of long tee. Place the tee near center line of her body for a middle pitch. When she can drive the ball straight back up the middle she is doing it right. She will need many swings to get there and many more to stay there.

And of course she will need to work the outside and inside tee, also. We can discuss that if you want.
 
Dec 3, 2009
218
0
Kansas City area
Agree with sbfreak. also try to get her to bring her hands back and cock her wrist as she strides. result should have the barrel of the bat angled across her pony tail hole with the knob facing towards catcher, front shoulder slightly down. also practice throwing side arm or skippn rocks and let her know that her back shoulder must lower as part of her rotation and swing plane oppossed to dropping hands. you might try Howards hand over drill to help get her to extension.
 
May 7, 2008
8,499
48
Tucson
When she approaches the plate, she reaches out and touches the outside corner of the plate. That alone puts her bat way too far outside, on her swing.

She needs to lay the bat across the plate and then, put her feet even with the knob of the bat. This will stop her from hitting balls off of the handle (foul, towards 3rd) and she can hit the ball with the sweet part of the bat.

I agree that she is dropping her hands. Having her hit off a machine is doing more harm than good. Pitch to her from the front. Good luck.
 
Jan 24, 2011
1,157
0
I basically see 3 things here:

1. Too far from plate
2. Dropping her hands
3. Swings around the ball instead keeping hands inside of the pitch. Have her concentrate on hitting towards middle of field. She seems to pull every pitch regardless of pitch location
 
Jun 17, 2009
15,036
0
Portland, OR
First … the video is priceless. Absolutely loved the pitch that was thrown over the catcher’s head, retrieved by the catcher, had the catcher walk around your daughter, chucked the ball back to the pitcher, caught by pitcher, had the pitcher perform a few arm circles in preparation for her next pitch … … ... and all the while your daughter remained frozen in her stance with the bat held out over the plate.

When your daughter did swing it was from a similar frozen statue-like stance.

Would she perform a throw from a frozen statue-like stance? The catcher chucking the ball back to the pitcher didn’t throw from a statue-like stance … and neither should a hitter swing a bat from a statue like stance.

Basically … walk into the batter’s box with the intent to ‘swing’. On every pitch begin to swing … as the pitcher prepares to throw at you, you prepare to throw/swing at the pitch. Relax the upper body, and use a simple coil-stretch-swing sequence.

Save this video. If your daughter stays with the game over the next 10+ yrs you will look back at it and value it immensely.

 
Jun 17, 2009
15,036
0
Portland, OR
Here's an example game swing.

35db676.gif



The swing is initiated from a virtual static frozen position. Notice the lack of lower body load, no coil, and lack of stretch (think in terms of the hands moving back to a loaded launch position).

Now watch your daughter's swing as she steps out of the batter's box and performs a dry swing. She loads her lower body, she brings the hands back to a launch position, and she launches a swing that passes through a semi Power-Vee.

mt5pw0.gif



Your daughter has demonstrated that she's capable of making a much better swing than her game swing. When she performs a dry swing, and "she tells herself" to swing, she has the basis of something that could be built into a reasonable swing. It's possible that your daughter is the victim of being "over coached". Just a guess ... but what I see is someone that steps into the batter's box and basically turns their capability off.
 

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