My 16 yo DD. Lunging and dropping hands.

[Lothar241]

Sorry I don't have video. My dd has gotten into the habit of lunging for balls and dipping (dropping hands). She ends up hitting week grounders every time. Any suggestions for drills that may break her of this habit? Is this something I can blame on hitting in HS against some very weak pitching?

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

Lunging, if indeed that is what is occurring, often traces back to a non-ideal sequence. Hitters that lack a lower body loading pattern that has their upper body loading during the move out, generally won't struggle with a lunging issue.

As for placing blame ..... a hitter is responsible for their swing. Seeing a steady diet of inferior pitching can easily lead one astray, but a hitter routinely being checked (e.g., on a weekly basis) should be able to deal with weak pitching while maintaining mechanics that will scale when they face stronger pitching. The responsibility rests on you and your daughter.

 

[BT3100]

Lots of Tee work... pull the tee up as high as you can. She won't be able to drop her hands if the tee is high enough. I use a tanner tee and it extends pretty high up.
I also have her hit 15 balls with the bat in her left hand only, then 15 with the bat in her right hand only. Then both hands.
When they are using only 1 hand they can't drop their hand..

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

Lots of Tee work... pull the tee up as high as you can. She won't be able to drop her hands if the tee is high enough. I use a tanner tee and it extends pretty high up.
I also have her hit 15 balls with the bat in her left hand only, then 15 with the bat in her right hand only. Then both hands.
When they are using only 1 hand they can't drop their hand..

If the issue of 'dropping hands' is occurring as a 'leveling process' ... which is often the case, then the 'high tee drill' will not be sufficient and at best is useful as an introduction of learning to work the barrel to the ball .... as opposed to first leveling via dropping the hands and then swinging. In other words, to correct a leveling issue you need to actually face live pitching (front toss will do initially) and learn to "level ***AS*** you swing", as opposed to first leveling and then swinging. It is an issue that occurs during the "reading of the pitch", and therefore can't be completely solved via tee work ... since there is no "reading of the pitch" during a tee-based swing.

 

[FP26]

If the issue of 'dropping hands' is occurring as a 'leveling process' ... which is often the case, then the 'high tee drill' will not be sufficient and at best is useful as an introduction of learning to work the barrel to the ball .... as opposed to first leveling via dropping the hands and then swinging. In other words, to correct a leveling issue you need to actually face live pitching (front toss will do initially) and learn to "level ***AS*** you swing", as opposed to first leveling and then swinging. It is an issue that occurs during the "reading of the pitch", and therefore can't be completely solved via tee work ... since there is no "reading of the pitch" during a tee-based swing.

Nice post FFS. I have also noticed that it is still quite possible to "level THEN swing" regardless of how the tee is situated. In fact, depending on the pre-launch mechanics of the hitter, the high tee may actually be easier to accomplish. That said, I do see value in the high tee drill for other reasons.

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

Nice post FFS. I have also noticed that it is still quite possible to "level THEN swing" regardless of how the tee is situated. In fact, depending on the pre-launch mechanics of the hitter, the high tee may actually be easier to accomplish. That said, I do see value in the high tee drill for other reasons.

A plus of the "high tee drill" is that it helps promote 'hand activation' from a 'high hands' orientation ..... important to learn for someone with a "level-THEN-swing" issue. While the "high tee drill" can help introduce this, "high soft-toss" beats "high tee" work in general ... IMO that is.

There is also a benefit to receiving pitches high in the zone during the early stages of a batting work out. Why? Because it makes it easy for a batter to work on their hand path .... and truth be told, 'hand path' beats 'swing speed' nine ways to Sunday.

 

[mann]

A plus of the "high tee drill" is that it helps promote 'hand activation' from a 'high hands' orientation ..... important to learn for someone with a "level-THEN-swing" issue. While the "high tee drill" can help introduce this, "high soft-toss" beats "high tee" work in general ... IMO that is.

There is also a benefit to receiving pitches high in the zone during the early stages of a batting work out. Why? Because it makes it easy for a batter to work on their hand path .... and truth be told, 'hand path' beats 'swing speed' nine ways to Sunday.

I was thinking about this this weekend, as I watched my 16 players play all weekend.

16 players, all in different areas of development of their swings, with all different types of athlete's,, explosive, smooth, Not.

One player stands out to me, slowest runner, smooth personality, smooth swing, 11 for 13, every single hit, was a line drive just over the infielder heads.

Nice high hand path, her barrel under hands, nice angled barrel.

As compared to a hitter who everyone gasps as she swings and misses, saying ," man when she gets a hold of one".

I have never worked on high front toss, I will try that.