Need help with DD's swing

[andyh64000]

DD used to be successful hitter despite her swing being a work in progress but this year she has really struggled (below .275 against decent pitching) and is starting to get down on herself.

Here are 3 clips...Low Tee, High Tee, and Pitching Machine. Is there anything she can do in the near term to improve and what should be the strategy be in the long term (including breaking everything down). She works really hard (not just hitting but working out in the Gym, etc) and definitely wants to do what it takes to improve.


Low Tee
[video=youtube_share;BqvFQE5wafc]http://youtu.be/BqvFQE5wafc[/video]

 

[andyh64000]

Higher Tee

[video=youtube_share;Q9Fz49duSZc]http://youtu.be/Q9Fz49duSZc[/video]

 

[andyh64000]

Machine

[video=youtube_share;Lr8DvsoJmgE]http://youtu.be/Lr8DvsoJmgE[/video]

 

[redhotcoach]

Is she 14U? She looks like several of my players when we got back together this early spring. Actually a few are still struggling. She has a good swing, she just needs to tighten up the slack. Things I would do with her:

-get the hands in tighter to her back shoulder. I often say "have a power V in the rear arm...a tight V in the elbow...not a L."
- have a tight hand load, and tight back loading, not arms loading back. With the barrel turn and arm load, I am sure she can launch front toss, but it is too long and loopy for good pitching.
- turn the barrel to the ball.
-look at the ULL hitters on deck in the expert 2 thread. They are working on turning the barrel to the ball. One handed they are working on a top hand swivel. A tight barrel turn around the hands. Not a big barrel turn around the arms.
-TIGHT and SUDDEN, would be two verbal cues I would use a lot.

 

[JJsqueeze]

What are the symptoms? without getting too technical, she shifts her weight really far forward and as a result is swinging down on the ball. I am guessing she hits a lot of choppers and weak fly balls? I would change a whole lot before having her keep her weight back more, I think you will be surprised how much better it gets. There is a weight shift in a good swing but it should stop right after touchdown of the front foot and redirect the forward energy back into the hip to increase the rotational energy of the hips and torso. Her constant sliding forward is making it impossible to square the barrel with the bat path being either flat or with an ever so slight angle up.

I also noticed that on the tee swings she does not do it as badly and the quality of contact is better there. Look at her rear foot and how much it travels forward on the machine swings and how little on the tee.

 

[redhotcoach]

some more:
I have no problem with her high rear elbow…but see/feel how her action is an independent elbow and arm action. She and feel how Evan's elbow gets back around into his back, connecting to his torso. Also…all winter I said daily to my dd "ride the coil" Mudvnine said the other day "coil and float" or don't just stride "stride to read and ride". Great cues to staying in and increasing the rear hip coil….goes well with this gif:

Also she pushing forward to swing. The good hitters pull back to whip the barrel forward (other belly button posters are trying to take what I told them is wrong with their swing a year ago and re-market it with a new term). See their neck areas, between the shoulder blades, on their best swings go back ward.

Your dd is "everything is forward" in the upper torso. They are "everything is back" in the upper torso to whip the barrel. The back muscles are resisting turning and resisting going forward.

 

[andyh64000]

Yes...she is 14U. I will look at those ULL hitters. And she does launch front toss but against live pitching her timing usually seems to be off (mostly out in front).

Is she 14U? She looks like several of my players when we got back together this early spring. Actually a few are still struggling. She has a good swing, she just needs to tighten up the slack. Things I would do with her:

-get the hands in tighter to her back shoulder. I often say "have a power V in the rear arm...a tight V in the elbow...not a L."
- have a tight hand load, and tight back loading, not arms loading back. With the barrel turn and arm load, I am sure she can launch front toss, but it is too long and loopy for good pitching.
- turn the barrel to the ball.
-look at the ULL hitters on deck in the expert 2 thread. They are working on turning the barrel to the ball. One handed they are working on a top hand swivel. A tight barrel turn around the hands. Not a big barrel turn around the arms.
-TIGHT and SUDDEN, would be two verbal cues I would use a lot.

 

[andyh64000]

What are the symptoms? without getting too technical, she shifts her weight really far forward and as a result is swinging down on the ball. I am guessing she hits a lot of choppers and weak fly balls? I would change a whole lot before having her keep her weight back more, I think you will be surprised how much better it gets. There is a weight shift in a good swing but it should stop right after touchdown of the front foot and redirect the forward energy back into the hip to increase the rotational energy of the hips and torso. Her constant sliding forward is making it impossible to square the barrel with the bat path being either flat or with an ever so slight angle up.

She actually seems to be under everything. I don't have any recent live pitching videos (I will take some) but I think she dips more against live pitching...or maybe because she is out in front she is dipping her back shoulder to hold herself back. She is also swinging and missing more than she used to

 

[Howe]

Andy, have her "rock the U", and get the front elbow behind the belly button at the top of her hand-set. Make sure she is pointing the knob at the catchers feet at the top of the hand-set. Don't worry about the rear elbow.

 

[Doug Romrell]

....as a result is swinging down on the ball. I am guessing she hits a lot of choppers and weak fly balls?

This is a great thread already!!! I call them "chippers" rather than "choppers." I think a lot of girls swing down on the ball. I think a lot of hits are "chippers."