New guy-out of ideas

[quandofloo]

It is her first year batting left handed...sometimes I forget that. I think maybe my hopes were a little high after seeing her kill the ball of of the machines over winter.

I think you just hit on your issue. We all do it. We forget that these are 11 year old kids. Repeat that last word a few times until it sinks back in. They are still kids. They are still learning how to walk and chew gum. They can't do anything consistently yet and we get frustrated because we have such high hopes for them and we want them to feel the joy of excelling at everything and then we don't realize that we are making them feel the agony of disappointing a parent when in reality they couldn't disappoint us by striking out on a softball field. They feel like a failure though because daddy got frustrated.

 

[Little Angels Softball]

This is all very common to newly-converted slappers. She's in what I call the "frozen" phase, meaning she is getting the hang of it in BP where the ball always comes in real nice and she can time everything well and it looks good. Hitting off a real girl is different, though. She needs to be "un-frozen" and I like the hit & run sign for that.

Once she starts swinging the bat and getting a few hits, there will be other phases. She'll start leaning toward 1B on her last step right before contact, for example. Then, she'll think she needs to put everything on the left side. Then, she'll go through a phase where she only wants to do one thing (drag bunt, half slap, power slap, whatever).

Remember, it's a two year process. Year one is getting the proper mechanics to full swing left-handed, drag bunt, power slap, half slap. Year two is learning how to read defenses, learning how to find weakness in the defense (slow 2B? SS has a weak arm? 3B plays too far back? RF plays too shallow?) and exploit them and putting it all together to become a complete weapon ready for battle. It takes a lot of work, patience and constant troubleshooting.

 

[Rocketech1]

The kids are getting the idea of the statistics (somehow, as it appears key to you), plus no kid needs to 'have her head in a certain place' at 11. And blaming it on newness or technique is just to ignore the core problem, that is not allowing learning to take place, whatever that learning is. Please people, get a grip on childhood, please.

It's pretty obvious you have never coached youth softball and certainly have not taught hitting to an 11yo....your whole agenda is that adults are what is causing her hitting slump...completely incorrect advice and not helpful.

The other posters are correct. Newbie slappers will initially struggle (especially in 12U travel ball), it takes several years for them to get comfortable with the mechanics and approach to hitting which is much different than batting as a right-hander.

To the OP, continue to work with her slapping, lots of front toss and facing live pitchers. Hitting is the hardest thing to do in softball and doing it as a slapper is even that much harder. Good luck!

 

[Eric F]

Her eyesight is terrible. Her prescription is like a -11. Maybe we should take her in and just check to make sure it hasn't changed since last fall.

This could be a SIGNIFICANT factor in this equation. If she's not seeing the ball clearly when it leaves the pitchers hand, and/or isn't seeing it clearly as it gets closer to the plate, hitting success will be impacted tremendously.

 

[Eric F]

The kids are getting the idea of the statistics...

They are? It looks to me that the OP was pretty sure about this issue.

Just to be clear the kids do not know their statistics.

 

[dgfred]

This could be a SIGNIFICANT factor in this equation. If she's not seeing the ball clearly when it leaves the pitchers hand, and/or isn't seeing it clearly as it gets closer to the plate, hitting success will be impacted tremendously.

For sure. When my parents seperated, my mom moved and I stayed with my dad. My little brother (excellent player) went with my mom. Shortly after that he started to slump bad in little league. He lost confidence and even quit a few years later... even tho it was found his eyesight was so bad. He got contacts but didn't regain his confidence and gave up. Broke my heart because the little dude could play.

 

[mudrunner]

Thanks for all of the positive responses! She has an appointment next Thursday to get her eyes checked. I'm glad i posted this thread....I feel like I have been pulled back in and have some things moving forward. There is still a lot of ball left to play, I just want her to have a positive experience.

 

[Strike2]

Some solid advice here. I appreciate the help!

Yes she is batting only left handed now. She is most likely never going to be big power hitter and is the second fastest girl on the team. Switching to the left side seemed like the right transition, but now I'm second guessing it. She is small...about 4'6" and 65 lbs. Some of the girls she is playing against are 5'7 or bigger and weigh twice as much, so there may be a little intimidation and strength factor.

We have worked on being hit by the pitch and got her an elbow guard to wear since she still throws right. She has not been hit this year so far. Her eyesight is terrible. Her prescription is like a -11. Maybe we should take her in and just check to make sure it hasn't changed since last fall.

I really like the hit and run idea.

I have a college player lined up to give her some slapping lessons while she is home from school this summer. She is a very effective slapper at the college level and hopefully my DD can take a lot away from her instruction.

It is her first year batting left handed...sometimes I forget that. I think maybe my hopes were a little high after seeing her kill the ball of of the machines over winter.

A small (4'6" & 65 lbs) & fast kid in 12U shouldn't be trying to hit the ball like the 5'7" player. It doesn't matter how good their mechanics are, they aren't getting the ball out of the infield very often. That doesn't mean such kids aren't valuable. My 12U also bats from the left side, and even though she is nearly 8" taller and twice the weight of your kid, this seems to confound many pitchers at this age. A small / fast kid on the left side is a real problem for the defense IF that kid plays to their strength; they should be bunting and / or working the count for a walk, and getting on base so they can use their speed.

At minus 11, she is severely near-sighted, and may have astigmatism that distorts her perception of the pitch. Heck, her glasses, if she wears them instead of contacts, could distort her perception of the pitch if she's not looking straight on. Which eye is her dominant one? If it's her right, keep her batting LH. If it's the left, consider switching back.

 

[BobInMadison]

My DD #1 is very nearsighted.
One time she was in a bad hitting slump.
She got contacts. Slump over.

 

[Eric F]

Thanks for all of the positive responses! She has an appointment next Thursday to get her eyes checked. I'm glad i posted this thread....I feel like I have been pulled back in and have some things moving forward. There is still a lot of ball left to play, I just want her to have a positive experience.

I predict a very positive future. Keep us posted on her progress.

Also...Welcome to DFP. Enjoy the ride!