No fast pitchers

[Coach Grady]

Ok I have No fast ball pitchers on my rec All-Star Team. My girls got a taste of a 50mph ball during the TOC last week and didn't know what to do. My DD played baseball until this fall so she hit several foul balls off the girl but still trouble in the park.

I am setting a Pitching machine in the batting cages 30' from the plate with the speed set at 40mph. The ball will get there quicker hoping to improve the players timing . I will be working on their timing from load to the ball. Looking for any other ideas ? .
We are a small club only two teams to pull all-stars from so I have a average team.
Thanks Coach Grady

 

[marriard]

Some ideas:
- Have them load early. Have them load the moment the pitcher goes into her back swing. Then it is just the straight at the ball swing.
- short front toss from behind a screen in practice (I like this in conjunction to the pitching machine)
- Get a girl from an older age group to come and throw BP for them
- Bunt and hard bunt practice

You aren't going to change mechanics in a short period, so if you have some long looping swings, set them half way through the swing with a flat bat already and get rid of half the loop - helps get them to the ball faster and easier.. Have a look at 0:52 of this video:

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

 

[CoogansBluff]

I am setting a Pitching machine in the batting cages 30' from the plate with the speed set at 40mph. The ball will get there quicker hoping to improve the players timing .

Why not set up the speed and distance that matches that of the game? Why 30'/40 mph and not 40'/50 mph?

 

[Amy in AZ.]

Can you throw 50mph overhand pitching? That is what I would do. Throw tennis balls, if you have to.

Have the girls bunt and be aggressive on the bases

And make certain that they aren't using bigger bats, than they can handle. I was helping an 8yo yesterday that had a 31 inch bat. Her dad was saying how she really hits hard on the easy pitchers, but not so good on the better ones. I told him to get a bat that fits her. (He had wrapped athletic tape around the handle to move her hands up.) Even a 29 was actually to big for her.

Another good drill is to use is one where you toss the tennis ball, so that it bounces once, into the strike zone. It makes the batter sit back and wait.

 

[Cowdogz]

Good for reaction and bat speed:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Psf-vOeFuQ

 

[Coach Zoomy]

My situation exactly this last spring, we used a pitching machine turned up, learned to bunt also. I pitched at a shorter distance to them so it wasn't all machine pitch. And because this puts us at a disadvantage on defense, I worked the infield from a weak start to by the end of the year they could stop any ball hit without fear, like a varsity HS defense, I was proud of the girls they played with a lot of heart. then we picked up a 2 pitcher in the season and that boosted some confidence, we started out as a weak team and ended as a tough competitor.