Right Handed Slap?

[Coach JV]

I have my very good contact hitters slap from the
right when:
#1 They are slumping
#2 when we are playing on a very hard field.
They chop down on the ball and get a good 'floating bounce'
of 12-15' high, it is an automatic single

 

[dbias]

I have my very good contact hitters slap from the
right when:
#1 They are slumping
#2 when we are playing on a very hard field.
They chop down on the ball and get a good 'floating bounce'
of 12-15' high, it is an automatic single

my dd tb coach has her do this from time to time, but starts by showing bunt from back of box, 1st and third start crashing 2B moves toward first and she runs toward pitcher with slap like footwork and punches the ball right where the 2b was standing. she has rolled several to the right center gap to the fence. fielders do not like this at all and many teams argue over what to do when our team shows bunt now. makes the real bunt more effective.

 

[BLB]

A few years ago, I recorded a significant number of college games leading up to the CWS in order to study strategies, etc. All slappers (combined) gave a BA of about .050. I could have counted on one hand the number of bang-bang plays at 1st which is where it would count. They deliberately tried to swing down and not match the plane of the pitch. When I played, we had a guy who would simply stand in front of the box and spray his hits to the left side with lots of ground ball singles. He was out of the box as quick as any slapper I have seen without the footwork I see with these girls. Using their technique, he might have gained at the most half a step but I doubt it. What good is less than a half a step difference on a strike out or pop up? He increased his chances of making good contact by a huge amount. Slapping seems to be like gambling, you only remember the winning times and forget all the losing that comes with it. Anyway, that's what I noticed with these college games.

 

[absdad]

A few years ago, I recorded a significant number of college games leading up to the CWS in order to study strategies, etc. All slappers (combined) gave a BA of about .050. I could have counted on one hand the number of bang-bang plays at 1st which is where it would count. They deliberately tried to swing down and not match the plane of the pitch. When I played, we had a guy who would simply stand in front of the box and spray his hits to the left side with lots of ground ball singles. He was out of the box as quick as any slapper I have seen without the footwork I see with these girls. Using their technique, he might have gained at the most half a step but I doubt it. What good is less than a half a step difference on a strike out or pop up? He increased his chances of making good contact by a huge amount. Slapping seems to be like gambling, you only remember the winning times and forget all the losing that comes with it. Anyway, that's what I noticed with these college games.

The reality is, it's more than a half a step. It's actually more like two or three, but what's probably more important than the number of steps, is the momentum. Basic physics.. a moving object, or a stationary object? I'm not sure what slappers you watched, so can't comment on them. But I haven't seen too many who are less than .300, with the upper D1 slappers like Taylor, Chavanne, etc, well over .400. Slapping is about getting on base, OB% is the number to look at.

I know what you mean about the plane of the pitch. That certainly is one of the ways to slap, and a very effective one at that; making the ball incredibly difficult to play for the def, allowing the slapper enough time to reach base. But that is not the only way to slap, there is a power slap which also, is very effective. Corners come in, guess which slap you're going to see? There are several ways to slap, and the good slappers can read the def and know which to do. I see alot of kids at the younger levels who have no idea what they're doing, just go running at a pitch and swinging. Slapping is alot more than that, and it's not something that is picked up in a week or two. It's definitely a skillset, that requires alot of practice, and instruction to perform and be consistent. My dd works on it as much, if not more than she does at catching.

 

[SoCalSoftballdad]

I could be wrong but would you say that the modern fastpitch game is more about power hitting than small ball and slapping?

 

[absdad]

I could be wrong but would you say that the modern fastpitch game is more about power hitting than small ball and slapping?

Were you asking moi? I'd definitely say it's more about power hitting, than small ball. But it certainly needs to be mixed up. Each has their time and place.

 

[SoCalSoftballdad]

Were you asking moi? I'd definitely say it's more about power hitting, than small ball. But it certainly needs to be mixed up. Each has their time and place.

It was directed to everyone, but thanks for responding. To the OP, I guess I'm wondering why anyone would teach a righty to slap if in the long run, power hitting is what will be important as his DD plays at a higher level in the future. I can understand learning the mechanics for a sacrifice bunt, but teaching a righty to slap seems to be counterproductive. There is a finite amount of time (and money) to learn how to hit correctly, why waste it on learning a technique that has limited use.

 

[absdad]

It was directed to everyone, but thanks for responding. To the OP, I guess I'm wondering why anyone would teach a righty to slap if in the long run, power hitting is what will be important as his DD plays at a higher level in the future. I can understand learning the mechanics for a sacrifice bunt, but teaching a righty to slap seems to be counterproductive. There is a finite amount of time (and money) to learn how to hit correctly, why waste it on learning a technique that has limited use.

I wholeheartedly agree with you on the Rt handed batters. But for the left, taking advantage of the (for lack of a better term) advantage, makes sense. But they have to know both. There are some really good times to bunt, and to slap, but there are more times when hitting is the way to go. They have to know both. If they're a one-trick pony, they'll get eaten alive by the def

 

[obbay]

I can understand learning the mechanics for a sacrifice bunt, but teaching a righty to slap seems to be counterproductive. There is a finite amount of time (and money) to learn how to hit correctly, why waste it on learning a technique that has limited use.

I see coaches teaching their righties to get up lefty to slap all the time. of those kids, maybe 1 or 2 per team develop a skill they can use effectively. I can't help but wonder what would happen if they taught them to do it right-handed. maybe all of them would develop a skill they could use effectively.

 

[FPMark]

I see coaches teaching their righties to get up lefty to slap all the time. of those kids, maybe 1 or 2 per team develop a skill they can use effectively. I can't help but wonder what would happen if they taught them to do it right-handed. maybe all of them would develop a skill they could use effectively.

I have often wondered about this. My DD has excellent speed, but hits right handed. I have shown her how, and she does a fairly good job, bunting and slapping from the left side. The problem is that every time she goes to the left side of the plate, the other team knows whats comming. Kind of limits the ability to surprise the defense. So now she is working on more 'push bunting' and looking at defensive allignment for a surprise bunt from the right side. Never really considered slapping but, hey if it catches them off ballance, might be worth a try.