I have spent some time with my DGD at a hitting coach and she has developed a pretty good swing. The coach sits behind a screen and soft/fast pitches from about 15' and she does fine. In games against good pitchers , not so much. I am now looking for a "see the ball" coach. do I need to go to an eye Dr. Or is there someone who can teach her to see the ball and be able to hit it? Or is it ,"you either got it or you don't got it".
See the Ball, Hit the Ball
- Thread starter mm'spapa
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One thing I have found is that our kids can develop a "cage swing" mentality. The cage is easy. You get as many chances as you want, and there is no pressure. It doesn't translate to a game experience. What I try to do with my kids is end each cage session with something similar to a game experience. Keep track of counts, outs, and innings. We use this logic: For a ball hit up the middle, if it hits the screen before the ground, it is a single. If it hits the ground first, it is an out. If it hits the cage sides before the screen, it is foul. If it hits the lid, it is a pop-up, for an out. Teach them to learn where to try to hit the ball with people on certain bags. Also, work the count. I let them know that in this part of the exercise, it is my job to get them out and keep them from scoring. It isn't personal, it's both of us doing our jobs.
You can do these with her on your own so there's no need to pay someone for this. There are many threads about ball tracking drills on this forum. Just put in the word "ball tracking drills" in the search engine box ( the small one above the words Advanced Search) and they will pop up. Enjoy the time with your DGD and have fun!
- Jun 7, 2013
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I think that developing a good swing is a good first part to learning how to hit. To be a good hitter you need to hit thousands of thrown balls so that hitting becomes an instinct. And, as alluded to above, you need to develop hitting strategies against various types of pitchers in particular situations. So, it sounds as if you have the first part. Continue now and develop the rest and your DGD will get a lot, lot better. It's guaranteed1
With HS softball winding down it might be worth hiring a pitcher to throw balls to your DGD on a softball field.
Josh has a point. My kid has a pretty good swing, and allegedly mashes in coach-pitched BP -- I haven't observed her school practices at all. Come game time, she is late, late, late. My working theory is that in BP and in the cage, she expects to see strikes and swings accordingly. However, in live ABs I think she is reacting to strikes instead of expecting a strike and reacting to a ball.
DD is the opposite and it almost cost her this year. She does not hit a dang thing in practice but in a game watch out. I wish I knew why.
I do not believe the "you either got it or you don't got it" I have seen too many players get so much better with practice.
One thing I learned helped my DD is to practice with someone, it always somehow becomes a competition.
I do not believe the "you either got it or you don't got it" I have seen too many players get so much better with practice.
One thing I learned helped my DD is to practice with someone, it always somehow becomes a competition.
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what do you do if you will be playing against a team that has a 64mph pitcher, and your throws 49? Are you saying front toss is live pitching?
She is more early than late. Hits off end of bat or popup. doesn't seem to swing at balls very often. In a typical game she gets walked, hits a weak grounder or pop up then get a hit. I am concerned with the weak hits. She is 5'6'' 140 lbs and can hit it to the 200+ fence which she does on occasion. Just not often enough (in my opinion).
What age and are the pitchers she is facing OK? It is easy for the batter to get lazy with bad pitching.
