Softball vs. Baseball swing

[stiksdad]

Was talking to my dd the other day. She gave up basketball this past winter so she could go to every open gym for softball. Has worked really hard on her swing. I know she can hit the crap out of the ball but I have struggled trying to get her off her backside and stop squishing the proverbial bug. I asked her if she is now transferring her weight after working all winter. Her reply was that her coaches no longer emphasize using lower half because they want them to keep their weight back to maintain balance. My first thought was "what the h---" She has so much potential if she ever gets her lower half properly into it. I calmly told her to ask the coach to explain themselves, because she must have misunderstood, since NO good hitters do that. I doubt she will ask but it would be interesting. I would ask myself but I vowed to stay out of her softball career this year. I spoke with the coach last year about an issue (not pertaining to playing time). Basically was told dd needs to do it their way or she would never play varsity for them. And I think coach is holding a grudge against my dd because she considered me interfering, so never again.

Keeping weight to stay balanced just does not make a lot of sense to me, sounds to me like coaches who are satisfied just putting the ball in play, to each his own I guess. Sorry you DD has to endure this.

 

[redhotcoach]

Sorry I tried to post a link to it but it didn't work. Just type Babe Ruth swing analysis on you tube. If his back foot has weight on it that means he made a bad swing. His rear leg slid forward for all his swings.

I do not think that there is much difference in a baseball swing or a softball swing. I hate to say it but I think it is a rotational vs linear swing. I like a rotational swing more so when I change the swing I first have to sell the dads on a softball comes in flat or up vs a baseball comes down speech so the first thing I am going to change is your DD grip. It seems to work as a good way to sell it to the dads, rather then telling them they are wrong.

I know from playing golf that the longest hitters in the world all have one thing in common. They get the weight shifted to the front leg at the finish of the swing. If you see a pro golfer leaning back at the finish of the swing 99% of the time they are loosing the ball to the right. Just like in golf I don't think in baseball/softball swing you should get trapped on the back end. I also think in all 3 sports you should get to the ball in the strongest most efficient swing possible. Posture, Grip, Alignment, Negative Movement, Swing Path, Start of the Forward Swing, Position at Contact, Balance after Contact.

A baseball throw from 60 feet at a strike zone 2-3 feet high will be coming in at (if released 6 ft off the ground) at 2.86 degrees if crossing home 3 feet off the ground and 3.81 degrees if crossing at a low 2 feet.

If you could take 1 mil pitch trajectories in softball at random, I would bet $ that a very small percentage rise. I would bet that at the last 3 feet before crossing the plate a large percentage are dropping at 1-3 degrees of angle

I don't believe there is any adjustments to a rotational baseball swing to adapt it to fastpitch softball.

 

[Cannonball]

redhotcoach, so are you saying that you teach a softball swing and others teach a baseball swing and that they are not similar?

I teach one swing to whomever I coach. It is the same principles regardless. That ball will be over the plate at a certain level defined by the rule book per sport and so, if a pitcher puts it there, I can assure you that my players will hit it and hit it hard.

 

[redhotcoach]

redhotcoach, so are you saying that you teach a softball swing and others teach a baseball swing and that they are not similar?

I teach one swing to whomever I coach. It is the same principles regardless. That ball will be over the plate at a certain level defined by the rule book per sport and so, if a pitcher puts it there, I can assure you that my players will hit it and hit it hard.

NO! My point to comment that baseballs come in at a downward angle, and softballs come in at flat to an upward angle is, that a majority of them both come in at near the same angle. SO "different angle of pitch" is not a good reason to teach a different swing in softball. BOTH SWINGS ARE THE SAME.

 

[Cannonball]

NO! My point to comment that baseballs come in at a downward angle, and softballs come in at flat to an upward angle is, that a majority of them both come in at near the same angle. SO "different angle of pitch" is not a good reason to teach a different swing in softball. BOTH SWINGS ARE THE SAME.

redhotcoach, thanks. We are in complete agreement.

 

[dadonachair]

A baseball throw from 60 feet at a strike zone 2-3 feet high will be coming in at (if released 6 ft off the ground) at 2.86 degrees if crossing home 3 feet off the ground and 3.81 degrees if crossing at a low 2 feet.

If you could take 1 mil pitch trajectories in softball at random, I would bet $ that a very small percentage rise. I would bet that at the last 3 feet before crossing the plate a large percentage are dropping at 1-3 degrees of angle

I don't believe there is any adjustments to a rotational baseball swing to adapt it to fastpitch softball.

redhotcoach. Please look at previous reply to greenmonsters. I myself like the rotational swing. It just makes more sense to me. I believe it is the easiest way to get the bat in the way of the ball with the most efficient movement. Try to get the bat in plane with the path of the ball. Not meet it at a point.

 

[SkylineRacing]

I don’t think that it will work. Both theories are totally different in styles and speed. I think the coach is wrong.

 

[barlowjames]

Just to throw some more fuel on the fire.

So a 5' 90lb softball player, who drags her equipment bag behind her because she can't lift it, will have the same swing as a 6'4" 240lb baseball player who hits the weight room four days a week.

As an academic exercise I can appreciate this discussion but talks about the ideal swing won't be complete without also mentioning that's it's for the ideal player.

 

[nanotech14]

Just to throw some more fuel on the fire.

So a 5' 90lb softball player, who drags her equipment bag behind her because she can't lift it, will have the same swing as a 6'4" 240lb baseball player who hits the weight room four days a week.

As an academic exercise I can appreciate this discussion but talks about the ideal swing won't be complete without also mentioning that's it's for the ideal player.

The ideal swing is the same no matter the size of the player,that 5' 90lbs girl also isn't swing the same size bat and weight as the 6'4" 240lbs player.Teach the right way to begin with,there should of never been the notion that the swings for both sports were different.I take it you are in the softball swing camp then?

 

[redhotcoach]

So Barlow is there a height and weight that you would teach a different swing at?

Baseball Rotational Hitting And Softball | The ParkerTraining System