Still Working - But Hitting Some Snags

[CobraAssist]

So, there's been an evolution of DD's swing. The biggest changes have occurred whenever we haven't had much time to practice. She'll start developing a few bad habits here and there, and then we have to work that much harder to fix them. In this video, you'll notice the bat on her shoulder. She had gotten into a really bad habit of dropping the head of the bat behind her (if you've seen some previous videos, you'll know what I'm talking about), and this has helped her from doing it so much. Bandaid on a gunshot wound I know, but a little bonus is that she said it's really comfortable and she likes it. The biggest thing her mom and I have noticed is that even when she's making solid contact, the ball doesn't seem to jump like it used to. She was at practice the other day, and some of the smaller girls were hitting balls that seemed to really explode off the bat. When it was her turn to take some hacks, even the balls that she really got into (or so it seemed) didn't seem to have that steam coming off of them like they used to. It's not a strength issue (trust me). It's not the bat (one of the aforementioned smaller girls uses it). The first thing I'm thinking is that she's hitting the ball too far out front. The other thought is the way she cuts across the ball at impact. She doesn't extend the barrel through the ball. At contact, she pulls her hands across her body. She had 2 at-bats in a scrimmage this weekend. Both were singles up the middle, but take a look and see if you can pinpoint something. The second hit was the most telling for me as it came off the bat and kind of died in CF.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8iwjG6QC8tGaHJMM092X1VxaG8/edit?usp=sharing

As always...thanks a million.

Josh

 

[straightleg]

I like her set up.
Like you said hitting the ball out front to far, that is also what I see.
Keeping the hands back until the lower half works is a very common problem with hitters.
Timing and hitting the ball deeper. That is an ongoing adjustment that hitters have to make their whole career.

Check her grip. Does she use the grip Howard/Bustos teach's. That helps with adding some power.



SL

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

Fire the guy telling her to get loaded up ..... then have her learn to load within a proper sequence.

 

[ArmWhip]

She missed the sweet spot, also sounds like a metal bat.

 

[iMlearning]

I would definitely work on proper sequence... She has a lot of good things going for her but this type of swing will only work against a fastball. At least that's how it worked for my DD

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

It is true that she slices the ball … “cuts across the ball”. Her mechanics have her swinging around her body rather than out from her body. So she’s a slicer rather than an extender.

This hitter has taken steps backwards IMO.

In her prior swing she needed to learn how to turn the barrel. That is still the case … except now she is out of sequence and lacks flow.

Re-learn a proper sequence. Remove the pauses and re-learn to flow. Learn to turn the barrel.

 

[knightsb]

It is true that she slices the ball … “cuts across the ball”. Her mechanics have her swinging around her body rather than out from her body. So she’s a slicer rather than an extender.

Many of the girls on my DDs team swing around their body due to the DBSF (Drop Barrel Swing Flat). I see DBSF in the first swing versus turning the barrel.

 

[knightsb]

 

[TDS]

Many of the girls on my DDs team swing around their body due to the DBSF (Drop Barrel Swing Flat). I see DBSF in the first swing versus turning the barrel.

Or how about the spine swings the arms vs the arms swinging around the body..

 

[Eric F]

Having her start with a straight-up bat position may help encourage a better barrel turn and counter the DBSF habit. Have her work with the thought of firing the lower body (rear hip) first while resisting the turn with her shoulders until her hands trigger the launch of the barrel to contact. Working with a slow-motion swing, the resistance of the shoulders/hands staying back against the turn of the hips should create the feeling of tension in her back.