Teaching lefty

[fastpitch]

My DD is 10yo with very good speed for her age. She hits for a very high average with good doubles power as a righty. Because of her speed and ability to get on base by hits or bunts she bats leadoff.

She started to try the transition to lefty this off season but I don't know how to continue. I started by teaching her to bunt lefty. So now she can bunt lefty well... but she can't really slap or even hit the ball with a real lefty swing yet. How do you start teaching a natural righty to bat lefty? Is it all just from scratch? Her lefty swing looks so unnatural right now I dont know where to start. I suppose a hitting instrctor is the next step, but before I start spending money I'm wondering if there is anything I can do with practice to help her get started.

I'm also wondering if she isn't game ready with slapping or hitting for power from her left side by the spring should I still let her try to bat that way in games?

She made a competitive 12U travel team this fall and was the leadoff batter for all games this fall. She also will play in her local Little League. My thinking was to let her bat lefty in Little League until her lefty swing became tournament ready. She would need to practice both to keep her spot in her travel lineup as a righty. Some say just switch to lefty full-time. What do you guys think?

 

[Mark H]

Go to work on the left side including the full swing or at least a power slap. When it's ready and she is in the right situation, like the fall and with a supportive coach willing to let her go through the learning curve, go to the left side and never go back.

 

[go4um]

As a slap coach, I deal with this a lot. Yes pretty much start from scratch. Many have a back arm choppy push swing so they need to work on a good setup and then moving the bat with their core and front shoulder muscles. Many players need to raise their front elbow and adjust their shoulder angle to get the bat plane to the ball path. Don't know if this applies to your daughter but that's where I start.

As to the question of when to switch. You don't want to switch until the player, the parent and the team coach are all on the same page. When you switch, go 100%. If you can work it so that the switch is made at a more manageable level of competition then...perfect.

 

[fastpitch]

thanks. when you say switch to the left side and never go back, i assume you mean once it is game ready. correct? while she is getting game ready she should still work righty, right?

 

[ifubuildit]

fastpitch

Start slowly with this and work off the tee. By slowly, I mean, do everything in slow motion. You start from the ground up with the foot work. Then start working your way up. Focus on approach to the ball and the correct swing plane for the slap.

Are several different methods used by various hitters for footwork. I personally like the first step backward towards the back foot then cross over. One of the key points to remember is that slapper should go towards the pitcher until contact is made with the ball.

I agree with Mark when he stated that you have to teach her how to hit left-handed. If the other team knows that all she can do is slap. Then they will start cheating in on her in the outfield, which takes away the effectiveness of the slap. Again, when you're teaching her the full swing. Start slowly and work on the mechanics.

This will take some time, and you need to be patient. Good luck with the development of your daughter as a left-handed hitter.

Dana

 

[Mark H]

Nothing but good advice in this thread.

 

[DonnieS]

Teach the Slappers is great from Larry Ray of UA.

 

[calgofo]

Teach the Slappers is great from Larry Ray of UA.

Agreed. That was what I used back in the day.

 

[51sDad]

I agree. Make the switch and stick to it. In my opinion, there is no "game ready". I'm assuming at 10 years old she isn't perfect from the right side either. So is she "game ready" from either side? Live pitching is going to be the best experience she can get to make her better and execute everything she's learning from her hitting coach. Once you make the switch, she will struggle which will likely be frustrating for both you and her. Let's face it though...what better time to struggle than right now? She's not playing for a gold national championship or in front of college coaches. Use the time now to prepare her for when she does. Good luck.

 

[absdad]

My dd wanted to learn to slap, and we set her up with lessons. Her instructor said she needed to learn it all from the left, not just slapping. She's working hard and we're starting to see some progress. Hopefully by spring things will be good.