Timming and slapping

[hitman]

I want to start by saying i'v been reading this site for a while and found some very useful info. I 'm looking for some info about slapping and timing. My dd is a first year 12 playing 12b tb. She was a right handed hitter last fall HC wanted her to try slapping she is the fastest on the team. She had always been leadoff hitter had a good obp not a power hitter just base hits and bunting. Last fall she started working with a batting coach that was a slapper herself she got the foot work down quickly and was working on the hitting and bunting. We played in a few tournaments in the fall and she did ok We were not playing many teams with good pitching in the fall most teams play BB. Her problem is she cannot get her timming down and hits every thing to the right side of the field. Her hitting coach moved last fall so i worked with her all winter in the cages . She has the bunt down and is working on the drag although it gets ugly at times. Now we have played in 3 tournaments with better teams and when she slap hits its a grounder to the right side of the field for an easy out. She has done well with seeing the ball and getting the bunt down and not striking out. Just looking for some input on how to work with her on putting the ball down to the left side when she needs to. Any drills or advise would be helpful. PS I hope this is the right fourm for this

 

[WinThemAll]

Is she trying to soft-slap to the 5/6 hole or power slap? Before working on the power slap, she needs to work on the soft-slap.

Slapping, dragging and bunting are about bat control. Less is more.

Sounds like she needs to let the ball get deeper in the zone, and try to slap it off her back hip.

Put out some targets -- I usually use a bucket propped up its side in the 5/6 hole, or use cones.

 

[SBFAMILY]

This is a long process and I have went thru it with my dd. First set up cones for targets on the field. Next have her hit off of a T till she gets it down. Next use a pitcher or a pitching machine. Same drills. It takes practice with the foot work. I would suggest watching team USA's slapper dvd. It goes into details on the different slaps and why you do not slap on the sweet spot of the bat. You want to slap off the end of the bat into the 5/6 hole. DD mastered the various slaps. Each has a purpose based on the defense and the base runners. We like to teach the cross over style footwork. DD was also taught to hit first before being a slapper from the left side at 9.

 

[grounded]

This year is 13yr old DD's 2nd season of slapping...we have come a long way, but it takes a lot of time and effort. This will easily take a full yr commitment. We do the drop/cross over step too. Most everything is going to be hit off the back hip. Later is better. Only when they start going foul off 3rd base are you too late. If you practice with a t, just make sure its set up so its on her back hip at contact. We have done a lot of cone work with multiple numbered cones at different depths and locations that she tries to target. Its good work. A little frustrating at first, but gets better in time. As far as not being able to do certain slaps because of field construction...idk. The only one we dont do is that high bouncer, but I think thats a pretty advanced slap anyway. The window to hit the ball with the high bounce is so small...not worth messing around with my DD yet.

 

[SBFAMILY]

The high bouncer or we call the watley ( Natasha Watley) slap is a great slap to learn. DD got to work with some team USA players and a good coach. Here is how to learn it. Use TCB balls and learn to hit them into the ground, now replace them with normal softballs. DD got to the point she could bounce a softball up into the top of the net in a batting cage about 6 feet in front of the plate. It is a real weapon if you perfect it. She was actually standing on first when the pitcher caught the ball in one game. DD walks the field before a game to find out what type of surface you are playing on. If it's hard in front of the plate area, then its perfect for this slap, but not so good for the bunt. Keep in mind the shoulders need to be square to the ball when you slap, if not you are pulling out. The is the biggest thing I work on with new slappers.

 

[SBFAMILY]

Around here college coaches look for pitcher, catcher, then the slapper with speed. If that slapper can also hit for power you got it made.

 

[grounded]

Thanks SBF. ..perhaps that is something we will start to look at working on this year. I really enjoy reading the slap threads, but there are not too many of them. The one thing I dislike about slapping is the fact that it is usually looked at as almost a gimmick, some kind of trick. Its way more advanced than that, and requires a lot of work to be good at. For instance, it probably took us a month of 3x's a week workouts just to get our swings worked out to hide what we were doing...meaning we have no tell on whether we will bunt, soft slap, power slap, or swing away before the pitch is delivered. Everything looks the same until the ball is on its way. The work that is put into hitting locations is endless, then on top of it they need to work on their power game and swing away. There is just so much more that goes into it besides the short game....like I said, its a huge commitment to be good at

 

[Chezaré Sievers]

Try this.

Tell her the tempo of her timing is "Foot Contact" (clap clap). Literally give two short claps. When I say foot, I mean back foot or cross step. She will recognize whether or not she gets into her cross step too early or too late by the tempo of "Foot Contact". If she's still hooking the ball, have her do "Foot Contact" with extension drill.

I hope this helps. Let me know if you need more detail or even video.