"Tip it and rip it"

[Doug Romrell]

Daughter learned this swing from Coach Hubbard at North Texas. Some of the other girls she has played with have kept this style and has been very successful with it. It was too much movement for my kid but she liked the position it put her hands thru the zone. We played around and simplified it a bit. Took the tip out and started bat resting at her lateral delt(side of shoulder). Hands still where she wants them thru the zone and no extra movement.

We found the tip, or slight flop of the barrel toward the pitcher, was what made this swing to appealing in what it accomplished.

 

[iMlearning]

Daughter learned this swing from Coach Hubbard at North Texas. Some of the other girls she has played with have kept this style and has been very successful with it. It was too much movement for my kid but she liked the position it put her hands thru the zone. We played around and simplified it a bit. Took the tip out and started bat resting at her lateral delt(side of shoulder). Hands still where she wants them thru the zone and no extra movement.

We'll actually do this as a drill, but DD feels like she doesn't have as much power.

 

[redhotcoach]

"That's too much movement. How do you expect him to hit the ball!"

I had a girl that was leveling start trying to tip on Monday night. Her dad said that same thing. I told him "let's race to the wall, (it was about 40 feet). So you can be 'quicker to the wall' I will move back 10 feet. Now let's have your daughter count 3-2-1 go. Can't cross the start line earlier, but since I am 10 feet behind the line I plan on being full speed when I get to the line...."

The girl was light on talent. What made sense to her was "as you move out point the knob of your bat at the catcher's feet." We worked on just that move over and over. She still levels.

 

[Eric F]

I had a girl that was leveling start trying to tip on Monday night. Her dad said that same thing. I told him "let's race to the wall, (it was about 40 feet). So you can be 'quicker to the wall' I will move back 10 feet. Now let's have your daughter count 3-2-1 go. Can't cross the start line earlier, but since I am 10 feet behind the line I plan on being full speed when I get to the line...."

The girl was light on talent. What made sense to her was "as you move out point the knob of your bat at the catcher's feet." We worked on just that move over and over. She still levels.

Breaking the "leveling" habit can be a long road. Good luck.

 

[rdbass]

The girl was light on talent. What made sense to her was "as you move out point the knob of your bat at the catcher's feet." We worked on just that move over and over. She still levels.

Most hitters are able to get that down off of the tee. It's the transition to live pitching that the 'leveling' will rear it's ugly head.

 

[iMlearning]

Most hitters are able to get that down off of the tee. It's the transition to live pitching that the 'leveling' will rear it's ugly head.

I've lost sleep over this. Sad, but true.

 

[redhotcoach]

Breaking the "leveling" habit can be a long road. Good luck.

Done it with several girls. IMO it is impossible to break if you only practice 30 minutes a week. Also, as mean as it sounds, God didn't make everyone to be a softball player.

 

[Eric F]

Done it with several girls. IMO it is impossible to break if you only practice 30 minutes a week. Also, as mean as it sounds, God didn't make everyone to be a softball player.

Are there particular cues or drills you've found to be most effective in changing the DBSF/leveling pattern? Working with a 10U rec team, it's very prevalent.

 

[redhotcoach]

Are there particular cues or drills you've found to be most effective in changing the DBSF/leveling pattern? Working with a 10U rec team, it's very prevalent.

I don't use a tee at all. Not to say it is bad, I just don't use it. We break it down... Get coiled and move out and tip simultaneous over and over. They are to practice that at home over and over.
Then do the coil out and tip with front toss. Except I time the toss. They coil and start to tip then I give them a slow toss to rip.

Then I back up and they are to coil, tip and rip with them timing the ball. I give them consistent, fairly fast pitches to hit.

When they are consistent with faster pitches, then I try to fool them with off speed....that is where it usually reverts back a leveling a bit.

We talk about trusting yourself to launch from behind your head and still hit the ball. Also giving having active hands...be tipping and turning with your hands, not letting your hands get lazy dropping the barrel just to make your arms take over and drag the bat.

 

[RichK]

Are there particular cues or drills you've found to be most effective in changing the DBSF/leveling pattern? Working with a 10U rec team, it's very prevalent.

You can perform what looks like a tip and rip and still swing with your arms. Wake up their hands first. Make sure they are controlling the barrel with their hands. Put a little pressure around their barrel during set up and have them feel it in their hands. Put your hand in front of their barrel, ie the direction they'd tip, and have them use their top hand to exert barrel pressure into it, ie, feel the tip.

Whenever they get into set-up, make sure they don't flatten the barrel and move control out of their hands and onto their shoulders/arms.

Teach the uptick move (I know some say it's dumping, but really it's about suddenness of the tip/untip). Teach it in conjunction with slamming the triangle to get more a feel of barrel turn. Teach them top hand swivel, delivering the pizza box, etc.

And based on some palm up/palm down discussions on another thread, it wouldn't be bad to show them and have them practice throwing the barrel by throwing the top hand past the bottom hand out to extension.

In short, don't just jump to tip and rip without giving them some idea of the role the hands play in it.