Two strike hitting

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Aug 2, 2008
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What is your preferred approach if any? Open up your stance, choke up?????????

We are at the 10-U travel level and currently not doing anything but hitting away with 2 strikes, if a kid has been struggling I might even have them bunt with 2 strikes, it at least gets them to watch the ball hit the bat.

Thanks
Mike
 
May 12, 2008
2,214
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My approach has been, in the absence of a solid scouting report, to look off speed away with two strikes figuring if you are late on something fast and in you can likely foul it off. If you are early on something slow and away, you miss and sit down.
 

Coach-n-Dad

Crazy Daddy
Oct 31, 2008
1,010
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WOW!

If you make this statement to 10yo's:
look off speed away with two strikes figuring if you are late on something fast and in you can likely foul it off.
they are going to look at you like you are nuts. Maybe 2 would understand what it means and if you are very lucky 1 would be able to execute 1 out of 10 times....

At the 10U level I might have the more advanced players open stance a bit if they know what I am talking about; the rest "hit away" and work on hitting A LOT at practice. I would NEVER tell a 10yo it's OK to bunt with 2 strikes.


Don't get me wrong Mark, I completely agree... at 14U up (maybe a very good 12U team).
 
May 12, 2008
2,214
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If I were talking to 10's I would use different words and lean heavily on demonstration. OTOH, I usually find more pressing problems to deal with in 10 yr old hitting.
 
Aug 4, 2008
2,364
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Lexington,Ohio
We teach attack mode. It is posted on another thread. Basically no stride. Be at toe touch ready to hit and the only move is swinging the bat. Less power, but we do not want to strike out. Only time we might choke up to make contact. Talking to kids in camps one of the worse things we hear from kids is the coach told me to protect the plate. So they swing at a ground ball. Why we came up with the word Attack. How you word it to a 10 year old is critical.
 

Ken Krause

Administrator
Admin
May 7, 2008
3,911
113
Mundelein, IL
I know everyone wants to win and get trophies and such, but at the 10U level my focus is on getting them to swing at all, and learn to attack the ball. I don't know that I would change the approach with two strikes so much at that level. For the long term, it might be better to give them three good hacks at the ball to develop their core swings before learning a second method. Just my opinion.

Once they do have consistent swings, one thing I find comes into play is which pitch locations they can hit and which they can't. Everyone has stronger and weaker zones. My own daughter tends to struggle on low outside pitches with two strikes, so we changed her strategy. I have her looking for the low and outside pitch, and just trying to foul it off if it's a strike. If the pitch comes middle-in, she adjusts to that, which she can hit no problem.

This approach has done two things for her. One is cutting down on Ks on the low outside pitch. Two is giving her more confidence at the plate generally. She doesn't feel as much pressure to avoid going 0-2, which is helping her avoid going 0-2. :)

She has an excellent eye, by the way, and is generally one of the top players at drawing walks on any team she plays on. If she strikes out looking you can usually bet the umpire blew the call. :) With this two-strike strategy she's a little better on handling the borderline stuff and taking it out of the umpire's hands.
 
May 12, 2008
2,214
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I have her looking for the low and outside pitch, and just trying to foul it off if it's a strike. If the pitch comes middle-in, she adjusts to that, which she can hit no problem.

This approach has done two things for her. One is cutting down on Ks on the low outside pitch. .

There you go. Same swing, let the ball come deep anticipating low and away. I would add off speed but adjust the message to your audience.
 

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