I disagree that 8 - 10 year olds should not be taught proper hitting mechanics. Many of the girls I see have been playing for several years by age 8. Once they ingrain poor mechanics, it's that much harder to correct. For example, my DD has a bad habit of breaking the wrists at ball impact, many times resulting in weak grounders, instead of driving through the ball and hitting more line drives. Now she and I need to spend many hours re-working her swing. Why not teach them the proper fundamentals from day one?
Weight Transfer...Part of the Swing or Preparation?
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I disagree that 8 - 10 year olds should not be taught proper hitting mechanics. Many of the girls I see have been playing for several years by age 8. Once they ingrain poor mechanics, it's that much harder to correct. For example, my DD has a bad habit of breaking the wrists at ball impact, many times resulting in weak grounders, instead of driving through the ball and hitting more line drives. Now she and I need to spend many hours re-working her swing. Why not teach them the proper fundamentals from day one?
Bucketpapi
Banned
- May 28, 2008
- 38
- 0
If everyone could understand this simple concept.
But no, we have to invent new terminology so we can make ourselves look a "Lewis and Clark" of the baseball/softball swing. If we can't understand the concepts our "Hitting Guru of the day" puts forth, then they must be correct.
Oh, and by we I mean them (the gurus, you know who you are).
Well put HittingGuru.
load/slide
I coach a 10u fastpitch team, they seem to absorb everything and wont have trouble with mechanics, but I want to make sure I get it right. Can anyone break down the Stride/slide phase. I have been having them load their hands back at the same time they stride, and having them slightly round/lower the front shoulder while raising the back shoulder causing their back elbow to rise up toward catcher. even on nonstrikes.(so they are ready to shift wt/swing) is this correct? At heel plant I start their rotation of hips/shoulders (shoulder tilt, back elbow lowers into slot and on into rotation, etc.
I coach a 10u fastpitch team, they seem to absorb everything and wont have trouble with mechanics, but I want to make sure I get it right. Can anyone break down the Stride/slide phase. I have been having them load their hands back at the same time they stride, and having them slightly round/lower the front shoulder while raising the back shoulder causing their back elbow to rise up toward catcher. even on nonstrikes.(so they are ready to shift wt/swing) is this correct? At heel plant I start their rotation of hips/shoulders (shoulder tilt, back elbow lowers into slot and on into rotation, etc.
- Nov 29, 2009
- 65
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don't see many change ups yet do you? if so not very successfull with them are you.
Dargoncoach:
I think what you are doing is appropriate for 10U. You really want your hitters to get acustomed to the individual movements of the swing.
Over the next year or two, you'll want to gradually wean them to more of a continuous movement through the swing.
Put as simply as possible, a great swing is a loading phase, followed by an unloading phase. With some overlap. By that I mean, the shoulders / hands are still loading even as weight is being transferred, momentum is being created in a forward direction, and the lower body is beginning to rotate.
Put even more simply, the swing is one continuous movement.
Think of a golfer, and how the best ones look extraordinarily smooth as they swing. They are said to have great TEMP through a series of ballistic movement. Looks like one long graceful movement. Part of the reason for that is that all of the pieces work together at the apporopriate times and in the correct ways. This is referred to as rythym.
The softball swing is no different.
The great advantage of developing a swing like this is that it will have a number of built-in timing mechanisms. The hitgter will be more in control because she doesn;t need to stop / start / re-establish impetus all of the time. And can slow / speed-up segments as required to time a pitch.
BUt I would again stress, this starts with the hitter being able to execute the appropriate movements, which it sounds as if you are instilling. As that becomes true for any one hitter, it is time to start challenging them to make the movements more seamless.
To answer your specific question, most of what you are doing is right. But I think that if you study the very best hitters, you'll see that they shift their weight (more accurately their mass) AND begin to rotate INTO heel plant, not after heel plant.
Best regards,
Scott
I think what you are doing is appropriate for 10U. You really want your hitters to get acustomed to the individual movements of the swing.
Over the next year or two, you'll want to gradually wean them to more of a continuous movement through the swing.
Put as simply as possible, a great swing is a loading phase, followed by an unloading phase. With some overlap. By that I mean, the shoulders / hands are still loading even as weight is being transferred, momentum is being created in a forward direction, and the lower body is beginning to rotate.
Put even more simply, the swing is one continuous movement.
Think of a golfer, and how the best ones look extraordinarily smooth as they swing. They are said to have great TEMP through a series of ballistic movement. Looks like one long graceful movement. Part of the reason for that is that all of the pieces work together at the apporopriate times and in the correct ways. This is referred to as rythym.
The softball swing is no different.
The great advantage of developing a swing like this is that it will have a number of built-in timing mechanisms. The hitgter will be more in control because she doesn;t need to stop / start / re-establish impetus all of the time. And can slow / speed-up segments as required to time a pitch.
BUt I would again stress, this starts with the hitter being able to execute the appropriate movements, which it sounds as if you are instilling. As that becomes true for any one hitter, it is time to start challenging them to make the movements more seamless.
To answer your specific question, most of what you are doing is right. But I think that if you study the very best hitters, you'll see that they shift their weight (more accurately their mass) AND begin to rotate INTO heel plant, not after heel plant.
Best regards,
Scott
disconnect or not
Thanks, sounds like Im on track, but meant to ask was a similair question with better wording? Is ist ok for the shoulders to disconnect with the hips during this stride/load phase (hands/shoulders going back at same time hips and some weight going forward with the stride? Mike Candrea video said not to but others imply different (the video was few years old and Im sure Mike as any good coach would be willing to change his mind if their is factual proof backing it up). If Mark and some of the other seinor members would give me their opinion I might start a no swing drill that mimmiks this motion, then later stop then swing, then finally put it all together. Thanks guys!
Thanks, sounds like Im on track, but meant to ask was a similair question with better wording? Is ist ok for the shoulders to disconnect with the hips during this stride/load phase (hands/shoulders going back at same time hips and some weight going forward with the stride? Mike Candrea video said not to but others imply different (the video was few years old and Im sure Mike as any good coach would be willing to change his mind if their is factual proof backing it up). If Mark and some of the other seinor members would give me their opinion I might start a no swing drill that mimmiks this motion, then later stop then swing, then finally put it all together. Thanks guys!
Rather than risk misunderstanding your words or you misunderstanding mine here are some clips. Their pelvic action isn't Soriano but it's pretty efficient and effective.
Photo 10 of 16, Fastpitch
Photo 9 of 16, Fastpitch
Photo 5 of 16, Fastpitch
Photo 10 of 16, Fastpitch
Photo 9 of 16, Fastpitch
Photo 5 of 16, Fastpitch
