What can you do with a hitter with quick hands, a good swing, but can't time a ball up to save her life??

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May 9, 2019
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Frustrated parent here. DD has a good swing, good power, hits lead off due to speed, but cannot time worth crap.

Parents and coaches have suggested things like tennis ball hitting off the bounce etc, but for my DD those things arent helping. I'm almost to the point where I want her to quit playing because she has struggled with this issue now for three years.

Do you guys know of something she can do to fix her timing??
 
Oct 13, 2014
5,471
113
South Cali
Frustrated parent here. DD has a good swing, good power, hits lead off due to speed, but cannot time worth crap.

Parents and coaches have suggested things like tennis ball hitting off the bounce etc, but for my DD those things arent helping. I'm almost to the point where I want her to quit playing because she has struggled with this issue now for three years.

Do you guys know of something she can do to fix her timing??

Is she early or late majority of the time? Post a vid if you got one handy.
 
Oct 2, 2017
2,283
113
Frustrated parent here. DD has a good swing, good power, hits lead off due to speed, but cannot time worth crap.

Parents and coaches have suggested things like tennis ball hitting off the bounce etc, but for my DD those things arent helping. I'm almost to the point where I want her to quit playing because she has struggled with this issue now for three years.

Do you guys know of something she can do to fix her timing??
Suggest that she not bat lead off. Sometimes that pressure can do things to young players.
 

Cannonball

Ex "Expert"
Feb 25, 2009
4,854
113
What is your dd doing as a timing mechanism? For example, timing begins with the load. I'm sure you have heard the phrase, "dance with the pitcher." Is your dd in motion or dancing or is she waiting until the ball comes out of the hand of the pitcher? Do you have access to a front toss net? If so, when you toss or feed the ball, use an arm action that you dd can learn to time. We show the ball, take it back and then toss the ball forward. The hitter starts the dance when we take the ball back.

When you mention that your dd is frustrated, it is possible that she is thinking when she is hitting. That is a recipe for disaster. If she can learn to dance and "clear the mechanism, she will eventually become better at loading. All thinking should be done on deck, in between pitches and/or in practice.
 
Dec 2, 2013
3,409
113
Texas
I would say don't quit, if she likes playing. Things will turn if she keeps working. A light bulb will go off and the 10,000 hours things will kick in. At the younger ages, it's hard and many will quit before they even scratch the surface of their potential. Seen it in tons of kids. Lots of kids I wished kept at it. They could have been so good. But the beach house for the parents were more important than spending time at the fields. I get it, and you have to make the decisions that are best for the family.

Had a kid on my 10U All Star team. Me and dad are best buds today. She looked like a stud, walked like a stud, swung like a stud and could not hit a stud with bare walls. It was so frustrating! I took her on as my 12 player b/c of her dad. Dad played LB at TCU and was a graduate FB coach at Baylor. We had some fun practices. After that summer she disappeared into private school softball life b/c of social stuff. Dad totally regrets that move. I kept on them for a few years and talked her into coming back for some 7th 14U ball. Got better for sure but still kinda of meh. She ended up on a 16U team as an 8th grader and drowning. Dad coaches would say that she sucked behind her back. Talk about motivation.

Guess what? She started focusing on hitting and was built like a built like a bull. Short and stocky. Lessons, lessons and more lessons. Hit her first OTF HR in 8th grade. Then more and more. Kept at it. Hit something like 15 HR's in HS ball her Sr year. Plays college ball and is heading into her 4th year.
 

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