what happened to my DD's swing?

[arkmay]

hello all! my first post here so forgive my ignorance and thanks to all for all of the insight and tips you share. i find most topics very helpful and informative. however i am still trying to figure out what exactly "DD" stands for. my 10 yr old "DD" has been playing rec ball every year since she was 5 or 6 until recently she joined a TB team hoping to take her skills to the next level. she has always been a good hitter and had some pretty good power for a 10 yr old. she has had team practice twice a week and one private batting lesson once a week. i have always spent alot of time working on her swing mechanics and other aspects of the game with her however im no professional and can only pass along what i pick up from the internet. i never played ball as a kid so i figured it is getting to the point where its above me and decided to let the more experienced coach take over. she does pretty good at the lessons (batting cage and a pitching machine) with the coach and seems to be making progress with him. but every time we decide to go do some bp, she hits with about half as much power she did this past summer during rec ball. she seems to be having a harder time making good contact with the ball. she used to hit every one i threw at her a fair distance but now the ones she does make good contact with have hardly anything behind them and are weak. is this normal for a kid once they start taking lessons? does this transition to more sound mechanics start off this way for most kids? i have pretty good confidence in the hitting coach but dont want to question his approach in any way. thanks in advance for any replies.

 

[FP26]

Welcome to the forum! Easy one first... DD stands for "darling daughter". In regards to the swing, in my opinion what you are talking about is very common. At younger ages, superior athletes or players with above average hand/eye coordination can usually excel. But often they are doing this with their athletic abilities and not sound mechanics. As they move up in age and the pitching begins to improve, the flaws in the swing become exposed. It is difficult to comment on a player's swing without actually seeing it, but at the younger ages it is very common for players to use a "leveling process" with the bat, instead of what many here refer to as "turning the barrel". The first thing I would look at is the path taken by the tip of the barrel during the swing. It would also be unfair for me to talk about her hitting coach without knowing what he is teaching her. It is possible that he is teaching good swing mechanics but it is just taking her some time to adjust to them. The good thing is that at 10 years old, she has many years ahead of her. I don't know if this was very helpful, but maybe some of the real experts will chime in. Good luck!

 

[quincy]

DD = Darling Daughter

It is not unusual for a player to go backwards when starting with a new coach. I would give it a little time, you sound like you have confidence in the coach.

If you want some comments, and have an open mind, post a video of her and you will receive some feedback. If nothing else it might give you a good idea if the posters here agree with the direction your hitting coach is taking.