Working with a 7yo

[Rambler34]

My DD is playing her second year of 6U. She made the all star team last year as the youngest girl. During all stars she was able to attend a two day hitting clinic at a local college and really started hitting well. This season she has hit the ball every at bat through ten games. She is only 3'11" and 55lbs but hits the ball as hard as any of the bigger girls in our league and I sure most of you have seen the kids that could probably drive themselves to the park at this age.

She has developed a very good swing for her age through the skills we were taught at the camp. My question is at what age have you seen the most benefit from private lessons? She absorbs things quickly but I do not want to confuse her and set her back.

 

[PEPPERS]

My DD is playing her second year of 6U. She made the all star team last year as the youngest girl. During all stars she was able to attend a two day hitting clinic at a local college and really started hitting well. This season she has hit the ball every at bat through ten games. She is only 3'11" and 55lbs but hits the ball as hard as any of the bigger girls in our league and I sure most of you have seen the kids that could probably drive themselves to the park at this age.

She has developed a very good swing for her age through the skills we were taught at the camp. My question is at what age have you seen the most benefit from private lessons? She absorbs things quickly but I do not want to confuse her and set her back.

I think it all depends on the kids attention level, some kids are more mature at 7 than some are at 10 or so. Where my daughter takes pitching lessons they have some girls at 6 or 7 in hitting lessons and they do fine.

We attended a hitting camp at Alabama and I made the mistake of signing up for lessons and the teacher taught totally different than what was taught at the camp. I just wanted to have a place in the winter for her to practice and advised her to do her swing and swing in the drills like she was taught at UA and it didn’t work. Her swing was way off next summer and she had to start from scratch learning what was taught at UA.

So if you put her in lessons make sure it is with a coach that teaches the same swing she is currently being successful with and the swing she learned at the camp you refered to.

 

[crankermo]

IMO an athlete is someone who can learn a new technique and apply it quickly. People get caught up in the measurable way too much. If she is able to retain new things and put them to use in the correct manner keep progessing her.

 

[Amy in AZ.]

I have found that they don't have the attention span, under age 8. She will have a lot of years when she can take private lessons.

I would continue working with her yourself and letting her attend short clinics.

Or, put her in something like tumbling/gymnastics or swimming. Those 2 activities really help an athlete.

 

[fastpitch5]

i would say that if she has the attention span and is coachable (i.e. she can take in and apply what is being taught, and then retain it), she might benefit from a hitting coach by starting with good habits from the get-go. altho i'm not one to say its necessary, and agree with amy that she will have plenty of time in her life to take private lessons if you choose not to do it right now.

that said, my 7 yo son goes to his hitting coach twice a week and absolutely loves it. 95% of the boys on his team probably aren't ready for a private coach. same with our 10u team...2 or 3 girls are really into it and are all about getting their practice time in and work with private coaches. the majority rely 100% on the team coaches.

 

[Wellphyt]

Just remember that no matter how coachable, smart and athletic your daughter is, you cannot speed up Mother Nature. Somethings that seem really easy to us, may not be for a young child. There are many, many, many parents out there that do not have the temperment to work with very young kids. They expect too much.

Before too long they are telling the poor 7 year old that they aren't paying attention enough or they aren't listening enough or they're not coachable etc. Before too long the parent loses sight of the fact they are working with a 7 year old child. It can be a slippery slop.

I started with my daughter when she was 9. It's tough sledding at this age and requires a tremendous amount of patience, restraint and perspective. I did ok, but looking back I think I could have done better.

 

[fastpitch]

is she lefty or righty? start her lefty. i wish i started my dd lefty.

 

[SoCalSoftballdad]

is she lefty or righty? start her lefty. i wish i started my dd lefty.

Just curious, why exactly do you want her to be a lefty batter? So she can be a slapper or is one step closer to first base? Also, is switch hitting rare in SB?

 

[Hitter]

IMO an athlete is someone who can learn a new technique and apply it quickly. People get caught up in the measurable way too much. If she is able to retain new things and put them to use in the correct manner keep progessing her.

I hear this all the time and would suggest why do kids receive report cards?

Why do you care what the score is in a game as your daughter was either on the loosing team or on the winning team?

Why do you need an umpire to call balls and strikes? Doesn't your daughter understand what she can hit and if so why doesn't she swing?

If you are taking her to a hitting instructor, how do you gauge/ measure if she is progressing?

If she is walking more does that mean she understands the strike zone better or because at 9, 10 or 11 years old most pitchers can not throw a strike? If you are measuring walks as an indication of her ability to hit then possibly YOU are measuring the wrong thing in my opinion.

The basis to improvement comes from measuring where we are at a given point in time and making sure the data is sound. Understanding the process before we make any changes so we do not tamper with the process and make it worse. However there again you would have to have measured the process before and after or how would you know?

"Children enter kindergarten as kinesthetic and tactual learners, moving and touching everything as they learn. By second or third grade, some students have become visual learners. During the late elementary years some students, primarily females, become auditory learners. Yet, many adults, especially males, maintain kinesthetic and tactual strengths throughout their lives."

I have taught both boys and girls for 22 years and they have different learning styles and I adjust to that with every kid and in my opinion most instructors do not!

I have learned working with Crystl and some of her teammates, what the elite female athlete feels was important for their success in taking it to the next level and I try very hard to listen and learn what that is from everyone I get a chance to learn from.

There is a difference in my opinion as to being an instructor, coach and teacher.

Many times the worst coach is the parent because you may not have the understanding of how your child actually learns or what style of learning modality to even use with her.

I see this with coaches all the time and they do not factor in how each child learns and thinks one style fits all!

The parents are as guilty, because they do not want the coach to know their child is different and may have a learning disability or is taking medication which affects her attention span.

You want to look at an athlete, look at a kid who is a gymnast and how they train! The parent is usually not even allowed in the room and in some cases can not even watch as it is a closed practice!

If you could listen, you would be amazed at how the coaches coach and you better be one tough parent and the kid or athlete better be mentally tough!

From the net... "All people start out as kinesthetic learners. Babies explore the world through touching and tasting their world. Children typically become more visual and auditory learners as they grow older and throughout their school years – learning by what we see and hear in addition to what we are physically able to touch."

These little ones are not adults yet and their ability to compete at various levels is still being determined and all I am saying is just be aware of it.

If you ever get a chance to hear Crystl speak about her child hood, please listen to her carefully!

Thanks Howard

 

[crankermo]

Just remember that no matter how coachable, smart and athletic your daughter is, you cannot speed up Mother Nature. Somethings that seem really easy to us, may not be for a young child. There are many, many, many parents out there that do not have the temperment to work with very young kids. They expect too much.

Before too long they are telling the poor 7 year old that they aren't paying attention enough or they aren't listening enough or they're not coachable etc. Before too long the parent loses sight of the fact they are working with a 7 year old child. It can be a slippery slop.

I started with my daughter when she was 9. It's tough sledding at this age and requires a tremendous amount of patience, restraint and perspective. I did ok, but looking back I think I could have done better.

Wellphyt,
You hit the nail on the head. I expected too much from my daughter @ an early age and it did more harm than good. Every kid matures physically/mentally within their own timetable, certain kids may mature quicker than others and they end up being stars @ a young age only to be passed up once the other kids catch up physically. My DD is 13 now and is looking better than she ever has. We've totally revamped her swing and it's paying huge dividends. Thanks to Tewks, Hitter, Wellphyt and countless others on here my DD is mashing the ball like never before. If I wasn't an idiot with computers I would post some video.