- Jul 28, 2008
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While you slam Michele Smith, remember that those coaching cues worked for her. There isn't one person on this board that can successfully argue against what she has done for the softball community.
The day you stop learning, you're dead. To clarify on the "extending the arms" thing. This guy is teaching to get the arms extended, and hit the ball out front so you can pull it. It's absolute hogwash, and literally sent a chill up my spine (again, I was teaching the same thing a year ago, but have an open mind). My B.I.L. and I are having open practices leading up to a tryout for a 10u team. We've had some guys come up to us and ask about some of our girls hitting, and wanted to know where they were taking lessons. I explained to him that they had all taken a few private lessons, but after attending a few of my daughters, I started reading, and took over from there. I told him that if he wanted his daughter to learn how to hit, he was going to have to clear his mind, and take everything he ever learned as a kid, and throw it out the window.
I remember the first time I heard a instructor talk about weight shift. I came unglued. "You're telling me that after years of telling kids not to 'LUNGE,' now we're supposed to encourage it?" Funny stuff looking back, and that guy reminds me quite often how insanely one sided I was.
Since so many of you have been there....what is that 8u to 10u jump like? Is that the most difficult transition? I personally can't wait, cause now I feel like it's real.
That announcer was Michele Smith. She was one of the best pitchers in her day. But she will drive you crazy with her game comments.
At the time the coach called for that ground ball they hadn't scored yet. With a slapper at bat you would think she would be able to put it down and bring that run in.
A few years ago when everyone was being taught to swing down I used to demonstrate to the girls how you can swing sharply down and still hit a rising line drive. You can really put some heat on a ball by swinging down BUT you have to be pinpoint accurate. The necessary accuracy is what makes swinging down less efficient than staying long through the zone.
This confused me as well, I have been told she meant keep your weight back as you move forward to heel plant and then drive into a firm front side.She also said the batters who were hitting home runs were doing a good job keeping their weight back on the back foot at Point of Contact. I thought the point of the stride and toe touch was to get to a firm front side (i.e. weight shift) and not to stay back on your back foot? I'm confused.