7yo swing

[Cornbread]

IMO it will work itself out. Strength issue. My dd, who is 16yo now, had it until she was 12. Work on it for sure but it will be some time before it’s gone.

 

[dogpatch]

Season started and she's been very successful at the plate (8u coach pitch caveats aside). She consistently gets really good contact and has decent pitch selection (still chases balls high in the zone but doesn't everyone?)

Despite her success, I noticed her hands dropping and bat dragging in a couple action shots her grandfather took.

Is this something that will fix itself as she gets bigger/stronger or is it worth taking steps to address it (connection drills? Strengthening the forearm/wrists?)

I am thinking about leaving her alone on this and addressing it next offseason when she is bigger/stronger but also don't want this to become a habit that's very difficult to break. I know bat drag is very common amongst young hitters so I wanted to ask if this is something I should nip in the bud or is it ok to wait.

Thanks!

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This is caused by her strength and the way her body works at her age. Bat weight to body weight ratio is the culprit. Even the lightest bat made would be disproportionate to her level of strength, creating the need to pull the bat with her arms. Nit-picking mechanics at this age is not recommended. Show her what is correct, but don't constantly dwell on it. Her issue will likely self-correct as she grows. If she's hitting the ball well, its fun for her regardless of what she looks like. Having fun is essential for kids to stay enthusiastic about playing the game. Minor swing flaws don't really matter until she's in her teens, trying to hit elite pitchers.

 

[stox]

Thanks, it's always a constant debate with myself on how nitpicky I should be with mechanics. On one hand I understand that we need to let the kids have fun and play, but on the other hand, my DDs success so far is a result of constant small improvements being made to her mechanics.

On the tee, she is able to load her scap better and stay more connected, so I'll just have her do that on the tee, and hope that'll translate to live swings eventually as it works into her muscle memory.

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[ArmWhip]

On the tee,

If you are going to use a tee put it as low as possible. A high tee placement encourages a flat swing plane. Low tee, steeper swing plane. And don't tell her to 'swing level'.

 

[dogpatch]

Thanks, it's always a constant debate with myself on how nitpicky I should be with mechanics. On one hand I understand that we need to let the kids have fun and play, but on the other hand, my DDs success so far is a result of constant small improvements being made to her mechanics.

On the tee, she is able to load her scap better and stay more connected, so I'll just have her do that on the tee, and hope that'll translate to live swings eventually as it works into her muscle memory.

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We maintain around 40 players in our high school/middle school programs. They all likely had this swing flaw at your daughter's age. Very few actually come to us with this flaw. Most grow out of it naturally. If they don't, correcting it is not difficult. When her upper body strength is adequate to control the bat, here is a classic drill that addresses the issue:

 

[stox]

Been working on her swing a bit. Read through some old threads here on dbsf. In the last session I just told her to keep her barrel pointed straight up.

Here's a side by side swing of her attempting to do it (top) vs letting the barrel drop (bottom). Swinging with the barrel up is tough for her since she needs to actively use her arms to turn it into the zone vs just dragging it straight through after dropping.



Is she on the right track here? Any feedback is appreciated.

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[Cornbread]

The bottom swing is much better than the top swing. Notice how she launches forwards in the top swing. She launches slightly more rearwards in the bottom swing. Stop both swings at contact. Bat path is better on bottom swing, quickness and swing length better on bottom swing. You would have to explain what “keep the barrel straight up” means. Assuming it means to not allow it to flatten? Have y’all ever worked on swinging from the neck slot? It’s the perfect feel for getting the arms out of the swing.

 

[stox]

The bottom swing is much better than the top swing. Notice how she launches forwards in the top swing. She launches slightly more rearwards in the bottom swing. Stop both swings at contact. Bat path is better on bottom swing, quickness and swing length better on bottom swing. You would have to explain what “keep the barrel straight up” means. Assuming it means to not allow it to flatten? Have y’all ever worked on swinging from the neck slot? It’s the perfect feel for getting the arms out of the swing.

Thanks. I do agree that the bottom swing feels more natural for her.

My aim with telling her to keep her barrel pointed up is so it doesn't drop rearward during the load, leading to the front arm locking out and flattening the swing. Trying to have her stay connected.

I will try some swings from the neck slot.

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[Cornbread]

Thanks. I do agree that the bottom swing feels more natural for her.

My aim with telling her to keep her barrel pointed up is so it doesn't drop rearward during the load, leading to the front arm locking out and flattening the swing. Trying to have her stay connected.

I will try some swings from the neck slot.

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The neck slot has some important mechanics.
Hands close to the body. Like flexing your rear bicep with rear forearm flat.
I like the rear elbow up, at or slightly below shoulder level. 90 degrees with front arm. Swing from the neck. It will give her the feeling of staying connected. She will have a much shorter and quicker swing when done appropriately. She’ll need to learn to let the ball get a tick deeper.