Hitting the Change Up

[_MIA_]

Splitting hairs I guess. Julray said her approach was:



I think simply watching changeups leaves opportunity on the table, especially AS she moves up. I like what Maverick described as an improvement over her current approach.

But I think we basically agree

Right.. I was assuming she did at least try to swing at a CU with 2 strikes..but if not then yes that wouldn't work..LOL!!

 

[julray]

She just looked for the fast ball and hit it hard. This kind of approach gave her better vision at the plate and simplified things for her. Of course if 2 strikes were against her she protected the plate.. but tbh I can only remember 2 occasions where 2 strikes were against her, 1 she struck out on a rise ball, 2 she fought off a tough pitch and hit it to opposite field. She had a very high contact %.. probably because she was only thinking fastball. She only hit .350, but that average was not a fair assessment of how well she really did hit... sometimes bad luck plays a part.

Another thing she let the ball get a little deeper... so in the past she would continuously pull foul balls at our 3rd base coach. I would look to my wife and say "here comes the change up". This tournament was different, she was late on her foul balls when her timing was off. This led to teams thinking they could beat her with speed, so they kept pumping fastballs which was to my DD's strength.

As I mentioned previously, she will continue working on hitting the change up ( I see many advantages in this besides just hitting the change up)... however her mentality at the plate will probably prevent her from swinging at many 1st strike change ups.

 

[CoachMikeD]

DD's team seems to have a really big issue with change ups... it's getting a little ridiculous. Teams have started pitching them the change up 50% of the time. I know, if getting a change up that much you should be sitting on it, expecting it and reacting to the fastball. Unfortunately this is not getting through to them. My DD alone has struck out 12 times this year, 11 times have been a change up for the 3rd strike. We've tried everything, with front toss I mix in change ups, she sits and hits those hard. So I understand what she needs to do, but I need some really good drills to reinforce hitting the change up. Also any kind of advice would be appreciated.

BTW, my DD says she recognizes the change right at release.. so it's not a matter of not seeing the pitch.. it seems more of a patience type issue.

But I have to ask... what is the best approach hitting a pitcher that throws hard with a devastating change up?

• Should the hitter load (negative move) and remain loaded until pitch recognition.
• Should the hitter start their stride (positive move) and controll the speed of it? Ie, increase tempo of stride for fastball while progressing slowly for a change up

Thanks everybody in advance!

I notice most replies are addressing the setup in the box. I might suggest a different direction. Since you said DD is recognizing the pitch, perhaps it is the practice direction that is the problem. I have had a lot of success getting players to recognize and hit changeups. I have seen coaches that set their pitching machines at about 500 mph so players are so geared to speed and do well with fastballs. They want their batters to pull everything. I don't care if my player gets the hit to left field or right field. Teaching the batter to keep hands back and wait is a big start. I've had players who were swinging so early, one girl fouled off a ball and her bat was literally pointing at the pitcher. (I showed her video). Many players don't realize that they have more time to swing than they think, even with a 60mph pitch. Best drill I ever learned (from a very well known college coach) was to put cones up (or sometimes I just put a softball on the ground) about half way between pitcher and batter. Tell the batter she cannot THINK about swinging until the pitch goes by the cones. Don't just do this once or twice...but continue until she keeps the hands back and can hit either pitch. She may be late on a few faster pitches to start out but with practice she'll be able to hit either one. Best wishes. Coach Mike

 

[Bugg Doctor]

DD's team seems to have a really big issue with change ups... it's getting a little ridiculous. Teams have started pitching them the change up 50% of the time. I know, if getting a change up that much you should be sitting on it, expecting it and reacting to the fastball. Unfortunately this is not getting through to them. My DD alone has struck out 12 times this year, 11 times have been a change up for the 3rd strike. We've tried everything, with front toss I mix in change ups, she sits and hits those hard. So I understand what she needs to do, but I need some really good drills to reinforce hitting the change up. Also any kind of advice would be appreciated.

BTW, my DD says she recognizes the change right at release.. so it's not a matter of not seeing the pitch.. it seems more of a patience type issue.

But I have to ask... what is the best approach hitting a pitcher that throws hard with a devastating change up?

• Should the hitter load (negative move) and remain loaded until pitch recognition.
• Should the hitter start their stride (positive move) and controll the speed of it? Ie, increase tempo of stride for fastball while progressing slowly for a change up

Thanks everybody in advance!

I like e

 

[Bugg Doctor]

I like your original post the most. The one part I didn't agree with was when you mentioned still trying to hit the fastball when looking for the change. I say when you look for the change, you have to let the fastball go. It's too difficult to look slow and try and speed up to catch up to the fastball. Its easier to look fast and adjust slow. Look change and Only swing at a hittable change. Thats why hitters look fastball and adjust with two strikes and pithers know this so you get a lot of slow with two. Try and be late on the change and take it opposite field. You will probably still be early but not finishing/rolling over early. Look for the change up with less than two strikes, when you get two strikes got to look fastball and adjust. If you look for the change with two strikes and she throws a fastball, your done. That's why you look fast to slow with two. You can look for slow stuff with two, but your gambling.

 

[_MIA_]

I say when you look for the change, you have to let the fastball go. It's too difficult to look slow and try and speed up to catch up to the fastball. Its easier to look fast and adjust slow.

I think for many hitters this might be true. That said, Hank Aaron would disagree with this approach.

 

[julray]

It depends on the situation. If you have a knuckleball pitcher who throws the random fastball you will look look slow and adjust to the fastball. If you have a flame thrower who throws 90% fastballs and the occasional offs peed, you will look for the heater. It's all about the pitchers tendency.

In my original post the teams we were playing were throwing 70% change ups.. it gets to the point where it's not a change up anymore because it's so regular. That's why I said look change up and adjust to the heater. Why would I ask my kid to look for a fastball when the pitchers tendency is throw mostly change ups? So when she faces this pitcher again, she will be sitting on the change up because that's what they throw often.

As for this weekend she wasn't facing this pitcher. I told her to hit her pitch (fastball), not the pitchers pitch (rise, change up etc). Of course with 2 strikes she is defending and waiting for a mistake.

 

[bobbyb]

Best drill I ever learned (from a very well known college coach) was to put cones up (or sometimes I just put a softball on the ground) about half way between pitcher and batter.

I do this too...except I have two flat cones...one half way and the other one...the player has to move it...to where the ball will be.... when they will be going into their swing/into heel drop. They have to move the second cone till they can go into their swing with good timing. Great to use when using a pitching machine. I give them a few reps when they get it. Then I change throwing speed and they have to adjust the cone.

 

[BigSkyHi]

An oldie but goldie event

 

[rdbass]

Above an oldie and a bad....