We're at a loss. DD is a big strong power hitter that can really make things happen at the plate when she connects, but more often than not she doesn't. She is consistently under the ball or just flat out late - no matter the speed. Batting coach says her swing is near perfect, and she just needs more at bats. This coach has the top hitters in our area and she's been with him 2 years. Problem is, when she consistently SO, she understandably gets pulled out of the lineup. She has been dropping her hands at the plate as of late. Before that, it was rolling her wrists. Timing has always been an issue. She also struggles in the batting cage, and she goes 5-6 days a week, but hits beautifully off the tee and soft toss. She hasn't hit consistently for years, but man when she does it is a thing of beauty. How can we help her become more consistent and stay in the lineup on Sundays?
14yo struggling with SO
- Thread starter Pwrhitter
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Dropping the hands just popped up in the last tournament or two. It's like she picks a different bad habit to go back to every so often. It's very frustrating. She only hits with batting coach off the tee and soft toss, which is absolutely beautiful. Have asked coach to work with her in the batting cage, but he says timing is on her to get down & she needs to learn to the dance with the pitcher. She's been either striking out or hitting homers with practically no in between since kid pitch started and has had three separate revered area coaches over the years. None of them are willing to work out her timing with her which I think is her main issue.
Hitting is timing. What kind of coach(es) tell players it's on them to figure out timing. Your DDs swing is jerky and has a hitch in it. That's probably going to be her swing. She may be able to smooth the hand pump out some. Dancing with the pitcher is good advise but she needs to understand what that means. She is late and rushed because she starts late. Her game swing should match tee swing's tempo and rhythm.
Thank you for this. I completely agree and think it’s a total cop out to not address timing. She’s had 3 batting coaches and they’ve all said this to her. No one will help her with timing. They all have said that comes with experience. She’s 14 and been playing since 8u…
I personally have tried telling her to pick a spot in the pitchers rotation to step and if she’s late, pick a way earlier spot. Tried telling her to swing waaaay earlier than she thinks. Tried getting her to load early. Tried telling her to swing at the ball out in front of the plate instead of waiting for it to reach the plate. We’ve done soft toss timing drills from the side. We’ve done countless hours in the hack attack. She’s faced live pitching at team practice. We’ve tested her hand eye with mini wiffle ball drills (that’s all good). We got her the bullet proof hitter program thinking maybe she’s anxious - didn’t help. I don’t know what to do for her, I’m at my wits end. I ask her what she thinks is wrong and she cries that she doesn’t know, she’s trying all the tricks she’s been given and doesn’t know why she’s late.
Can you extrapolate on this part? “Your DDs swing is jerky and has a hitch in it. That's probably going to be her swing. She may be able to smooth the hand pump out some.”
I should clarify I have no designs that her swing is perfect. Just trying to get across the frustration that this is where we are at with the coaches saying it’s not swing mechanics. She’s 14 and has a lot of work to do. Her swing is nothing like when I played fastpitch. All this knob to the catcher, aim at the ball with the knob then whip the barrel… back then it was just raise the bat off your shoulder and take a straight path to the ball. Although I’ve tried and tried to understand all the new stuff, I don’t trust myself to be the expert on her swing mechanics.
She gets TONS of compliments on her swing, but she’s not producing at the plate so what’s that really even matter? And with all the experts she’s seen telling her her swing mechanics are great, it’s making it extra hard for me to help/correct anything, and it’s making her very confused and frustrated ?
I am really shocked that there is no front toss. Are you showing these at bats to the hitting coach? What does he say?
I think you need to invest in balls, buckets, and protective netting. Learn how to throw front toss and get out there and hit with your dd. I am sure there are plenty of drills to help timing. This is just one of them.
For my DD, there is a direct correlation of how often she hits during the week and how well she hits during the weekend. While T work is part of it, front toss is important for her.
Also, is there any kind of discussion about mental approach? We (also 14u) have hitters that never get cheated, always swing like it is a 2-0 count. Not coincidentally, they are a couple of the bigger stronger girls and also lead the team in homers and Ks. On the other hand we have other girls that have learned to approach 0-2 a little differently.
I think you need to invest in balls, buckets, and protective netting. Learn how to throw front toss and get out there and hit with your dd. I am sure there are plenty of drills to help timing. This is just one of them.
For my DD, there is a direct correlation of how often she hits during the week and how well she hits during the weekend. While T work is part of it, front toss is important for her.
Also, is there any kind of discussion about mental approach? We (also 14u) have hitters that never get cheated, always swing like it is a 2-0 count. Not coincidentally, they are a couple of the bigger stronger girls and also lead the team in homers and Ks. On the other hand we have other girls that have learned to approach 0-2 a little differently.
Love the video. We’ll give that one a go. Batting coach says she’s late, she needs to start earlier, and will point out any bad habit that has snuck in if needed.
DD gets regular front toss. She has cage, buckets of balls, & nets. She does great with tee work, front toss, soft toss, etc. She struggles in the cage (a hack attack) and at bat. She works hitting 5-6 days a week, every week, with rare exception, has for years now.
There is definitely discussion about the mental side. Her coaches encourage selectiveness at the plate so she doesn’t always swing like it’s a 2-0 count, but she knows she’s supposed to protect the plate with 2 strikes on and broadens her zone. I regularly remind her she’s supposed to be yes, yes, yes on every pitch until it’s no, which she does much better when I can see her doing that. I’m not sure she always does though. She says yes.
How many big Power hits are you expecting out of say six at bats?
( just wondering what your thoughts are about people you consider power hitters being able to hit)
What is this power hit you're looking for? Are you talking about to the fence or are you just talking about solid contact?
Has the instructor compared in game swing with what you're seeing at lessons? Are those swings the same? Is the instructor in agreement with the swings seeing in those videos?
Do you have video of their swings and your daughters swings to compare?
?
Consistency produces consistency. If the above comments are accurate she has inconsistencies. That makes for harder timing moments.
When did she?
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