Struggling with Hitting

[Jordan]

She has been having a hard time making contact with the ball and when she does make contact it’s usually been pretty weak. Any advice on what’s wrong with her swing?

 

[Jordan]

For context she’s 5’2 and was a good contact hitter. These last few games she’s been struggling to make contact and has had to resort to bunting to get on base. I’m not sure if she’s just in a slump or if she’s messed up her hitting technique. I’m not much of a hitting expert so I can’t really tell what’s wrong.

 

[Towny9]

Hard to tell inside and outside, but if she usually hits well and is recently not hitting well then her timing is probably off. For example - The second video - the pitch was a ball at her eyes and she was way out in front.

 

[Eric F]

There are a number of mechanical issues going on. The first things that jump out at me...
- Bat drag
- Significant leveling issue with dropping the barrel way below the swing plane, causing a steep upward barrel path through contact. She's hitting the top half of the ball with a glancing blow that has no choice to be anything other than weak contact.

 

[Towny9]

And that too ^^

 

[Jordan]

Thanks for the help we’ll try working on these issues

 

[Cornbread]

There are a number of mechanical issues going on. The first things that jump out at me...
- Bat drag
- Significant leveling issue with dropping the barrel way below the swing plane, causing a steep upward barrel path through contact. She's hitting the top half of the ball with a glancing blow that has no choice to be anything other than weak contact.

Any drills or ques to not level hands? I’ve got a couple players that seem to have a leveling issue?

 

[Eric F]

Any drills or ques to not level hands? I’ve got a couple players that seem to have a leveling issue?

The issue is pretty much a misunderstanding of how the hands and arms are used in the swing. Most young players want to swing their arms around their body. In a good swing, the arms work out from the rear shoulder, and the hands/wrists are responsible for turning the barrel to the ball.

This might be helpful...

 

[Jordan]

She had practice today and said she was working on her swing. She feels a bit better about it. Her next game is tomorrow so I’ll send some more videos of her swing if the game doesn’t get rained out.

 

[Eric F]

Don’t expect dramatic changes in a short time frame. Making changes to muscle memory patterns can be very slow to change, especially under the stress of hitting in a game. This is normal. Part of the game is focused and consistent work on getting better.