Hitting and Hitters Discussion Girls Hitting

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Ahhhggg. All good information but I think my head might explode. What ever happened to the good ol' days when your coach was puffing on a cigar in the dugout and he'd just holler, "see the ball, hit the ball"........Oh yeah he's still coaching rec.

 

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One question......How do you keep a bat parallel to the ground on a ball that is at your knees,which is a strike by the way
Try it some time. You cant do it , arms are to short or you must bend to far over.

Also I see to many girls waiting to see if it is going to be a strike before they start their step or motion, its to late if you wait. At 54mph it takes about 1/2 a second for the ball to cross home plate. Time your DD from first motion to contact point and see how much time that really takes, its almost the same. So what do they do,,,,,,,,,,,,, they change their swing to make contact, they remove some of their motion----ie. less power. Alot of girls haven't figured out to judge the ball as their motion is going toward the contact point, stopping it on balls and to continuing it on strikes.

If their mechanics are perfect on the tee and with the softtoss but bad in a game. We tend to think its the small things or pitcher issues etc. Most of the time its the most obivous thing we dont even look for.... Judge as you swing not judge then swing.

Had trouble following your post, so exactly what are you trying to say???

 

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Second thing........ in baseball us catchers called the pitch by what the batter is doing in the batters box, or by his swng or weakness. In fastpitch the coach sitting way off to the side is calling pitches. How do they know what the batter is doing when they are way off to the side. The idea is to call different pitches to keep the batter guessing.

I think we tend to forget the idea of the batter and the batters box,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, to keep the pitcher guessing. Thats why the box is 7 feet long. What pitch are the batters looking for its hard to tell when the coach called the pitch before the batter even got in the box. The batter should move around in the batters box, to keep the pitcher guessing,,,,, not just to move, but move and look for a certin pitch....just like the pitcher is moving the ball around to keep the batter guessing at what is coming.... The one that guesses right wins every time, guess wrong and you lose.

 

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Parma,

If you are calling pitches before the batter is in the box or before looking at the batter take some practice swings (if she does) then you are calling your pitches prematurely. You should also move closer to the box if the dugouts are far away so you can get a better read on the batter. It also helps if you have a coach calling pitches that is familiar with pitching and knows how to read a batter. But, that's just my 2 cents.

Marie

 

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Parma, when I was a kid playing pick-up neighborhood baseball (sadly doesn't exist today), the batter simply figured this stuff out by themselves. Were kids smarter back then? Absolutely not, but we also didn't have adults thinking for us in our recreational sports either!

One of my BIG gripes is that young kids get great fundamental instruction (which was not available when I was young), but they just aren't taught strategy and how to "play the game". As kids, we were probably pretty crappy hitters. BUT, we knew when we could steal, how to stretch a single into a double, etc. We "played the game" for the fun of it - not as a conduit to a college scholarship or the majors. There are some very good coaches who DO teach game smarts, but more often than not, it seems like they are controlling a team of robots on the field.

I just have a problem with a coach sitting on a bucket calling pitches at a 10u game. Save that scenario for the college ranks where they have book on every batter and pitcher. Pitchers and catchers (especially catchers) MUST be taught how to read batters, but teach them in practice, NOT in games. Batters MUST be taught how to "bait" a pitcher into throwing the pitch they want - in practice. Games are for playing and having fun, a test of what you've learned in practice. When that is put into practice, you begin to see some great duels between pitcher and catcher.

 

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http://www.windpitch.com/PitcherCatcherChart.html ? Here is a good site. I ?laugh when I see a coach call the ptich before the batter even gets in the box. This is why you need to train pitchers and catchers to watch a hitter . ?Coaches cannot see everything from where they are at.

 

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When I first work with a student I put a ball on a tee that is two inches forward of home plate and in the middle and just below waist level high...I say do what ever you normally do in a game and hit the ball.

Usually there is no attempt to measure off from home plate and how far up or back in the box is confusing because the ball is in the middle of the batters box and their swing attempt is weak.

We try to point out why it is important to have a routine...information about the pitcher helps us determine where we should be standing in the box front to back.

Distance away from the plate to start is always lay the bat across the plate so the bat head touches the outside corner and then the lead foot toe is at the knob of the bat and then adjust your width of the stance....we use 1.5 the width of the shoulder plus 2 inches more for starters. They lay the bat between their feet knob at the lead foot and then find something in the graphics or logo on the bat that matches their stance width so they can repeat it.

We then place a ball on a tee that is 11 inches off the outside edge of the plate and ask them to stride forward and hit the ball. They are amazed to see they can do it even though it is off the end of the bat. Then we set it up at 6 inches and they hit it hard and solid.

They usually comment but its not a strike and we say can you hit it hard? Yes! Well then hit it hard and you determine what the strike zone will be and the only thing we want the umpire to do is call safe or out.

I have taken the criticism of being to mechanical in teaching the swing. I have found that martial arts takes the same approach and they have been doing it 1,000 years and we have been doing baseball for 125 years and are still trying to figure it out...I can only say it works for us and the data proves it.

While in China I observed how the Japanese trained and teach hitting as well as the other 15 countries that played in the ISF World Championships and I tried to pick up something and improve how and why we teach the way we do.

It was a chance of a life time watching and talking to others who are at the top of their game and learn from them.

Two things I walked away with, none of them were swinging down on the ball or level on the ball...however we in the Midwest still have not grasp that concept.

Ringer you are correct...see the ball, get a good two eyed look and a comfortable stance by bending at the waist first and softening the knees next, slow to load soft to step on a flexed front knee, start connection by slotting the back elbow and pull or whip the bat from behind your head thinking hands inside the path of the ball and hands above the plane of the pitch, then hit it and remember to touch ALL the bases.

 

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Hitter ( Howard) took the time to give my daughter a lesson a couple of days ago.

She had a big smile on her face when we left there. I never seen her hit the ball so hard before.

The things he teach's works.

Thanks again Howard

Straightleg

 

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Softballcat and sammy i agree, I have played to many games watching the coaches call the pitches way to early. Practice is where you teach the girls batting and pitching stragies. I AGREE.
And not as some have posted to stay in one spot as a batter, move around looking and trying to get the pitch you want.

 

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[highlight]As kids, we were probably pretty crappy hitters.[/highlight]

Sammy speak for yourself please. ;D Actually I think we might have been better if you grew up like I did in Ohio. We played flies and grounders for hours every summer. That alone helped me to understand how to swing a bat at a pretty efficient level.

Elliott.

 

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Sorry 'bout that Elliott! I gotta learn to avoid those blanket statements!

But I have to admit that this was in WV, and all the kids I grew up with had one leg shorter than the other from walking on hill sides. Probably caused one heck of a problem with weight shift! ;D

Honestly though, I don't really remember if we were good hitters or not - all I remember was that we had a lot of fun playing games we organized ourselves without any help from adults. We did have the local leagues, but this was just neighborhood pick-up games.

 

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Sammy,

Can you remember the last time you drove by a open lot or a baseball field and saw a bunch of kids playing ball without and adult around? Its been awhile for me.

Elliott.

 

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It's been a very long time, Elliott. A question: Do you think if parents weren't doing all this tournament stuff today, like organizing and getting their kids involved in travel ball, that we would see more sandlot games like in the past? Or is there simply more competition for kids' attention today than back then?

It isn't isolated to softball and baseball though. It's the whole youth sports scene - including all the "European" sports I never even knew existed when I was a kid. The REAL question is, is this type of involvement healthy in the long run for our kids? I like to think it is. Only time will tell when we see how our kids interact as parents with our grandchildren!

BTW, sorry about the off topic hijack...

 

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Sammy,

Its a very good question and I don't consider any question a hijack. I think society and our country's culture has changed from when we were kids to what it has become today. Part if that transition is being driven by corporate America and our colleges who cater to?

Kids today are not getting lessons in school about work ethic, moral values, and integrity IMO. I know I had several male teachers who delivered that message to me when I was a kid. I grew up in a single parent family in my early years. My mother was smart enough to realize I needed male influence in my life and she made sure I got it as a young boy. Many of whom molded me into the person I am today. Not perfect but at least socially functional in today's world. I see a large number of kids who don't have that opportunity because Mom and Dad are too busy now trying to hold a job. That is the world we live in today. Like it or not. Now its all about competition in the global market. And what can I get for me along the way.

If you look at the structure of the schools at all levels we are telling our kids you must compete. Little Susie cant just sing in choir any longer for fun. She has to compete against 800 other kids at regional and state. Even if she doesn't want to compete. Little Johnny cant just do the debate club for fun. He has to compete at it. EVERYTHING we TEACH our kids today is based on competition. What if your child doesn't want to compete? Then they hole up in their house and sit in front of a TV or vid game until they are forced to face the world. Some adjust and others go a different path. Call it the dark side if you want.

IMO I think select and recreational sports have become the new social path for a large number of kids. Because parents do not have the time during the week to really sit down and dedicate a couple of hours every night to their kids. So they try and get them involved in activities that allow the parents time to be with the other kids or some personal down time of their own. The dinner table has almost become at thing of the past. We always tried to make sure we all sat down together every night until the kids got much older and had their own agendas and responsibilities. That is where we talked and enjoyed each others company.

I also made an agreement with my wife that she would not work until both kids entered school. Pretty hard to do now days. Those first few years are critical to any child's development and having Mom with them turned out to be a great choice for my family. Now I have two great kids who are bankrupting me with college. ;D So at least for us the plan worked and we are thankful.

The other aspect of this is that parents will not let their kids run the hood like I did when I was a kid. I was NEVER home. I was always out doing something with friends or playing sports on my own. It was my world and I loved it. Now you cant let your child do that any longer because of the social environment we as a people have allowed to be created in this country. You cannot trust that your child is safe out there on their own. The curious thing about this is that there were just as many bad people back then as there were now. Its just now the media makes you much more aware of them.
So that is highlighted in everyone's mind every time a new situation appears in the news or on the net. I cannot blame today's parents for being wary of other adults around their children. I am sure had my mom seen half of what gets put out on the media today I would not have been allowed to do what I did as a kid.

I do worry about burnout. Not only in softball but in kids in general. By the time they get through school they have done nothing but compete at all levels for social status, grades, attention, and finally their job. I think we are going to see many people loose it mentally in the next 20 years because if this constant pressure. I see it where I work today. And it saddens me because I know this is not what our father or our fathers fathers had in mind for America.

Technology is going to kill the work ethic of this country. If it hasn't already. Without a doubt it is going to kill people in ways we never imagined 30 years ago. I would be willing to bet my life that the suicide rate is going to increase in this country in the next 20 years. The problem with that is those who choose that path often take others with them now.

Elliott.

 

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Ifubuildit you....... hijacker ?

 

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LOL

 

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Hitter- I sent you a PM