Hitting and Hitters Discussion hitting question and pickle question

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dd has not gotten off to best start this season. she seems to be impatient when at the plate, also has habit of running out of the box trying to hit ball(she is not a slap hitter) she is just impatient. what are some specific drills that will help her keep her hands back and wait on ball. she also pulls off on the ball at times. drills for this also


pickle question-what is your preference and why? girl following ball to base she threw to or throwing ball and circling back around. I see pros and cons to both but I like circling back around. just curious what preference everyone else has

thanks

 

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AS to the pickle question, I think it's best to follow the ball to the base where you threw it. One reason: we're often chasing the girl to said base and we might as well stay where we are running to and get into a rotation there. We don't just throw the ball from a stand- still and circle back around in the same location. I think it's quicker to go where your momentum is taking you= forward. This way, the girls are still circling between the bases in a rotation but they are going where their momentum is taking them.

Additionally, always try to chase the runner back to the base where they came from. We don't want them to gain an extra base from a pickle. We would rather them be safe at the base where they already came from.

 

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I'd like to offer a suggestion to help with the impatience in the box.
This tip can be used in other aspects of hitting. "Take the cause of the problem away." What I mean is this... Take the feet away. Put her on her knees to hit balls off of a tee. Do some one knee drills hitting off the right knee with left leg straight out towards the pitcher.
Think of solving problems like this.."take the problem away." She will learn to hit without the problem them gradually give her her feet back. If you don't feel up to the challenge of fixing it yourself you can always bring her to one of the many qualified hitting instructors in Ohio. We (Ohio) are blessed with many good ones.

Hope this helps!

Chris Zaker
Field of Dreams Practice Facility

 

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dd has not gotten off to best start this season. she seems to be impatient when at the plate, also has habit of running out of the box trying to hit ball(she is not a slap hitter) she is just impatient. what are some specific drills that will help her keep her hands back and wait on ball. she also pulls off on the ball at times. drills for this also


pickle question-what is your preference and why? girl following ball to base she threw to or throwing ball and circling back around. I see pros and cons to both but I like circling back around. just curious what preference everyone else has

thanks

Practice no more than 2 throws to get the out, fill in the blanks from there. Hitting I have a great drill , and it is one of the best drills ever! Its great for staying back and waiting as well as creating a sequential swing...to much to type here if you would like an example of this drill and a few other suggestions just inbox me! And as far as the pickle goes..the fielder follows her throw! Getting back to the base she came from will not work.

 

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Practice no more than 2 throws to get the out, fill in the blanks from there.

... that still leaves a lot of blanks to fill

 

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Follow the ball is the best. Never chase a runner to the next base - always back. As far as waiting, I hate to say it but a timing mechanism may be a quicker fix. I know my dd hitting coach would hate to hear that but it may be necessary. Just saying wait doesn't usually get it. For us, hs ball vs. 18 gold is a huge adjustment.

 

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Try putting a tee on home plate outside pitch location..Drive balls to the opposite field in the gap. Get a visual picture in the head to see how deep to let the ball get before swinging.

Do front toss on the field behind a screen from 15ft - 20ft. Do a windmill and pitch it slow. Work on timing. Work the outside corner.




Straightleg

 

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I agree with the people above who say to follow the throw. I think that is best for multiple reasons. First, it creates less chance of an obstruction call. Second, the momentum thing that was mentioned above. Third, if you drill to circle back around, girls will often start back to circle around before they even complete their throw and allow their momentum to finish; they don't complete the play because they are so concerned about heading back to the line.

The one part where I disagree - and I am in the minority on this all the time - is the need or worry to chase a runner back to the base from where she started. If there are two runners on base, then it's an entirely different scenario, but with just one runner on base and who is in a rundown, I don't care which base she's heading toward, I just want an out. Of course, this is going to be different at 12-U than 18-U or college, but at the upper levels of softball, that runner is an automatic out, so I don't want my players to be too concerned with limiting the rundown to two throws or chasing her back to the previous base. She needs to be out, period, and if that means the easier play is to get the runner moving toward the next base or that we need four or five or eight throws to do it, then so be it. We have a couple of small, really fast girls, and it's a nightmare trying to get them out in a rundown in four or five throws, let alone one or two. I don't want our defense so concerned with the number of throws that they try to time a throw so that the receiver has to make a catch and an immediate tag because they think we have to get the runner on this particular throw. Just throw early enough and keep her in the rundown, she'll eventually tire out.

 

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I agree with the people above who say to follow the throw. I think that is best for multiple reasons. First, it creates less chance of an obstruction call. ...

I agree with following the throw, but think they have to be MORE careful to avoid OBS as they go past the runner.

The one part where I disagree - and I am in the minority on this all the time - is the need or worry to chase a runner back to the base from where she started. If there are two runners on base, then it's an entirely different scenario, but with just one runner on base and who is in a rundown, I don't care which base she's heading toward, I just want an out. Of course, this is going to be different at 12-U than 18-U or college, but at the upper levels of softball, that runner is an automatic out, so I don't want my players to be too concerned with limiting the rundown to two throws or chasing her back to the previous base. She needs to be out, period, and if that means the easier play is to get the runner moving toward the next base or that we need four or five or eight throws to do it, then so be it.

As you say, this is dependent on the skill level of the players. Your philosophy reminds me of the tactic where they close in midway between the bases. Is that what you coach?

We have a couple of small, really fast girls, and it's a nightmare trying to get them out in a rundown in four or five throws, let alone one or two. I don't want our defense so concerned with the number of throws that they try to time a throw so that the receiver has to make a catch and an immediate tag because they think we have to get the runner on this particular throw. Just throw early enough and keep her in the rundown, she'll eventually tire out.

lol, for some reason this made me think of deep sea fishing...

I prefer minimizing the throws because it lessens the chances for it to go haywire (e.g. bad throw, OBS, blown coverage) and keeps it consistent for when there are multiple runners. The biggest problem I see is too much starting/stopping and faking which just results in a lot of dancing around. Run at them hard so they have to commit to running to avoid being tagged and can't reverse directions quickly. It's okay to fake a throw while continuing to run at them so you can tag them if they hesitate on it. Once you have them committed, throw early enough so it's an easy play with them running into the tag.

The other problem is fielders staying on the base path instead of creating a clear throwing lane to the side. This also reduces the chances of a good runner drawing an OBS call.

 

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I don't teach to pinch, as what often happens is that the runner ends up going right by the fielder who is pinching. With only one baserunner, there is no need to do anything such as pinching, fake throws, limiting the number of throws or anything else. Just make good throws, get the ball to the ear and run (not jog or start and stop or whatever else) at the runner and make sure your throw is early enough. The runner will end up being out.

I watch tons of summer games at a high level and rundowns are just horrible. Fake throws, starting and stopping with the ball, late throws (all the time), etc., it's so bad. The late throws are just unreal. For some reason girls think they need to get the runner out on THIS throw or else. As a result, they throw it too late and an easy out is taken away.