bcat,
i noticed what you wrote about fastpitch being played by men who were baseball players first...and i thought i wasn't the only one...
living in Texas, we were raised on men's fastpitch, it's what we did all summer, and if you asked all the "weekend warriors" they either played college ball or even AAA ball (one of the opposing shortstops on a rival team was lauded as being from the "Cubs" organization)..my dad included.
but, i also noticed that to be able to "catch up" to those swings, many of the better hitters, went from less of a stride or kick like the major leaguers to more of a widened stance, quicker hands, but still rotating the hips for that burst of power. I also remember alot of "flipping the wrist" talk in the dugout
bretman,
wow, an ump who also knows his swing...very cool
my dd's hitting coach (a college player who devotes her summers to her dad's 10u team) is all about the term "box" and that she was extending her arms in the zone...she's getting somewhat better (ie, more confident) but i cant help to think, if only we had played sooner..poor girl, 2nd year travel, first year 14's AND go from switch hitting to an only left-handed approach this year!
I'm actually with bigtrain on this on (yes, i said WITH bigtrain) in that it takes 7,000 to 10,000 swings for muscle memory...so whatever method/approach everyone's DD does have, dont take days off during the week or even in the offseason if you truly want to improve
..or become those weekend warriors (thank god my dad didn't play winter ball or my mom would have divorced him years sooner!)
this was a great thread, btw!