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i need help with a hitting habit....??

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by frostfalcons » Wed Jun 08, 2011 12:50 pm

I am 13 years old and i have a habit of chopping down on the ball and hitting the top of the ball which results in hitting to many grounders. When i swing i don't feel myself chopping down on it at all. I try to have a rising swing but i just havn't been doing it right. Can anyone help me with hitting less grounders and more linedrives?

THANKS SOO MUCH :)
~ Heather :D
HeAtHeR :D FrOsT fAlCoNs 98!!!
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by SA_Xtreme97 » Mon Aug 01, 2011 3:47 pm

Maybe the problem is not that your chopping down at the ball. you maybe rolling your top hand over. A good way to see what your doing wrong is having somebody video tape your swing. Hope that helps you a bit.
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by softballdad4 » Mon Aug 01, 2011 9:24 pm

Sounds like you are only swinging with your arms and not much hip action involved. All arms and no lower body can cause you to roll your top wrist over too early at contact.. (like SA-extreme97 stated)
Try taking a small step and at toe touch, hips start rotating around and the hands follow.
To be a good hitter, you must SEE the ball.....BE the ball!!
http://www.shop.beebesports.com
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by CCI » Tue Aug 09, 2011 12:18 pm

Both very good points and video taping is certainly the best way to see whats going on. Another possible problem with hitting alot of ground balls is having your weight too far over your front foot causing a down swing or hitting the top half of the ball.
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by Coach Mike » Fri Sep 02, 2011 11:37 pm

Hi Heather!!!

There are several reasons that could cause you to swing down (chop) at the ball ... and I agree with the previously posted comments, that you can really see the flaws in your swing through video. Additionally, you should have a trained professional BATTING COACH with whom you can work consistently and by whom you can have your swing analyzed.

Now until you can find a batting coach, and without seeing your swing, the best I can tell you is that your should look at your swing from the ground up.

Are you maintaining a firm front side at contact (front leg isn't bending) and are you keeping your weight on the inside of your front knee (left hip inside of your left knee, if you're batting right-handed) while rotating your hips into the swing.

Are you matching your swing-plane into the path of the pitch? (Ask a batting coach to help explain this to you) ... In other words, is the direction of your swing cutting through the middle of the ball? ... or is it cutting down from top to bottom?

Are you forming a good "hitter's frame" (Front elbow-up and back elbow-down) at the point of contact and getting good extension "through" the ball after contact or is your front elbow down, thus causing a "short" and downward extension after contact.

Are you keeping your hands in a good "palm-up/palm-down" position well through contact? Also, are you gripping the bat too tight (into your palm) or are you holding the bat a little more loosely with the "door-knocking knuckles" lined up? Gripping too tightly can also lead you to roll the hands over at contact.

One good "basic" drill that can help you with hitting more "line drives" is called "net bombs" or "long tee". You set up a tee about 3-5 yards from your hitting net. Hit 10 balls into the net ... make sure ball is a true "line drive" into the net. Once you hit at least 7 out of 10 balls as line drives hitting your target net, then you can begin to move the tee back another 3-5 yards and proceed to hit another 10 balls. You should be able to get a good 15+ yards away from your net and still hit hard line drives consistently into your target net.

I've attached photos of the "hitter's frame" that I described above ... (Notice - the Front-elbow stays "above" the hands ... the hands stay "above" the barrel of the bat at contact)!!!
Find a good BATTING COACH in your area!!!!

And keep getting better, young lady!!!
Softball Rocks!!!!

Coach Mike
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Last edited by Coach Mike on Fri Oct 21, 2011 1:56 pm, edited 4 times in total.
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by deandogg » Sat Sep 03, 2011 11:32 am

we use the 2 tee drill.set up 2 tees back to back,should be about 12 - 18" apart, swing bat through both balls.the better you get spread the tees apart more,creating a leveler swing longer in the hitting zone.
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