Modern Approach- (from 12U to College and Beyond)

If you compare the swings of high level fastpitch hitters and baseball players, you will see that the swing is the same. All of the mechanics are the same. There are many videos on YouTube that do this comparison and it's the same. The only small difference is in the approach and understanding that fastpitch is coming from a more level position (from the hip) and the baseball is a sharper down angle (above the shoulder). This is very minor, almost insignificant. Timing is about the same when you take into account the speed of the pitches across the different distances.

It’s hard to know what to believe when your athlete has multiple coaches and has worked with different hitting instructors. But you can compare it to what you see from the best hitters. The more you do this, the more you will realize that many of the hitters in travel and high school are not using all of the mechanics employed by the best hitters.  The differences can be subtle but the results can be substantial. 

Think about how many times you see balls getting hammered foul, then the batter pops out or grounds out to shortstop. Why does it seem like all pitchers tend to pitch outside and girls struggle with it? 

It’s because most hitters swing across the zone rather then through it. Many hitters even in lower levels of college are swinging across the zone. Rolling over isn’t just about pulling outside pitches for ground ball outs to their pull side. 

And what do most hitting instructors say? Its their timing? Let the ball travel? Hit the ball the other way? Without the right mechanics, these things while true are not going to resolve the issues. Over time, you will see that this is true. If it wasn't, pitchers wouldn't throw outside all game long at these levels.

What we teach is based on the concepts and mechanics taught by the instructors at the highest levels of baseball and softball. Everything that is taught can and often will be backed up with additional videos and further explanation. 

Often, we will send your daughter home with these videos and drills to reinforce the concepts. Some athletes are more visual learners so having a video reinforces the mechanics and gives them examples to replicate. These may be a one minute TikTok up to a 10 minute video with different drills pointed to correcting a specific issue.

The ultimate goal of lessons isn’t just to teach an athlete proper mechanics. It is to teach them to be able to make their own corrections by understanding what they are trying to do in their swing. They will begin to feel when something is off and they can make adjustments on their own, in their team practices and during live at bats in games. 

This is a basic concept that means that the more work the athlete puts in, the better a hitter they will become. This is the work that is between the lessons and the practices. Give them the correct mechanics and concepts but they must put work in on their own or they will revert back to the muscle memory they have built over a number of years.