"He throws too slow"?

I hear this as well, and it really makes me mad. Especially when a kid who receives some sort of post season award uses this as an excuse for why he can't hit.

I've heard it mainly from kids 15 years old. They have been working so much on developing bat speed for the fast ball that they cannot adjust easily.

It really isn't an excuse in some cases but an explanation of the inability to make the adjustment.

These guys are not really good hitters, but good fastball hitters.

If word gets out that your team is a good fastball hitting team, you'll see nothing but junk for the rest of the year.

quote:

Originally posted by Quincy:
I've heard it mainly from kids 15 years old. They have been working so much on developing bat speed for the fast ball that they cannot adjust easily.

It really isn't an excuse in some cases but an explanation of the inability to make the adjustment.

These guys are not really good hitters, but good fastball hitters.



I agree, but good hitters may even struggle on a one game basis. Good teams and good hitters will adjust after short adjustment period sometimes only 1 or 2 at bats. I have always believed in taking BP one session a week with slow pitches. The idea of "work the middle" helps with this problem.

If word gets out that your team is a good fastball hitting team, you'll see nothing but junk for the rest of the year.

Chameleon's "torque" comes into play here.

A lot of kids first move with the hands is forward. The toe touches down, and the hands come forward (pull the knob) in an attempt to be as quick as possible.

Between toe touch and heel down, there is an instant where the hands torque before they come forward. The hands rotate around the point between the hands (rear elbow begins downward movement and the front forearm slightly elevates). It accomplishes a couple of things....including the ability to get the barrel into swing plane without committing the hands into forward movement. This allows for adustment during the pitch to recognize velocity and trajectory. It also allows the hands to maintain movement (objects in motion stay in motion), so if the pitch is off speed and the hitter has mistimed it...the hands haven't stopped dead, resulting in an interruption in momentum.

Chameleon is right on in his "running start" description.

One of the initial issues with younger batters is the degree of rotation and rear elbow dropping. Be careful to not allow movement to become so exagerated that the elbow drops too early into "vertical to ground" angle, which causes bat drag. Good old "pepper" with some snap in the hands is a good training toool.

quote:

Originally posted by plp556: Does any one else actaully agree with the saying "He just throws to slow, I can't hit him"

I coached travel softball through 18U and travel baseball through 15U. I have my own saying when I here this complaint from players. "Learn to adjust or you won't succeed at the next level."

Usually moving up in the box and keeping the hands back is enough.

quote:

Usually moving up in the box and keeping the hands back is enough.

Why not stay in the back of the box and learn to hit??

I'm just asking....

I've said this before and im 15... as Quincy said. Yeah you might think that since he throws slower than what you've been seeing recently, you can't hit him. Wrong, as Bluedog's statement is true, you either learn to hit it and quit complaining, or never hit him and fail.

The "pitcher is too slow" excuse, is code for "I have no adjustability".

This generally means the players's swing is still too long. Fix the swing and that excuse goes away.

And...

noreast is right on the mark. Whenever the first move of the swing is not the hands torquing the handle of the bat you will stuggle with adjustability. In other words, if handle torque is not your first move.....you have slop/slack in your swing and it becomes very difficult to adjust pitcher to pitcher.

tom.guerry said something VERY smart the other day.

Something like...."the further your launch trigger is from the barrel, (hips) the more you will stuggle."

OR......

He might have said "the closer your launch trigger is (hands) to the barrel the more adjustability you'll have.

quote:

Originally posted by BlueDog:

quote:

Usually moving up in the box and keeping the hands back is enough.

Why not stay in the back of the box and learn to hit??

I'm just asking....

I agree! I don't like moving around in the box from one at bat to another. Keeping everyhing consistent is one of the keys to hitting. IMO

When you can't hit a "too slow pitcher" is just because you are swinging before the ball gets to the point of contact. So even you knowing that the pitcher is "so slow", you still swingnig like if he were trowing 90 miles per hour. Just wait longer than usual to start your swing, and enjoy that fraccion of second to reconize the pitch movement, it location, and then you will become a better hitter.
Don't try to kill the fly with a rolled newspaper when the fly is flying over your head, choose a spot, wait for the fly to get close, and SWING!

A hitter with less than adequate mechanics can not "just wait".

His mind is programmed that he needs "X" amount of time to execute his swing. And the player learns just what that time is. Then, he carves out the appropriate amount of time to hit. The problem is his swing includes slop/slack.

Now he has more time than usual. What does he do with it? When does he start? How does he "fill the time". These are problems.

What they end up doing is creating more slop/slack and then when it's time to "go".....he's too slow.

IF his swing was as short as necessary.....meaning no slack, the time to execute the swing is as small as possible, then an only then does "just wait a little longer" come into play.

The swing must be instantaneous. Only the high level mlb players are that short.

quote:

The swing must be instantaneous. Only the high level mlb players are that short.

And, is the reason why they can hit both speed and offfspeed.....

Moving around in the box isn't the answer.....Neither is hands back....

Loading earlier enough to hit speed and then knowing how to hold the momentum and stretch for something slower is where it's at....It's what great hitters do....

As Chameleon stated....

quote:

Now he has more time than usual. What does he do with it? When does he start? How does he "fill the time". These are problems.

Too often, the answer is:... "and keeping the hands back is enough."

Without knowing what to do, keeping the hands back means stopping them. The first batch of kids leave baseball when they move up from small field to big field. The next batch leave when offspeed pitches can't be solved. That advice increases the number of players at lacrosse tryouts.

The original question it doesn't mention if the hitter do have or don't have adequate mechanics. I think that without adequate mechanics nonbody can hit and period. But the only way to hit an slower pitch (with or without adequate mechanics) it is to wait until the ball get to you, and period.

Keep it studying.

You'll get soon.

Hopefully not late and too.

I knew it...I knew it.... finally you said something that make sense.

Is my computer reading this with dyslexia? Suddenly, nothing makes sense. lmao

Rich, Rich, lay off the hard stuff man. That's for your paying customers not the owner of the bar.

Move up in the box for slow pitching but move back for fast pitching.....

Hands back for offspeed but not for fastball....

Shoot low sheriff they're riding shetland ponies....