Switching my 10u from right to left???

[DonnieS]

I'm not sure that it makes a big difference whether you start now or wait. My older daughter was switched to leftie on her first day of college ball, at around 18 or so , younger daughter was switched her 8th grade summer (13 or so?) at a camp on a college campus , by the same coach that switched her big sister. That coach told my youngest, "Your swing sucks so bad , the only way to fix it is to start over - and if you start over , might as well do it from the left." The good thing about doing it then, is that there were excellent instructors and coaches around to help them make the switch. The youngest took lessons from Englishbey early on so she decided to work on become a power hitter , which she has. The older took the same lessons - but has pretty much stuck to slapping - though she has punched a few over now and then.

[chippingaway]

When my DD was in first year 12s her coach approached her and me about trying out "hitting like Ichiro". We were from Washington State and didn't know what a slapper was yet, because we had been playing baseball until this point. So, the coach talked us into it. But Chip made the decision to switch. It was the longest two years of her life. She was so frustrated BUT, because she made choice to switch herself, she stuck with it. I honestly believe that if I had made the choice for her, frustration would have gotten the best of her.

It worked out for us but I've seen many who attempt the switch but they struggle. Partly because of lack of buy in by the either the athlete, parents or coaches. If she makes the change to lefty, burn the ships and don't switch back. Don't complain. Don't compare her to last years stats. Be content with the journey. But know that it will take time.

It's her decision. Help her make an informed one and stick with it. (great life lesson for her to learn regardless of success at the plate)

[slapperdad]

Here's my reply to a similar question on another board.


My two cents worth and my DD's abridged story.
9-10: I would have considered her a power hitter, good BA, good OBP, good SLG, but she also had some speed. Started teaching her to drag bunt from the left side, you know the old bat LH until she had two strikes deal. At the end of the summer of 10U we talked about switching her, I was adamant, once you make this decision, there's no going back. She wanted to learn to be a slapper.
11: Worked very hard, everyone knew what was coming, packed D in on top of her, she was getting beat at 1st by half a step. I was question #1 what was I thinking, and #2 what was she thinking. We talked a great deal about this being a process. She was firm in her decision, "I want to be a slapper".
12: It all starts coming together. She is rapidly becoming an incredible drag bunter. She's turned into a good slapper as well. Most importantly she's gained pretty good bat control and is getting better at putting the ball where the D isn't. Moves into the #2 slot because she can bunt for a hit where she has stayed the rest of her TB career.
13: Continues to work and refine her skills. Bat control continues to get better. Her ball placement continues to improve. And all along, remember the speed thing, that continues to improve as well.
14: Make the move to 16U, suddenly the game changes. Damnedest thing, these defenses are pretty good too, and they have some speed. We figure out she needs more wrenches in the tool box. She starts working on push bunting, power slapping, and the last piece of the puzzle at this point in my mind is hitting for power. Keeping in mind all the experiences here are based on playing A level TB. At 14, she's the leadoff hitter on her high school team, and leads the team in almost every offensive category.
15: Continue working on the new tools. Believe it or not, drag bunting is still her bread and butter. Her speed peaks during this time. She's a soph in high school, I have consistent numbers contact to first in the 2.75 range. Hitting for power is inconsistent at this point, but it's still a work in progress. Still playing 16U, has a great summer.
16: Moves to 18U playing in "gold" divisions in the showcases. Got taken to school quite a bit by older more experienced pitchers. I still remember some of those games. DD would just nod her head, "ya got me". But still working, honing her skills.
17: Still in 18U, has a great summer, hits well. starts to become a bit of threat with her power game. Throws the sneaky bunt into the arsenal. She now has corners really guessing. While sometime in the last two years, she's gotten boobs and hips, and may have lost a step. We're still working hard. She's not the biggest, baddest, best hitter you've ever seen. But she now has all the tools in the toolbox. She still bats #2 because she can still put a bunt where you can't throw her out. What she may have lost in speed, she's gained in knowledge and also knowing she still has another trick up her sleeve.

I guess the short story is, to continue to improve, and to move to the next level, unless you have world class speed, you need to have plenty of wrenches in your toolbox. At one point in her career she was fast enough to making a living just slapping. But whether she got slower or her opponents got faster, she's had to learn to do whatever it takes. She does have HR pop at times, but that's not her game. Hitting in the #1 or #2 hole requires that she get on base. Another key in this equation is knowledge. In the last five years of travel ball and thus far in three years of high school, she doesn't typically get any signals from the base coaches. She reads the defense and swings accordingly. In fact many times taking pitches to see where they move and how they're playing her.

Sorry for the book, I've been wanting to reply to this thread, but just haven't had time. This is the abridged version of my DD's path. I have no idea whether it's right or wrong, but it's the one we followed and it turned out pretty well for her.

A little updated info. This was originally written/posted a couple of years ago. She just finished her freshman year in college. Hit leadoff all year, had to use all the tools in the toolbox. College is obviously another level. She seems to do a lot more swinging away than she has in the past. I felt like she had a decent freshman season, literally minutes after being put out of their conference tournament she was talking to me about what she has to do to get better this summer.

If I could offer you any advice, my advice would be don't neglect the power game when they move to the left side. If we made any mistakes with my DD it was not working on it soon enough.

[Coach_Larry]

Switched my daughter at 8u. She is quick, but not lightning fast at this point. She is small in stature, so I discussed with a few HC's if it would increase her enjoyment over the years. The decision was made, and she can't even remember how to bat righty after only six months of slapping. Naturally, at this age, it's almost an automatic base if executed. I am now working on her full swing while HC works on slap. My fear is that she will be someone that fringe described (one step too slow) if she keeps playing that long. I believe if you start this early, you might have a chance of developing a double threat player on the left side, which seems like a good thing. Even if she might not end up being the speedster I would like, hopefully she can learn to drive the ball and have a useful bag of slapping tricks.

[exD1dad]

Hey Splapper Dad I just love a story with as happy ending

[slapperdad]

Hopefully it's not over yet xD1. I'd sure enjoy watching her play another three years.

[absdad]

If your kid is fast, and by fast, i mean one of THE fastest kids on her team, then maybe yes...

It sounds to me like your kid is a little more rotational, and that part of her swing can be fixed. Especially this early. If she's not REALLY fast, I honestly wouldn't go through the hassle of moving to the left side. It takes ALOT of commitment. For a good 6 months of more, she will tank. Bottom of the lineup, stats will plummet... it's called the "J curve". If she stays with it, and practices, and sees a slapping coach who knows what they're doing/teaching (not some schmuck who watched a youtube video), then she'll probably have some success.

But long term? Doubtful there are many colleges looking at 3.0+ home to first slappers... just saying.

[Battle]

I feel you have an advantage on the left whether you are slapping, dragging, bunting, or power hitting. The left side may not be for you but if there is the slightest chance that it is, go for it. JMO