halo light. OK for 12U?

[Judd]

She's been seeing an instructor since October and we were patiently waiting for it to come together. Well here we are in March and it still isnt there. She has actually gone backwards. Last season she usually made contact, just didnt hit it hard and always grounded out, fielders choice etc. She also played up at the end of the season in 14U and got used to the faster pitching. We were simply looking for the instructor to fix the power issue

The team goes to a different instructor and all the coaches follow his style of hitting. Feet a little closer, hands in a different starting position etc. And pretty much everybody that goes to the other instructor is hitting. So in order to be consistent, w ehave switched to the other instructor and that way during a game, practice etc, she gets the same instructions every time.

Thanks for all the replies. I was pretty confident it didnt make a difference. I checked, her stealth is 31/20, the halo is 31/19

[GIMNEPIWO]

1. ) unless its required, drop the instructor, he's not helping
2. ) If she is righty, take her in the back yard or to the field and have her hit lefty off the T and soft toss ( she has brain-clog ) * but make it fun, you are not having hitting practice, you are fooling around, no pressure ! You know your DD, however you have to say it ... with mine it's something like..."hey, ya wanna have a catch? " instead of " lets go out back and throw " ... with hitting from the other side I tell gals to hit righty you use your left side of the brain so shut you off your right ... and visa versa ... when she is hitting the other way she will do what she knows how to do on her own and not think so much, getting past the brain clog... then you can turn her back around or go back and forth ... I do a drill with the pitching machine ... where as fast as they can get from one side to the other and get set, I deliver the ball ... they go back and forth for a entire bucket ... makes it fun ...
3. ) Is she behind the ball ? Behind and whiffing ? Behind and hitting it off the handle ? Missing it completely over or under ? All these things mean different things ...
4. ) Where is her head when she is missing ? At this age during the transition from slower to faster pitching ... many gals who were able to guess location with slower pitching really never were watching the ball all the way to the bat ...

[bringin_some_heat]

call me old school but what did girls fret over before 1 oz bat differences were so scrutined? at 10-12u. just food for thought, practice hitting where the fielders are not.I personally feel bat comfort for the player is more important than brand name

[Tucson]

Have you checked her eye sight? Every year, I catch a young player that just can't see and she doesn't realize it.

[GIMNEPIWO]

Have you checked her eye sight? Every year, I catch a young player that just can't see and she doesn't realize it.

Few years back in Rec I caught an eye problem with a gal before her Parents, teachers or Dr.'s ... I also had one who was batting the wrong way because of eye dominance ...

[Tucson]

Can you bat the wrong way because of eye dominance?

To check for the dominate eye, I have them close one eye and point to, say, the foul pole. Then, close the other eye and point at the same object. Then, point at it with both eyes open. You will know which eye is dominate. It is the same eye that sees the pole as if both eyes are open.

If you are batting right handed and your left eye is dominate, you will need to turn your head more toward the pitcher, to get a good look at the ball.

Some major leaguers actually face the pitcher.

[GIMNEPIWO]

Guess that could work ... not really THAT up on it ... I thought the preferred method was to turn them around ... but I suppose it can be corrected with head positioning ... how does it work with them tracking the ball as it gets up on them ? ... it seems they would have to be .... HMMMM ? I'm trying to think forwards when I usually think backwards ...

[SnocatzDad]

Halo Light is a decent composite bat with plenty of pop. My DD borrowed one last year from a team mate for a few games and happened to hit her only home run of the season with it. It was one of the bats I considered purchasing for her this year, but settled on a drop-10 bat because she ended hitting consistantly well with a borrowed 32/22 over the fall/winter.

IMO, Batting is about

Talent
Vision
Confidence
Mechanics

A hitting coach's primary job is to correct and reinforce good mechanics. I would also expect a good hitting coach to help with the hitter's confidence. If your hitting coach isn't performing in these areas it's okay to switch and find someone who's a better fit for your daughter. But don't expect a hitting coach to be an eye-doctor and/or instill talent that might not be there.

Bats don't make hitters. But..... A struggling batter can change bats the same way a golfer changes putters looking for confidence is something shiny and new and it can work. A great bat might add 10% to a well hit ball, but as others have stated you have to hit it well first.

Good vision is key you should (for many reasons) have your kids eyes checked periodically for changes. Bad mechanics can interfere with vision. If you have a kid that is struggling to make contact maybe they need to learn to keep a "quieter" head during their swing. By "quieter" I mean remove anything from the swing that is causing the head to move vertically during the swing and minimize head rotation during the swing as well. Most bad mechanics can still result in solid contact with the ball as long as the head is still. However, the result might not be as good as it could be with better mechanics. If I'm working with a kid that is hitting well off a tee, but struggles with front toss, machine pitch and/or live pitching I'll usually break them down by starting with bunting. If they can't consistantly make contact bunting with their head in a static position, they aren't going to be successful swinging. That's when you ask for a vision check, if they have 20/20 vision and they can't make contact bunting, that's when you start working down the list, Is it mechanics? there isn't as much happening mechanically in the bunt so it's easier to quickly eliminate that. Is it Confidence? Are they afraid of getting hit? Are they so frustrated that they are convinced they won't hit the ball so they don't? Is it Talent? Do they simply lack enough hand eye coordination to be successful consistantly?

Talent - Can't be coached. I've seen kids with half the talent work twice as hard and not achieve as well as their more talented counterparts and be extremely frustrated. Lacking talent might limit the pace of their improvement, but some of these kids learn to just keep out working their more talented peers which is one of the things that is great about sports in general.