Switching to Lefty

[zenmaster]

My 11 yr. old dd switched to lefty about 10 mos. ago. It has been a up and down season. She gets frustrated, but there has definitely been progress. She has struck out only 6 times in more than 100 at bats. She doesn't seem to have the power or bat speed she had RH. She slaps and hits away. She has been hitting away most of the time lately. My question is for those of you who have experience with this. How long did it take before your dd really felt comfortable? How many of your dd's have switched back? We have discussed this, but she doesn't want to and her hiiting instructor say it will be worth it in the long run. I would appreciate any responses from those of you who have experienced this.

[hit4power]

One of DD's best friends and HS teammates switched as a HS freshman. Both kids use the same hitting coach so we got to see the process first hand. It took until junior year for her to really feel comfortable and be consistent. It's not easy but it is worth it IMO.

[E Train Dad]

Not sure if you are in So Cal, or in South OC, but Dave LaStraps in Mission Viejo specializes in this converting girls from Righty to Lefty, he put all three of his daughters into D1 full ride schools, including AZ and Washington doing just that. He may be a good source to help the process, he may however not have any room, so stay on him, things open up. We have a regular lesson time after jumping around for over a year! He's the best IMHO!

[glf0845]

My DD switched in 8th grade and it was a frustrating year. It takes total commitment and faith
that you are doing the right thing. I think the biggest mistake is giving up or switching back and forth. She will be a senior this fall and she says it feels funny to swing from the right side now.

[Ron Mexico]

I have to agree with the other posts. It took my daughter about 2 years to feel comfortable.

[Gone in 2.6]

My dd switched in June of her 6th grade year (first year 12's). She switched just before we were scheduled to go to the HOF tournament in OKC and ASA Nationals so we had to get her ready fast. A switch to the left side gave us an opportunity to "start over" in building a proper swing. We did not allow her to hit away in games for MONTHS so we had time to try to program the most efficient mechanics possible using the teaching of Mike Epstein, Steve Englishby and Ssarge (from this board). However since she was playing for a contender, she had to be productive right away so she bunted and slapped exclusively that summer while we slowly programmed her new swing mechanics. It took until around March of the following year before her power came back.

What we did to get her ready quickly with the slap was get her thinking about the game. I'd take her to a field and set up cones to represent defenders. I set up different defenses and give her scenarios. I'd say something like "runner on 1st, one out, look at the cones (defenders), where do you place the ball if you get an outside pitch? Where do you put it if it's an inside pitch?" That was the plan. On every pitch, she'd come to the plate, read the defense, note the game situation and have two plans, one for inside pitch, one for outside. Rinse and repeat on every pitch.

One thing to be very vigilant about is making sure the two swings don't bleed into each other. Hitting away is bottom hand dominant while slapping is often top hand dominant. It's a constant battle to keep those from switching. I think I had to keep an eye on that for around 5 years.

[zenmaster]

Thanks for the replies. I was kind of looking for affirmation that this was the right thing to do. I like 2.6's comments with the cones. Sounds like a plan. DD would prefer to hit away rather than slap, and her coaches rarely ask her to. She does drag bunt quite a bit. We have been discussing reading the defense, and taking advantage of it. She is fast, but at 11 she's not blazing fast. About 3.2 to 1st. I appreciate all the comments, and welcome more input. Uno needs to set up a like button for posts!

[Sparky Guy]

As the others have said it takes a full two years of steady work, dedication and belief in the process to be able to make the full transition to the left side. When I have a parent ask me about it and I tell them they usually get a pretty long face when I tell them. They see successful slappers and think it's an easy thing to do.