Here are some good techniques By Ralph Weekly
Basics of Hitting
A lot of our hitters use bats that simply too big for them. We need to use the right bat size. It is my contention that hardly anybody in the country can use a bat bigger than a 25 ounce bat. We’re looking for bat speed. You don’t get bat speed with a big old heavy bat that you have to drag through the zone. For every 10 miles you pick up in bat speed, you pick up 40 feet in distance. Make sure they have a bat they can handle.
You need t have the door knocking knuckles lined up on your bat. I see a lot of kids wrap their hands, and you do not want to do that. You have to be able, when you lead with the lower hand, to turn over with the top hand.
Stance
This is an individual choice, and a lot of coaches have had success in different ways. I contend that you have to have a balanced stance with weight on the balls of the feet. I don’t think your feet can be much more than shoulder width. If you look at the top 50 hitters in the country, you will not find one whose stance is real wide. You need to generate hip action, and for the hips to leave the hands, you need the feet to be just a little more than shoulder width. If you get them shoulder width, they may be too close. It’s really key that they have a balanced stance.
When we talk about flexion, it is simply unlocking the knees. How many of you have tried to teach a young hitter and you say bend at the waist? Unlock the knees and bend at the waist.
IN
I was taught see the ball, hit the ball. Of course, I live by the KISS method: Keep It Simple Stupid.
Honestly, I would teach a young hitter these 5 things:
1) Stance- have to be comfortable at the plate
2) Load- have the hands moving slightly in a circular motion before delivery
3) Step- lift front leg slightly, no stride
4) Throw- hands and hips through the ball
5) Balance- after the swing, the player should be in position to lay down a sac bunt.
#5 Balance: this is the first time I've shared this publicly. Try it sometime at practice. Right after the player swings and makes contact (or misses, doesn't matter), immediately follow that up with another pitch that the hitter bunts. You'll quickly find out that the player is concentrating on balance; which is what you're looking for.
This is vague; but, this is all a person with some ability/athleticism needs to know in order to hit.
Honestly, I would teach a young hitter these 5 things:
1) Stance- have to be comfortable at the plate
2) Load- have the hands moving slightly in a circular motion before delivery
3) Step- lift front leg slightly, no stride
4) Throw- hands and hips through the ball
5) Balance- after the swing, the player should be in position to lay down a sac bunt.
#5 Balance: this is the first time I've shared this publicly. Try it sometime at practice. Right after the player swings and makes contact (or misses, doesn't matter), immediately follow that up with another pitch that the hitter bunts. You'll quickly find out that the player is concentrating on balance; which is what you're looking for.
This is vague; but, this is all a person with some ability/athleticism needs to know in order to hit.
- DLauck
- Posts: 100
- Joined: Mon Jan 18, 2010 9:11 am
frigate10 wrote:Here are some good techniques By Ralph Weekly
Basics of Hitting
A lot of our hitters use bats that simply too big for them. We need to use the right bat size. It is my contention that hardly anybody in the country can use a bat bigger than a 25 ounce bat. We’re looking for bat speed. You don’t get bat speed with a big old heavy bat that you have to drag through the zone. For every 10 miles you pick up in bat speed, you pick up 40 feet in distance. Make sure they have a bat they can handle.
You need t have the door knocking knuckles lined up on your bat. I see a lot of kids wrap their hands, and you do not want to do that. You have to be able, when you lead with the lower hand, to turn over with the top hand.
Stance
This is an individual choice, and a lot of coaches have had success in different ways. I contend that you have to have a balanced stance with weight on the balls of the feet. I don’t think your feet can be much more than shoulder width. If you look at the top 50 hitters in the country, you will not find one whose stance is real wide. You need to generate hip action, and for the hips to leave the hands, you need the feet to be just a little more than shoulder width. If you get them shoulder width, they may be too close. It’s really key that they have a balanced stance.
When we talk about flexion, it is simply unlocking the knees. How many of you have tried to teach a young hitter and you say bend at the waist? Unlock the knees and bend at the waist.
Not a fan of Weekly. Nothing earth shattering in the above statements. All common sense stuff. Quote from another source. "Just because you have played the game, doesnt mean you know how it is played. To many examples at every level in every sport. And just because you are quoted doesnt mean it is gosple."
- SiddFinch
- Posts: 50
- Joined: Fri Nov 13, 2009 9:28 am
Trigger
Don Sarno told me something that made sense -- match movement with the pitcher. From 43 feet at 58 miles per hour, a hitter has .3 of a second to make a decision. If she is triggering after the release, she’s dead. If she is triggering and hitching, she’s dead. If your batter goes against a Jennie Finch, you better preload with her. You need to have the weight back. My contention is that you need to get the weight back before it can go forward. The key with the trigger is that it’s like a rubber band. If I pull it back a little bit, it will go a decent speed. If you pull it way back, the ball will go much further. It’s a key in that it has to go back before it goes forward. Some people may not agree with that. But I know that every time Lisa Fernandez goes into a slump, she doesn’t trigger.
There are two types of triggers -- one is the slight inward turn and the other is slightly picking up the front foot. Both of them are okay as long as you maintain balance and match movement with the pitcher.
Stride
With the stride, we have the terrible “too’s” They either stride too early, too open or too far. When I talk about “too early”, I mean they transfer the weight too early. Stepping open can be a major problem, and you need to really look at that when you look at your kids. You have to step with the front shoulder closed. You cannot step with that front shoulder closed if you’re pulling out the front foot. A term we use is “soft front shoulder.” Almost every hitter has one, or maybe two problems. A lot of coaches will just say, “Keep your head in there.” Don’t do that; analyze them, know what to look for and give them that positive feedback so they can correct it.
Don Sarno told me something that made sense -- match movement with the pitcher. From 43 feet at 58 miles per hour, a hitter has .3 of a second to make a decision. If she is triggering after the release, she’s dead. If she is triggering and hitching, she’s dead. If your batter goes against a Jennie Finch, you better preload with her. You need to have the weight back. My contention is that you need to get the weight back before it can go forward. The key with the trigger is that it’s like a rubber band. If I pull it back a little bit, it will go a decent speed. If you pull it way back, the ball will go much further. It’s a key in that it has to go back before it goes forward. Some people may not agree with that. But I know that every time Lisa Fernandez goes into a slump, she doesn’t trigger.
There are two types of triggers -- one is the slight inward turn and the other is slightly picking up the front foot. Both of them are okay as long as you maintain balance and match movement with the pitcher.
Stride
With the stride, we have the terrible “too’s” They either stride too early, too open or too far. When I talk about “too early”, I mean they transfer the weight too early. Stepping open can be a major problem, and you need to really look at that when you look at your kids. You have to step with the front shoulder closed. You cannot step with that front shoulder closed if you’re pulling out the front foot. A term we use is “soft front shoulder.” Almost every hitter has one, or maybe two problems. A lot of coaches will just say, “Keep your head in there.” Don’t do that; analyze them, know what to look for and give them that positive feedback so they can correct it.
- Nun40
- Posts: 51
- Joined: Mon Mar 22, 2010 6:15 am
Load to Launch
Once again there is no right or wrong way for every hitter to load. Everybody is built different and has different athletic ability which leads them to their own individual way of loading. However, there needs to be some sort of trigger (load) that gets the hitter ready to fire the bat to hitting zone. The load could be a leg kick, a reverse step ( a la Chipper Jones), a small jay motion with the hands, or a bat flapping like Gary Sheffield. It doesn\'t matter, as long as the hitter gets some separation between the hands and the stride foot and gets to a launch position prior to their swing. The following technique is a simple yet quality way to achieve the load to launch mechanism.
· As the pitcher loads up on their back leg to throw the pitch, the hitter should be loading up on their backside preparing to hit· weight transfers to the back leg in a smooth rocking motion so that the weight distribution is 75% to 25%· hands make a small jay motion back making sure that the front arm does not straighten or lockout· front foot strides forward a few inches at the same time as the hands go back (walk away from the hands = foot goes forward, hands go back) doing this provides hitter with the needed separation giving the hitter more time to see and adjust to the pitch
In fastpitch I start my load when the pitcher goes into dbl pump or drives down into the attack posture.
Once again there is no right or wrong way for every hitter to load. Everybody is built different and has different athletic ability which leads them to their own individual way of loading. However, there needs to be some sort of trigger (load) that gets the hitter ready to fire the bat to hitting zone. The load could be a leg kick, a reverse step ( a la Chipper Jones), a small jay motion with the hands, or a bat flapping like Gary Sheffield. It doesn\'t matter, as long as the hitter gets some separation between the hands and the stride foot and gets to a launch position prior to their swing. The following technique is a simple yet quality way to achieve the load to launch mechanism.
· As the pitcher loads up on their back leg to throw the pitch, the hitter should be loading up on their backside preparing to hit· weight transfers to the back leg in a smooth rocking motion so that the weight distribution is 75% to 25%· hands make a small jay motion back making sure that the front arm does not straighten or lockout· front foot strides forward a few inches at the same time as the hands go back (walk away from the hands = foot goes forward, hands go back) doing this provides hitter with the needed separation giving the hitter more time to see and adjust to the pitch
In fastpitch I start my load when the pitcher goes into dbl pump or drives down into the attack posture.
- Nun40
- Posts: 51
- Joined: Mon Mar 22, 2010 6:15 am
I thought frigate was done with this board!!?? To much fun, huh!
- looking in
- Posts: 268
- Joined: Thu Oct 02, 2008 9:20 am
Don't worry not only Mr. Feld but also I will never come back on this board or any board that you have any connection with and oh incidentiall Mr. Feld ask me to tell you to please not to use his name on this forum or any other forum in the future.
That's what I was hoping for!
- ntheknow2
- Posts: 29
- Joined: Mon Nov 02, 2009 9:54 am
Hey frigate10 i would like to know who you are we all have screen names on here but everybody knows who is who . I see you recently joined if you dont want to let people know i understand
thanks
mark
Indiana Gators
thanks
mark
Indiana Gators
- patches
- Posts: 43
- Joined: Mon Jan 26, 2009 12:55 am
siddfinch, not a fan of Ralph? Well even though you may not I sure admire his stats.
Weekly, who is nationally and internationally recognized for his skills as a hitting clinician, was responsible for a variety of national team duties, including the general management of USA Softball's elite level international programs for both men and women. He also served as a liaison to the ASA National Team Selection Committee that is responsible for the elite level selection process for Olympic, Pan American Games and other USA Softball National Teams.
Between 1998 and 2001, Weekly worked closely with the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) to ensure that USA Softball received adequate funding for its programs and was fully equipped with the technical assistance it needed. He was also instrumental in securing the funding for the development of a state-of-the-art practice facility at the ARCO Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif. This facility has been used by all of the USA Softball National Teams and will continue to be an integral part of USA Softball's success.
Success has followed Weekly throughout his career, especially as a coach for USA Softball Women's National Teams. Weekly served as the hitting coach and Team Leader for the 2000 U.S. Olympic team that claimed its second-consecutive gold medal in Sydney, Australia. Earlier, he served as the hitting and third-base coach for the U.S. contingent that brought home the gold at the '96 Summer Games in Atlanta.
Under his direction, USA Softball captured the gold medal at the 1994 Pan American Games qualifier in Guatemala. He was an assistant on teams that won additional gold medals at the 1994 World Games in Nova Scotia, the 1995 Pan American Games in Argentina, the 1996 South Pacific Classic in Australia, the 1997 Canada Cup, the 1999 Pan American Games in Winnipeg, Canada, the inaugural 1999 America Cup in San Diego, the 2000 European Championship in Rome, Italy, and the 2001 Hawaii Cup in Honolulu.
As a coach and National Teams Director for USA Softball, Weekly has appeared in 13 international tournaments, winning a gold medal every time. His international coaching record is a sterling 130-15 (.897). He is the only person in collegiate softball to have served on a pair of Olympic gold-medal-winning coaching staffs and to have claimed two national championships as a head coach. He also directed all facets of the USA Men's National Team from 1999-2001.
He has developed High Performance Seminars funded by the USOC to establish consistent coaching philosophies for youth coaches throughout the world. In addition, Weekly has produced several instructional tapes through USA Softball, including "Fundamentals for Future Champions." In December of 2006, Ralph and co-head coach Karen Weekly released a new instructional video entitled "Hitting the Tennessee Way."
Weekly, who is nationally and internationally recognized for his skills as a hitting clinician, was responsible for a variety of national team duties, including the general management of USA Softball's elite level international programs for both men and women. He also served as a liaison to the ASA National Team Selection Committee that is responsible for the elite level selection process for Olympic, Pan American Games and other USA Softball National Teams.
Between 1998 and 2001, Weekly worked closely with the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) to ensure that USA Softball received adequate funding for its programs and was fully equipped with the technical assistance it needed. He was also instrumental in securing the funding for the development of a state-of-the-art practice facility at the ARCO Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif. This facility has been used by all of the USA Softball National Teams and will continue to be an integral part of USA Softball's success.
Success has followed Weekly throughout his career, especially as a coach for USA Softball Women's National Teams. Weekly served as the hitting coach and Team Leader for the 2000 U.S. Olympic team that claimed its second-consecutive gold medal in Sydney, Australia. Earlier, he served as the hitting and third-base coach for the U.S. contingent that brought home the gold at the '96 Summer Games in Atlanta.
Under his direction, USA Softball captured the gold medal at the 1994 Pan American Games qualifier in Guatemala. He was an assistant on teams that won additional gold medals at the 1994 World Games in Nova Scotia, the 1995 Pan American Games in Argentina, the 1996 South Pacific Classic in Australia, the 1997 Canada Cup, the 1999 Pan American Games in Winnipeg, Canada, the inaugural 1999 America Cup in San Diego, the 2000 European Championship in Rome, Italy, and the 2001 Hawaii Cup in Honolulu.
As a coach and National Teams Director for USA Softball, Weekly has appeared in 13 international tournaments, winning a gold medal every time. His international coaching record is a sterling 130-15 (.897). He is the only person in collegiate softball to have served on a pair of Olympic gold-medal-winning coaching staffs and to have claimed two national championships as a head coach. He also directed all facets of the USA Men's National Team from 1999-2001.
He has developed High Performance Seminars funded by the USOC to establish consistent coaching philosophies for youth coaches throughout the world. In addition, Weekly has produced several instructional tapes through USA Softball, including "Fundamentals for Future Champions." In December of 2006, Ralph and co-head coach Karen Weekly released a new instructional video entitled "Hitting the Tennessee Way."
- Nun40
- Posts: 51
- Joined: Mon Mar 22, 2010 6:15 am
Main Menu
User Menu
Login
