On behalf of the Amateur Softball Association, welcome to the November issue of the ACE Coach monthly email from ASA Director of Coaching Education and two-time Olympic Coach Mike Candrea: Candrea on Coaching. As a youth sports coach, you naturally want to prepare your team to win as many games as possible, and as a Responsible Coach, you want to prepare your players to win off the field, too. The Liberty Mutual Responsible Sports program is proud to bring you this series in which Coach Candrea will provide you with coaching tips and resources that you can use for the betterment of your youth softball team.

November 18, 2009
Volume I, Issue 11

Hitting is all Timing

One of the most difficult skills in any sport is the act of hitting a moving object. Our softball players ability to hit a round object (ball) with another round object (bat) and attempting to hit it square (contact point) can present many obstacles. You then add the elements of speed, movement, and location to the equation; it becomes obvious why the best hitters get a hit 3 out of 10 times!

This month, I would like to cover the topic of timing.  If you have played the game, you know that the pitchers goal is to disturb the ability of the hitter to time a pitch perfectly.  Pitchers accomplish this feat by using power, deception, and control.  Hitters must have the ability to arrive at the hitting position on time and have the ability to adjust to speed, movement, and location.  How can our hitters accomplish this and increase their ability to have a successful at bat?

I'll begin by outlining some general guidelines to help accomplish this task.  Proper hitting mechanics are essential in increasing a hitters chance to make adjustments at the plate.  A common flaw in most young hitters is their ability to get to the hitting position in a strong, efficient way. In addition to proper hitting, Responsible Coaches come prepared with Key Safety Measures , which focuses on the major areas of safety, including conditioning, hydration, nutrition, equipment, injury prevention and more!

Teaching your softball team good hitting techniques is one essential part of developing an overall successful team. In addition to understanding and teaching on the field components, it's also important to incorporate other skills that will teach your players lessons beyond the diamond, and beyond softball. Listen as Coach Candrea talks about The Game of Life. Check out the Responsible Sports Media Library for Coach Candrea's video on The Game of Life and his other Responsible Sports.

The stance in hitting is where you see the most variety.  Hitters have different positioning with their feet and their hands.  Watch TV and you will see that all hitters start differently but once they arrive at the hitting position, all good hitters look similar.

Every pitcher presents a different challenge to our young hitter's ability to arrive at the hitting position on time. Here are some coaching points to follow:

Be ready

• When the pitcher begins her motion to deliver the pitch the hitter should begin their preparation to get to a hitting position.

Be early vs. late

• Hitters would rather get their front foot down early versus being late.  Young hitters cannot begin their swing until their front foot gets down.

Look in and adjust away

• Prepare for the pitch in and a hitter can always adjust away.  It is almost impossible to look away and be on time for an inside pitch.  The hitter has to release the bat earlier on an inside pitch and later on an outside pitch.

Prepare for fast & adjust to slow

• It is very difficult to look for a change up and hit a fast ball!  Always prepare for the pitchers fastest pitch and maintain a strong hitting position with pressure between the knees, which will help your hitters better adjust to the off-speed pitch.

Prepare for high and adjust to low

• Especially in fast pitch softball, we must prepare high and adjust to the low pitch.  Good hitters prepare for up and in and adjust down to everything else.

These are just a few coaching points to begin developing the preparation phase of hitting.  Having a plan is crucial to a hitter's success and hopefully these coaching points will help you begin to develop your base for future success.

Good luck! Until next month,

Coach Candrea