Coach Parker responds to coach Mike Candrea article on timing.
The follow is an article posted by Mike Candrea on timing and my comments on what he has to say.
Candrea: 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.
Parker: Absolutely, we call this personal style. Every player has their own style and as long as they have excellent weight transfer, hips initiating the swing, leveling occurs, and they get to ideal impact, they should be left alone. Keep as much of a player’s natural mechanics intact and it will benefit them.
Candrea: 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:
1- Be ready
Candrea: When the pitcher begins her motion to deliver the pitch – the hitter should begin their preparation to get to a hitting position.
Parker: Yes, a player has to anticipate and begin the process of loading and striding as the pitcher begins her initial motion. We want forward movement in order to get our weight properly transferred to the front side.. Also, great hitters begin preparation far earlier than when a player gets into the box.
2 - Be early vs. late
Candrea: Hitters would rather get their front foot down early versus being late. Young hitters cannot begin their swing until their front foot gets down.
Parker: The hitting process, for all hitters, begins at the torque of the hips and heel drop; therefore, it is crucial that the stride foot and heel drop are properly timed with the movement of the pitch. I wouldn’t use the term be “early” versus “late,” what I would say is that if you are looking middle-in, don’t be late. The difference here is that a player is pre-determining location, and if it is a middle-in pitch, being late is the kiss of death, not good for hitters.
3- Look in and adjust away
Candrea: Prepare for the pitch in and a hitter can always adjust away.
Parker: Okay, I don’t agree with this approach. Players across the board struggle mightily on the outside half of the plate, why? Because they are too early and they pull off the plane of the ball; you can’t start “in” and expect to cover the outside half of the plate, it won’t happen. Once a player commits to a middle-in pitch they are not going to be able to adjust the momentum that has been established and get the bat out over the outside of the plate.
Candrea: It is almost impossible to look away and be on time for an inside pitch.
Parker: Yes, and that is exactly why we teach our players to split the plate in half, yes… in half. Players should only be looking for pitches middle-in, or middle out, not both; it is too difficult to consistently cover the entire plate. And, if trying to cover outside-in is impossible to do, as
Candrea has stated, than it should be equally true to say that covering inside out is as well. Trying to cover the entire plate is brutal on hitters and gives pitchers a huge advantage. Train your players to think, if they think away they look away, if they think inside they look inside, it will tilt the table towards the hitter.
Candrea: The hitter has to release the bat earlier on an inside pitch and later on an outside pitch.
Parker: Exactly! Ideal Impact on an inside pitch is out in front of the front leg. Ideal Impact on a pitch on the outside should be off the back hip and out over the plate. If a player starts their swing early, they will never reach ideal impact on an outside pitch, so starting early and adjusting late as suggested by Candrea “Prepare for the pitch in and a hitter can always adjust away” doesn’t make sense, sorry but it doesn’t
4 - Prepare for fast; adjust to slow
Candrea: It is very difficult to look for a change up and hit a fast ball!
Parker: Most definitely, but If you are teaching your players to look fast and than adjust slow, you are making them passive/defensive rather than aggressive/offensive. Teach your players to look fast or look slow, meaning they have to anticipate the pitch the same way you should teach them to look "in" or "away." If they are looking fast and get a change up, have them take it. They will be much better off in the long run, but you have to be willing to trust the method. Most coaches have unrealistic expectations when it comes to hitting and have a hard time letting players take pitches, but if you play the law of averages it will tip towards the hitter.
Candrea: 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.
Parker: Perfect, but not until there are two strikes against the batter. We want to create strong aggressive hitters, not passive ones.
5 - Prepare for high and adjust to low
Candrea: 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.
Parker: Yes, I refer to this as leveling.
Candrea: 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.
Parker: Correct, having a plan is absolutely essential to every hitter in the game, just make sure your plan is a solid one.
**As always, my comments are nothing more than observations and not meant offend anyone. I have a great deal of respect for Coach Candrea and what he has done for the game of softball.
-Sparky
