Posted by: Melvin () on Mon Apr 14 12:40:57 2008

"Can anyone tell me if the swing while hitting a fast pitch softball is the same as hitting a fast pitch baseball?"

Overall, women's and girl's fastpitch suffers from the most ridiculous batting instruction I have ever seen. Even at the top NCAA level, the majority of hitters attempt to keep the barrel above the hands. The common move is a hand push that is completely disconnected from rotation. There is no force coupling of any kind.

A few of the bigger women will be allowed to rotate and swing level or up, and you do see a few truly great swings here and there. But for the most part, the mechanics are putrid.

I don't blame the players, but rather their dingbat coaches, and I mean you at Oklahoma, and you at Houston and you at Arizona State and almost every single one of you out there teaching this monstrously stupid drivel you pass off as hitting instruction.

Answer me this one: from where did the tradition come of having fastpitch players adopt their bunting stance with two strikes, only to pull back and swing? It makes no sense. Why have two methods, when one is hard enough? Who thought up that playground crap and why does it still continue? It doesn't distract the pitcher. It doesn't add rhyhtym to the hitter. It's stupid and makes your teams and your coaches and your program look stupid.

Sorry, women's FP is in the dark ages.

The Open Division men's level, and men's international play, is different. You see great swings there.