Posted by: mjb (mb6606@hotmail.com) on Thu Jun 2 05:49:27 2005

> > > My daughter is playing in her first year of Seniors Little League fastpitch softball. Some of the players have recently completed their Jr High season, and I'm surprised how poorly they are hitting. The Jr High hitting instructor is also the boys baseball coach, and he has been teaching them to swing while holding a towel between there back arm and their side (Right arm for a right handed batter). If they drop the towel when they swing, they have to run. To me, this doesn't take into consideration the different physiology of the girls body. When we told them to lift their back elbow (like Joe Morgan) they began to hit with power. I'd like some opinions on boys vs girls swing. Is there a difference (or should there be)?
> > *****************************************************************
> > Would you throw a baseball with a towel under your arm??
> > I would refer your coach to this site or run from his instruction.
> > Show him some slow mo clips of Arod or Pujols. Maybe your coach would make them run when they drop the towel as the ball sails over the fence.
> > Boys and girls should/can use the same techniques.
>
> Your coach has gotten mixed up. The towel should be under the left arm. This is a good drill to teach the batter to keep lead arm across chest while intiating the swing.
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The left arm needs to blast off the chest during the pivot. Putting the towel under the left arm ansd swinging hard is a good way to break a rib. As VJ Singh did doing this sort of drill.