Posted by: Bob (bob@bobburnett.com) on Sat Jul 8 05:31:22 2006

She may just be in a slump. My daughter (11, but no all-star) was and I worked with her and didn't see a whole lot of improvement. I wasn't pushing her hard, but it was more my idea to practice than hers. I finally stopped trying and that's when she bounced back and started hitting again (just in time for the playoffs)!

That being said, I have found soft toss to be a very effective practice tool. You can do it with whiffle balls and her game bat so the target is smaller and there's no wear and tear put on her bat. Start out with regular size whiffle balls and progress down to golfball sized whiffle balls. Or she could use a slightly heavier bat or a very skinny improvised bat , like a "thunderstick". another thing is to have a bucket full of different sized balls that you toss to her so she doesn't know ahead of time what she's hitting so she has to pay attention and make quick adjustments.

Also, practice bunting. it's an essential but underrated skill. another good tool is a "hit-2-win" type tool (google it) you can probably find something similar in a local sporting goods store.
you will find some training tips here
http://eteamz.active.com/fastpitch/instruction/tips/
but don't take them all as gospel, they are just tips that were posted by individuals who either found them helpful or thought they should be. There are some tips (like swinging a bat near a fence and hitting a pitched ball with only the bat knob) that develop linear mechanics which I wouldn't recommend.

Your daughter sounds like she may be in a slump due to a slight loss of focus-either trying too hard/thinking too much or being slightly distracted. My daughter had a good swing and plenty of batspeed but would sometimes miss the ball by a mile. Trying to kill the ball rather than put the ball in play would sometimes do it to her.

Try doing different things but encourage having fun (for both of you)!
Good luck!
Bob