Posted by: Chris O'Leary (chris@chrisoleary.com) on Fri Apr 27 12:20:54 2007

"My 10 year old daughter's softball coach is teaching her team to swing differently than I was taught and have taught in years of Little League coaching. He wants the girls to 'chop' at the ball. He says it is the new way for girls to swing in fast pitch softball. Her arms are not extended, her hips don't get into the swing, and it looks like a swinging bunt to me. Is this correct??????? I hate to watch it. Thanks if you can give me some insight,"

I don't see the swing that you are describing in the clips on this page of high level softball swings...

http://imageevent.com/siggy/hitting/olympic;jsessionid=42g9zz40q3.tiger_s

Now, it isn't necessarily bad that the arms don't extend. In good swings, that doesn't happen until well after the point of contact. However, not getting the hips into the swing is definitely bad.

What I think the coach is trying to teach is a trick swing that works for a while but doesn't scale. Until infielders get good, just getting the bat on the ball will get you on base fairly reliably.

However, this swing doesn't work as the girls get older and the defenses get better.

If I was teaching girls how to swing, I would teach them a swing that would work all the way up through HS and college.