Posted by: daw (daw@bellevue-law.com) on Fri Jul 27 09:53:55 2007

> > > > One of my players attended a softball camp at a well-known softball university. She was told that rotational hitting is inappropriate for softball because something about female hip anatomy makes for inefficient rotation.
> > > >
> > > > I consider this nonesense but am wondering if anyone else has heard any such thing.
> > >
> > > Either nonsense or serious miscommunication. Which university?
> >
> >
> > I'd prefer not to say but it's a Pac 10 school that's had some success. They were all over her to hit linearly, because she's fast, left handed and not that big.....she also led our team in homers. They were trying to communicate that women can't use rotational hitting effectively because of their hip/torso anatomy.
>
> If she's left handed and truely fast, she would be a tremendous asset as a slapper, which is linear technique. However, the part about "women can't use rotational hitting" is nuts. Caitlin Lowe (Pac 10, Arizona) is the best slapper in the country, but when she swings away she has a good rotational swing and can put it out of any park. Candrea's strategy prevents her from having lots of swing-away opportunities. When she slaps, she is on base nearly five out of ten times because of her accuracy and speed. With runners on base she's also a huge threat with her (rotational) swing. Excellent role model to follow.


Agreed. I've had this player since 12U, we held her off slapping until this season (16U) to lock in her rotational mechanics. She picked up slapping very quickly last winter without buggering up the rotational swing that she's worked so hard on. She can slap her way on or take the ball out as the situation/defense dictate, but I think she was "branded" immediately by the coaches at this camp.