Weight Transfer for Softball

Q:

My 12 year old daughter has had this problem for long time. After she swung, she loses balance and her back foot goes toward home plate. She was all star last year and hit .450 in the season.  Does she have a weight transfer problem?

A:

I would keep working on her weight transfer; balance and staying balanced throughout the swing. If she is rolling her top hand, work on keeping her hands closer to the body on her approach to the ball. The swing should be a combination of rotation and weight transfer. Some players are more rotation, some are more weight transfer but all good hitters are a combination of both.

If she hits .450, her balance is fair. In the stance, start, and power position, her balance will be excellent if the toes (or back toe at least), knees, and tips of shoulders are vertically aligned. To align them, sink straight downward as if preparing to jump straight up, and sink to the desired level. This improves balance from face-to-back.

Balance from rear to front is more complex. She must arrive at the power position, then at full weight transfer at the right times. This is done by timing the footwork right. If she has trouble hitting the slower pitchers, I suspect it is because she strides as early for slow pitchers as she does for the fast ones. This will cause a weight transfer problem. She should stride a bit later for slower pitching, or a bit sooner for a very fast one.

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