Baseball & Softball Hitting Instructions 101. What’s Right What’s Wrong
By Wayne | February 23, 2011
The other day I received a phone call from a woman from Oregon that is the mother of a 16 year old girl that plays fastpitch softball. She didn’t want to buy a bat from me but asked my advice as to which bat is best for her daughter. I recommended that she buys the one her daughter likes. She thought I was being sarcastic. I asked if she wants to know which bats have the most advanced technology which has an advantageous swing weight, an improved trampoline effect, a lower bending stiffness, and a higher damping rate. Obviously her answer was yes. I mentioned several models and brands but reminded her that she needs to let her daughter decide. I may sound like a broken record when people ask me that but I strongly believe that as a loving parent we sometimes have more desire for our children to perform better than our children actually do. Which leads me into my hitting instructions.
When our children are very young we show them the basics of holding a bat and hitting the ball. Most of us are familiar with the basics since we have played the game as we were growing up. As they get older we sign them up for a youth league. That’s where so many parents do the darnedest things. They start to yell out suggestions to their child while the child is in the batters box. Their 6 year old is scared to death anticipating a 100 mph fastball and now they hear mom and dad yelling take one step back, keep your eye on the ball, elbow up, level swing… That is not the right time to be teaching them. If the same yeller acted like that at work they would be fired. Remember there is a right time and place for everything. If your child is making contact with the ball then they accomplished what they set out to do. Be encouraging. If your child holds the bat differently than what you have taught, a reminder on how to hold it is ok. If they tell you that their not comfortable your way than their way is the right way. Period. Same thing is said for their stance and how high they hold their elbow up.
Depending on how old you are you may remember Roy White of the NY Yankees. How about disabled athletes that made professional sports. There is no way that they could possibly swing the conventional way. How did they do it. Did their parents yell from the sidelines “Jim – get your one arm up.” I doubt it. They let their child do it his or her way – the right way. They allowed them to have fun. Which brings me to the best high school bowler in NJ.
The following article was published in the Sunday Star Ledger nj.com on Sunday February 20, 2011
As the toddlers several lanes away chuck neon orange and pink balls down the gleaming alleys with their two-handed heave-ho, the best high school bowler in New Jersey picks up a ball, locks his eyes on the pins, strides confidently toward the line and …
Chucks the ball down the lane with that same two-handed heave-ho.
C’mon. Really?
Believe it. Tim Wolchko, a junior at Egg Harbor Township High, turned the sport on its head last week when he won the state’s individual title with his unorthodox technique.
The accomplishment was akin to someone winning a state tennis championship while serving underhand … shooting a round of 68 while playing golf one-handed … or clicking off a 4-minute mile running backward.
“It just feels right,” Wolchko said Friday night at King Pin Bowling in Egg Harbor. “It’s my form. It’s how I bowl.”
Wolchko qualified in the 12th and final position for the championships on Wednesday before firing a 237 to win the title. It was a victory for everyone who ever has been told their way is wrong.
“People are always asking, ‘Whoa, how do you do that? Is it comfortable?’ ” Wolchko said. “I just tell them it’s how I’ve been bowling since I was 4 or 5 years old.”
At 16, Wolchko already has rolled a perfect 300 game. Eight times — and each and every one has come with the same head-turning form.
Gripping the ball withboth hands, Wolchkobends his knees, pumps the ball to his chest and cradles it in close as he dips his head toward the alley for the lowest possible release — both hands letting go simultaneously.
Traditionally, bowlers hold the ball with one hand by inserting two fingers and a thumb into its holes. Wolchko uses only the two finger holes, covering the thumb hole withhis right hand, while his left hand actually serves as the dominant strength, despite the fact he’s right-handed.
The most famous two-handed chucker is Jason Belmonte, the 2009 Professional Bowlers Association’s rookie of the year. Like Wolchko, Belmonte has faced battles with doubters. He said winning is the perfect way to hush them.
“Lots of people along the way have definitely tried to tell me to quit it, stop it, grow up and stop bowling like a little baby,” said Belmonte, who will be bowling in the PBA’s U.S. Open in North Brunswick this week. “I’m 27 now, and for the first 24 years of my bowling career I felt I had to explain myself.”
Belmonte may have the chance to share some tips with Wolchko today. Both will be at the Brunswick Zone Carolier, where Wolchko won the state championship and will participate in the U.S. Open’s Pro-Am.
“I’m really proud that I’m able to show the people they have the ability to bowl any which way they want,” Belmonte said. “That’s the beauty of our game: There’s no right or wrong way to do it.”
Wolchko credits his father for having the same attitude.
Bill Wolchko, who grew up bowling with his brothers and grandfather in Jersey City and then for Saint Peter’s Prep, said he never found a reason to change his son’s approach, despite being a one-handed bowler himself.
“People used to come up to me and say, ‘When are you going to teach him to bowl the right way?’ ” Bill Wolchko said. “And you say, ‘What is the right way?’ As long as you stay behind the line and knock down the pins, that’s the way to do it.”
Tim Wolchko bowls about five days each week, competing in a travel league on Sundays and in leagues at King Pin on Monday nights and Saturday mornings. With a state title in his pocket, he sees the opportunity to turn more skeptics into believers.
Eleven-year-old Matthew Stevens of Egg Harbor has adopted the tactic for himself.
“It started at my brother’s birthday party, and Tim was there,” Matthew said. “I saw his style, watched him, and I tried it out. And it really did work.”
Mary Ann Ross, the general manager at King Pin, coached Wolchkoas a child and has seen his success evolve and catch on. But she still runs into logistical issues when trying to sign up Wolchko for tournaments, tripping over the question that asks if the bowler is right- or left-handed.
“Timmy was before his time,” Ross said. “He started a trend. And he did it way before the professionals.”
One day, of course, Wolchko would love to be one of those professionals. He said he is thinking about bowling in college and has his eye on William Paterson, which currently has the 12th best team in the country, according to collegebowling.com.
He appears well on his way. In addition to winning the championship last week, Wolchko qualified for the United States Bowling Congress Junior Gold nationals, the premier junior tournament, in Las Vegas in July.
“I was one of those kids who didn’t want to go with the crowd,” Wolchko said. “I wanted to bring my own unique style into how I bowl.
“And if it’s working, it’s working.”
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One Response to “Baseball & Softball Hitting Instructions 101. What’s Right What’s Wrong”
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10:55 am on February 25th, 2011
Great article Wayne, yes if it’s not broke don’t fix it. Hitting instructors throughout the country feel it has to be their method. Of course If the athlete has problems then intervention is necessary.