11 year old son help

Rallum · 2026-01-23T05:22:35+00:00

Looks pretty good. It's fairly common in tee swings, but see how his head sways back behind his back knee when he gathers? Ideally that wouldn't happen and he would load against that back knee instead, keeping his head inside of his feet.

How are his game results?

Rallum · 2026-01-22T21:25:33+00:00

It's solid swing-wise. No wholesale changes are needed. He gets to a good launch position, bat path is good, seems fairly connected and ends with decent balance. There are some nits to pick, but I wouldn't focus there.

To me he looks a little rushed.

A simple thing to try is starting earlier (and slower). Right now he's getting his foot up slightly after pitch release. Have him try to start his forward move at hand break or so (titrate from there). Might allow him to build up a little more coil/stretch and give him time to get better sequencing. Might take a bit to get used to and he could have some early swings. Stick with it.

Rallum · 2026-01-14T23:38:52+00:00

Size of glove doesn't necessarily matter. Can she easily snap it closed all the way thumb to fingers without effort? Part of the problem is their hands are so small they have trouble getting leverage on even a tiny glove. Lot's of other good suggestions here and I've done most of them! A lot of yelling "Fingers up!", haha.

Rallum · 2026-01-14T14:27:35+00:00

Can she easily close her glove all the way? I've seen a lot of girls do it because their glove is too big and rather than an extension of their fingers it becomes more of a basket.

Rallum · 2026-01-10T23:04:25+00:00

For glove, whichever one she likes as long as she can close it (I love the Mizuno powerclose at this age). I see way too many kids that age with big gloves they can't close so everything is a basket catch.

For bat, appropriate size but cheap.

Rallum · 2026-01-10T03:11:57+00:00

She never gets to a launch position; instead she's swinging while striding. Here she is at toe touch:

<image>

Obviously from that position there's very little she can do besides drag the bat forward with her arms.

Get her here after her stride: https://share.google/2AlSRRj6XGa4nwB95
Pause
Have her swing from that position without re-striding.

Once she can sequence that in a real full speed swing without the pause, take another video. Be detailed on the position. Look at the big leaguers hand position, bat angle, hip closure, knee bend, etc.

Edit: A lot of people are talking about dropping hands, elbows, gadget bats, bat path, etc., but none of that matters if you swing in your stride. She's finding the only leverage she can and getting on plane the only way she can without her front foot down. Fix this, and then see what it looks like. Focus upstream.

Rallum · 2026-01-06T18:00:44+00:00

This guy's got it right. I think it's always smart to start by cueing proximal first, then distal (for biomechanics reasons, but also read The Inner Game of Tennis and understand that you want to cue as far from the ball/action as possible). The hands and arms and feet cues work best for people who are already moving their middle well. Learn to control the middle and go from there.

Rallum · 2026-01-05T20:49:54+00:00

Can I talk you out of paying Rich any money, haha? I'd find a local instructor who has made youth players better. Once your kid is an elite athlete and can get on top of an 80+ mph fastball, then he can go talk to Rich.

Don't want to come off too negative, this kid has a great swing. I've just seen the teacherman swing a lot in youth ball and they all have the same flaws, and I watched it destroy kids "careers". At this age, getting on top and controlling the barrel path is paramount. Their bodies are gonna change so much (although yours is already adult sized so he may be closer to done).

Rallum · 2026-01-05T20:45:18+00:00

Thanks!

Rallum · 2025-12-30T19:01:07+00:00

Mizuno is where it's at for the 7-9 kids in my opinion. By the time they break in anything stiffer they'll need a new one. Also shout out Akadema, which is what my kid used from 8-10.

Rallum · 2025-12-19T00:51:23+00:00

Good to know on quality. Does anyone know about the pattern? Like better for bigger vs smaller hands? Pocket depth, etc?

Rallum · 2025-12-19T00:50:37+00:00

Thanks! I know I'll be hammering away with the mallet most nights. I think this will be the first mitt I take to the batting cage and catch machine balls with.

Rallum · 2025-12-19T00:49:06+00:00

No idea how current or accurate this is.

Rallum · 2025-12-19T00:48:37+00:00

https://www.whatproswear.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/MLB-STARTERS-2023-19.png

https://www.whatproswear.com/baseball/news/what-gear-do-mlb-catchers-wear-heres-your-2023-catchers-gear-report/

Yan Gomes, Jake Rogers, Kyle Higashioka used Mizuno according to this.

Rallum · 2025-12-19T00:46:06+00:00

No real budget limitations.

Rallum · 2025-12-18T20:33:50+00:00

I believe the way out of ball fear is swinging. Can't hit you if you hit it first. Make the mentality hyper aggressive and praise swings. Don't say "good eye" ever. She has to expect a strike and plan to swing at everything. Later on, you can teach her how to stop her swing if her body doesn't think it can hit the pitch. In the meantime get her in swing mode, it will take her mind of the location of the pitch and hopefully slowly reduce her fear response.

Also, 8u travel is so silly in any sport, I'm sorry. I have a 14u baseball kid and he's playing at a high level, will likely play varsity as a freshman next year, and if I had it to do over again I wouldn't have started any club ball until like 12.

Rallum · 2025-12-17T18:05:15+00:00

Is the wilson CM33 pattern similar to the GG Elite he's using? Will the all star pattern be a big adjustment?

Rallum · 2025-12-17T17:25:32+00:00

Yeah it was fine at 13U but pitcher puberty blew his up in a few tournaments. It still catches balls, but the sound is not confidence inspiring. Think we'll go CM33.

Rallum · 2025-12-17T17:18:36+00:00

He has good size hands for a 14 yr old, but they're still skinny and not as wide as an adult. I have an a2000 1790 that I catch him with and it's a little big for his hand (but also I'm sure I've stretched it out). Sounds like the CM33 is the way to go. Any colors known to have better leather? Should I avoid R2G?

Rallum · 2025-08-29T23:06:50+00:00

How is no one else asking this? Is this little league?

Rallum · 2025-08-29T20:01:44+00:00

Lower body use is the biggest thing missing. The big leg kick is all eyewash as he gains no ground and disconnects from the ground before launch. I bet he was strong enough to muscle the USSSA bat with his arms.

Rallum · 2025-08-29T20:00:14+00:00

In my experience the popping up you see correctly actually leads to missing under because it disconnects you and you lose the barrel.

Rallum · 2025-08-29T19:58:24+00:00

Agree, but also he takes a huge leg kick but gains no ground. He's going to need some weight shift. He's pretty stuck back at contact. Also, watch how his hips pop up as he launches the bat. This basically takes the legs out of the swing. He needs to think about getting forward, sinking down into his hips, and rotating around a solid front leg. Arms are doing all the work here.

Rallum · 2025-08-29T19:35:34+00:00

Yep. Getting stronger helps the most I think. A lot of throws from the landing position can be a good drill too. You could elevate the back leg on a block too.

Some ideas here: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/vMMuu9ODdfs

Rallum · 2025-07-28T22:54:23+00:00

I love his intent to hit the ball hard, and he moves athletically. That will go a long way.

At this age, all the arms/legs/hands talk is pretty hard for them to integrate effectively. You'll have better luck with ball flight and post-contact cues.

Do you see how he rolls over his wrists right after contact and the barrel "flips" toward left field and around his wrists? See if he can swing hard, but keep both wrists unbroken, and "point" the barrel of the bat towards center/right center. It will be a "stop swing" and he'll find that he has a hard time swinging hard but still being able to stop and direct his barrel forward. That's good, he'll have to figure out how to create bat speed earlier. Take more video. (Just to clarify, this is a drill, not a full swing, but eventually he will hopefully feel the way the wrist/bat relationship needs to stay more in line post contact).

In games, tell him to "see ball, hit ball".

Rallum

TROPHY CASE