fastpitch softball hitting problem

Question
My 15 year old daughter is a good hitter with a lot of power.  Unfortunately, she has developed a bad habit of dropping her shoulder during her swing.  In the last few games especially, she is not hitting well - striking out more, weak hits or pop ups because of it.  Her coaches keep telling her to stop dropping her shoulder over and over but it seems the more they tell her, the more she is tensing up and doing it.  It is frustrating to watch.  Can you offer me any tips on what I can do to help her break this habit.  Maybe something easier to focus on doing besides just telling her not to drop her shoulder which is obviously not working.
Thanks so much!


Answer
Hello Eileen,

She is a prime candidate for the "fence drill"!  Set up for this drill is as follows:  Have your daughter position herself in her batting stance with a fence located behind her where the catcher would normally be located.  Her back foot should be no more than six inches away from the fence.  Have her swing a few times to realize the consequences of a bad swing.  Now put a tee in the in front of her where home plate would be located.  Have someone set ball on the tee and allow her to hit repeatedly.  If she is dropping her shoulder, her bat will hit the fence during the swing.  This will also teach her to keep her wrist inside the path of the ball and help her hit inside pitches better.  Once she has trained herself to where this is now her natural swing, ( is not going to happen immediately!)  Go back to live pitching.  If she reverts back to dropping her shoulder, repeat this drill.  Eventually it will become a natural motion for her and the shoulder drop should stop.

Coach Mike