KD11

Very good post sftblcoach. Like I said, I am the assistant at a NAIA school and NONE of our players are getting full scholarships from softball. There may be a girl or two that gets the "full ride" but it is always coupled with the school's academic scholarships, HOPE program, etc. I don't know of any NAIA schools in Tennessee that are able to give more than maybe one true full softball scholarship. I hope the rumored cutting of athletic money from state schools is just a rumor. Taking away all athletic scholarships could not possibly have good consequences.

Bigchief said.... "Also, NAIA does not have a set number of scholarships. Whatever the school can come up with. Only NCAA I an II. I don't think the original question specified NCAA only." I work at an NAIA institution and have some experience in this area. We are nowhere near fully funded, but there is a rule in the NAIA about scholarship amounts. For softball, the NAIA rule is 10 total full scholarships. I believe that individual conferences may set their own limit below the NAIA limit if they wish. You can find information on NCAA and NAIA limits at the following link. http://www.cpoacleveland.net/ncaanaiascholarship.htm I don't know if it has been mentioned yet, but Bethany Burnett (pitcher) of Chester County has signed with Union University. Tarrah Tucker (pitcher) of Hickman County and Carmen Gulley (OF/2B) of Mt. Juliet have signed with Freed-Hardeman University.

I am pretty new to Tennessee (4 years) sports, but when I first moved down here I was blown away by the fact that you can lose games and still advance. I grew up in Illinois where all sports are "one and done" in the postseason. For instance, my old high school advanced to the state tourney this season and had to win 3 games in the regional tourney (same as district in TN) then win 2 more in the sectional (same as TN regional) and then win the Super-Sectional (substate) game. So basically, a team has to get hot and win 6 in a row just to make it to state. Not saying one way is better than the other, just pointing out that it could be worse. If the TSSAA were to adopt Killer's idea, I would have no problem. Nor would I have a problem with TSSAA deciding to make all tournaments single-elimination from district on up. As long as it is the same throughout the state, everyone gets the same shot.

"As to the point that a liner swing is good for ground balls and for speed. I disagree. The bat is to stay on plan with the pitch as long as possible. Which hopefully increases the chances to make contact. Placing back spin on the ball. Which causes the ball to lift over the fence. smile.gif" Softie, You are correct in that if the plane is perfect, the ball will receive backspin and go over the fence. What I was trying to say is that the rotational swing tends to lead to uppercutting, causing more fly balls. If the plane is not perfect in the linear swing, it usually will lead to the player hitting the top half of the ball applying topspin. Bad wording on my part. I guess I should have said that linear is very good for linedrives and tends to decrease the chances of hitting those "mile high" popups. Very good thoughts all around on this thread. thumb

I am by no means an expert in this field, but I do coach at a high level and have given lessons to many players over the years. Here are my thoughts on the two styles. Rotational hitting is a very good style for those hitters who are strong enough to be power hitters. By "power hitters" I mean those girls who are strong enough to at least consistently hit the ball in the gaps with power, not just home run power. This style emphasizes the "L-position" at impact where the back elbow is kept tight to the body and the hands are inside the ball. Like the poster above said, this is more of a pull swing than a spray swing. The hips are supposed to begin to explode before the hands start to the ball and this causes some players to "pull off" the pitch and not reach the outside corner of the plate (especially on off speed stuff). Rotational swinging DOES generate more batspeed which is due in part to the violent hip action. It also leads to a few more strike outs because with all parts of the body in motion, it is easier to get "out of synch." It also leads to more backspin linedrives and fly balls than the other styles because of the tendency to uppercut. If the rotational swing is done perfectly, the player will keep the bat on the same plane from the time the bat enters the hitting zone until after contact. In reality, this style will more than likely have a slight uppercut swing path. Linear hitting is more of a contact approach for those players that are not as physically strong. It emphasizes spraying the ball around the field and making contact. It can lead to overstriding if attention is not paid to the proper placement of the feet. With this method, the bat plane is more downward causing the player to hit down through the top of the ball and fewer popups. Most hitters that use linear hitting will hit a lot of topspin liners over the infield and ground balls. It is a very good approach for those players whose game is built around speed. A few good points for each and a few bad points (just my opinion of course): Rotational Good: Very little stride which leads to no change in eye level (easier to see the ball) More batspeed which leads to more power Hands stay inside the ball which leads to fewer balls yanked foul Rotational Bad: With proper "L angle" at impact, it is easy to get jammed on inside pitches Hips explode early leading to inability to reach off speed outside pitches Linear Good: "Hands to the ball" approach leads to more spray hitting More topspin is good for speedy hitters who rely on beating out grounders Fewer strikeouts Fewer fly balls and pop ups Linear Bad: It can lead to overstriding Less hip explosion leads to less power There is a tendency to get "long" with this swing, players try to go out and get the ball extending their arms and getting slow When I begin to give lessons or work with our players, I try to use a combination of each approach. I also try to determine what kind of player I am working with. Obviously, a 85 lb 11th grader who runs a 2.5 home to first is not going to need to learn rotational hitting. She will want to hit the ball on the ground and use her speed to her advantage. Likewise, if the girl is bigger and stronger, I may want to teach her a more rotational approach so that she can use her power to her advantage. All this is just my opinion of course and subject to rebuttal by those who are smarter than I am

First Name: Tarrah Last Name: Tucker Sport: Softball Sex: Female High School: Hickman County HS Class: 2005 Position: Pitcher Committed to: Freed-Hardeman University