Expert: Rick Bundy - 8/25/2008

Question
My team of 8 year old boys is facing kid pitching for the first time this fall.  The kids are understandably pitching fairly wild.  As a result, many of the boys are spooked by the live pitching and prematurely bailing out of the batter's box.  How can I help them get over this so they can stay in the box and be ready to hit?

Answer
Eric:  Sounds like you are in for a busy fall.

I would suggest that you show each of them the best way to get hit with a pitch, by turning their front shoulder back towards the catcher.  That will get their head turned also, protecting their face.  

You can practice it in a group with no ball, then one at a time at the plate, using a rolled up sock.  Once they develop a good reaction to the pitch, no longer freezing or turning into the ball, they should have a little more confidence.  They will have a definite plan for dealing with the situation.

If you can get them to focus on the pitchers release point, then stepping in line (straight back at the pitcher) and getting their front foot down early, it will help them focus on the at bat, rather than the possibility of getting hit.  Bailing out is generally caused by stepping to hit, rather than step, then hit.

When you put both the fear of being hit, with stepping to hit, they don't have much of a chance.

The fear of being hit with a baseball is universal for sure.  Much of it disappears with experience.  

Hopefully your league is playing with safety baseballs, or incrediballs, something along that line.  It truly makes it a better experience for kids of that age.

I have worked baseball camps for the Az Diamondbacks the past 8 years.  In those camps we seldom use a hardball, in particular for those kids under 10 yrs old.  If they have a bad experience at a young age, it takes a long time to overcome it.

Hope this will help!

Yours in baseball,

Rick