Expert: Rick Bundy - 5/10/2009

Question

My 10 yr old son has been playing baseball for 5 years now and he has always been a very good hitter.  A year ago , he moved up to kid pitch and really struggled.  Early in the year- he struck out a few times and then was hit by a pitch  a few times….it was all over after that.  He never got a hit after that.  He has had several individual lessons and he does very well.  Even in practice - he crushes the ball.  Unfortunately - all the hard work doesn't transfer to the game and while he love baseball, he is getting discouraged.  What can I do?  I don’t know baseball that well but it does look like he is pulling his head off the ball and he is just nervous at the plate.  What are your thoughts?  

Answer
Shawn:  It does sound like his problems stem from being hit in his first experiences at kid pitch.

There is always that apprehension for most kids that they will get hit with the ball, whether at the plate or in the field.

My initial suggestion would be to teach him how to protect himself from a ball coming at him.  If he turns his front shoulder back towards the catcher, it will help absorb the impact, at the same time moves his face out of the way.  While it doesn't eliminate being hit, it provides him with a plan to protect himself, which should help generate some confidence.

Start with a rolled up sock, move to a whiffle ball, then tennis ball, so that he can practice his reaction.

Armed with a plan, the next step would be to look at his mechanics and approach to hitting, particularly seeing the baseball as early as possible and his load/stride.

Concentration on seeing the ball at the pitchers release point will help him focus on the process, not on whether or not he may get hit.

His hands load back and his stride should be on line, directly back at the pitcher.  This reaction occurs while the ball is still in the pitchers hand.   The front foot should be down before the ball is halfway to the plate, so he is striding, then swinging; step first/ swing second.

If he is getting his front foot down on line, early and slow, it will keep him from "stepping in the bucket", which is one cause of pulling their head, thus creating a long looping swing, and an inability to track the ball.

Pulling their head can also be caused by trying to overswing, the head goes taking the front side with it, thus dropping the bat barrel into a long, looping swing.  Vision on the ball is lost also.

I am assuming that if he is crushing the ball in practice, he is hitting off a machine or live off of a coach, whereby his fear of being hit is more or less negated.  The same would be true for his individual lessons.

If you can get him to believe he has a plan to protect himself somewhat, then move to developing his focus on the baseball and hitting progressions, so that he is on line, in time and able to close out all the other thoughts that will jump into a players head.

Right now those thoughts may be, what if I get hit?  Once that gets overcome, concerns about getting a hit, or not striking out, etc will all be out there trying to occupy his mind, as they do and have done to hitters for over 170 years.  No one is exempt from that, some just handle it better than others.

Creating a hitting routine for himself, whereby he does:

1.  Watch the pitcher warm up to determine exactly where he will release the ball from ( straight over the top, sidearm, or somewhere in between.)

2.  Step in the batter's box and get both eyes on the pitcher, wide, soft focus.

3.  As the pitcher starts forward with the ball, focus hard on the release point as he strides and gets his front foot down.  This allows the hitter to see the ball early, thus allowing more time to determine if it is a pitch he wants to swing at.

4.  Load and stride must be in time with the pitchers fastball.  Should he get a change up or curveball, everything is balanced and his hands are still back, allowing him to hit those pitches also.

5.  As: Pete Rose said, "See the ball, hit the ball".

       Yogi Berra said,"You can't think and hit at the same time".

       Branch Rickey said,"A full mind is an empty bat"'

All three quotes indicate a need for the hitter to simplify.  If there are additional thoughts taking place outside of seeing the ball and putting a good swing on it, regardless of what those thoughts may be, the hitter is in trouble.

Shawn, on my website, www.theoleballgame.com, I have additional information on hitting progressions, both rookie and advanced, as well as mental game information that you might find useful.

Good luck as you and your son move forward in this great journey that is baseball.  It is truly something special for both of you to share.

Yours in baseball,

Rick