Expert: Rick Bundy - 6/14/2009

Question
My 6 year old son keeps throwing the bat after he hits the ball.  We talk to him and try to make him concentrate on putting the bat down but he is so focused on running after he hits.  Do you know of anything I can do to make him stop other than calling him out or making him sit the bench.  Thank you, Lori

Answer
Lori:  They do have a tendency to get excited when they hit the ball.

If you remove the excitement of the game and work on just dropping the bat, then running with no other distractions, it will be easier for him to understand.  You can control the speed at which you practice, as well as break it down into small parts where you say swing, he swings.  Then you say drop, and he drops the bat, then you say run, and he can run a short distance.

Gradually increase the speed, then eliminate the stops and just go swing, run.

The actual skill itself will come from those repetitions on his own, away from the game.  That should transfer to the game situation after some time.

At his age, it is hard for them to understand that dropping the bat is for the safety of other players, umpires and spectators; but you might try explaining that part of it to him, it may help him need fewer repetitions.

With all six year olds, it works out to be patience and time.  You've got to love his enthusiasm to get out of the box.

Good luck with your season.  Keep having fun.

Yours in baseball,

Rick