MidAtlanticDad posted:Chico Escuela posted:Not sure if you are asking what "yips" means or just why I used the term here. I think the term was originally from golf: for a player who suddenly can't hit short putts. In baseball, it's used for throwing--typically a pitcher or an infielder who one day finds he can't make a throw to first without sending the ball 6 feet over the 1B's head. I used the term here b/c my son seems to have the hitter's equivalent.
I asked because yips to me means the whole muscle/nerve/twitch thing is off. It looks terrible and unusual. What you described sounds more like he's just missing the ball. Is the barrel in the zone at the right time? Does it still look like a decent swing if you remove the ball?
Freshmen often go through growth spurts. I talked to someone about this the other day. Son lost the feel for his CB. The kid's hand had increased in size by about 30% in the last six months. Imagine any grown pitcher grabbing a ball that's 2/3 the size of normal. Lots of things have to go right to hit a baseball.
My son took private hitting lessons for several years with the same instructor and there were a couple of things ingrained into his mind. "Keep It Simple", "See Ball - Hit Ball". Every day he used to take 50-75 swings without a ball, just in the air in the backyard or garage. Not full fast swings but slow swings, concentrating on the mechanics: elbow/arms, knees , hips, rotation shoulders, follow through, head etc. Purpose is for MUSCLE MEMORY and repetition. You break down each part of the swing until you can execute it in your sleep. When you step to the plate after so many muscle repetitions all you have to do "see ball, hit ball". The proper swing now comes naturally. Another key is what is a good strike vs a bad strike. I've seen many high school/D1 players swing at marginal strikes. Yeah it's a strike but most likely you grounded out, popped up or missed. Takes much restraint and confidence to be in the hole by watching marginal strikes go by (with 2 strikes it's different). An excellent point brought up by MidAtlanticDad is the growth spurt in boys that age. The strike zone is changing as he grows. His body has different mechanics now than 6 mts ago. Different angles, swing paths. Once his growth slows down or stops then it will be easier for results.