14u questions

Most slumps are not caused by the bat being used, and most errors are not caused by the glove being worn. More mental than anything. Of course, if we here don't see a video, the coaches may be right, that he's early. Thats a timing issue and the -3 may not make a difference. Your kid like most will probably want a new bat every year. Try getting him a wood -3 for BP and see how he fares. They're a lot less expensive and if it really is the bat weight (I still don't think so) then you can still get him one down the road.

Of course its the bat, one can't switch weights and expect to pick up the new bat and hit! Buy him a -3 which he will be able to use in all his games, it can last next year too if you buy a good model.

LHP, the bat is the excuse. The good hitter will make adjustments and learn to cope. The wise young man will try to talk his parents into a new bat. Timing and other adjustments are extremely important to learn as a hitter. What will you do with a -3 if the starting pitcher throws hard stuff and his replacement throws soft junk. Will it be the bat because your swinging early, or will it be the hitters lack of adjustment.

You don't want your son to slow down his swing, you want him to let the ball travel deeper before he swings. My son does hitting drills where he tries to hit every ball to the opposite field. My son also plays 14u travel ball and every kid on the team uses a drop 3. I would go ahead and get him the -3 bat and let him get used to it before the HS tryouts next spring or whenever they are in your neck of the woods. Good luck.

bonnie, our son had difficulties going between a -5 and -3. Finally he just started using his -3. It helped him in the long run. There are too many adjustments as it is to be worring about using a different bat. At 14 he is probably big enough to make the change without a problem. He is going to have to use a -3 in high school anyway, make the change now, so he looks strong in the spring.

I would get a quality wood practice bat and encourage him to use (his own) -3 bat. Bad news is bats really start getting expensive once you get to the -3 stage. The good news is he made it to the HS level of play.

Note: If you want to save money, find the bat he wants and search the web for last years model. It's still new, has the warranty and often at a reduced price.

Sure, call it an excuse. The fewer variables the easier to hit the ball, period. He'll have to use a -3 exclusively a year later anyway.

Bonnie - IF you get him a -3 (I'd suggest him using one so he can get used to it...even if it's a mental adjustment, it's STILL an adjustment) you can get them pretty reasonably on-line. All the new models are coming out now so "last year's" models are being discounted. You could even get him a new (in wrapper) older model pretty inexpensively.

Lets just continue to Enable young people to make excuses and get what they want in the end. May be a good kid, but he tells Mom he needs a new bat, Because he's in a slump. Coaches said he has quick hands. He needs to learn to stay back and wait for the ball. He needs to learn to adjust. This is only a ploy to get the bat he wants, not making him ready for something 10 months away. He will grow bigger and stronger by next year and the -3 will become the norm. Come on people, are we all just here to give lil' johnny want he wants when he can't adjust. Lets teach 'em, not just enable them. All just MHO.

Coachric,

My 13U is adjusting to the -3. It has been a DEFINITE adjustment.

Thanks to everyone for their advice. Their are some JV players that want to sell their -3 bat so, we are looking at their bats.

Coachric, just an fyi - my son told me two weeks ago he needed to adjust and stay back and wait on the ball. and be patient.

Thanks for all of your help.

Bonnie, thats wonderful to hear. I think he gets it.

quote:

Originally posted by Coachric:
He will grow bigger and stronger by next year and the -3 will become the norm.

Keep in mind "next year" is only 8 months away at the latest. How much stronger and bigger do you know he'll be???



My point is simply this; it's a given he will need to swing a -3, why not get him swining it now so he can get used to it. He may not even notice a difference, but he may. Might as well get acclimated to it now instead of HS tryouts. There are cheap options (such as buying a used one from a teammate as she mentioned) so if it helps him in the long run, I think it's a good idea. My 14u is swinging a -3 after discussing it here.

Hi Bonnie,..
WELCOME to the HSBBW!! Glad to see another gal on the boards!!

Slumps in baseball do come and go and adjustments need to be made along the ride. While a new bat may not solve all the issues, it may make your son feel more comfortable. Its up to you all as him family to decide if you should buy him a new bat or not.

It has been our experience that a bat is a biiig deal to our son. Like his glove, its his baby. They have long talks with one another,...the feel HAS to feel right. It took my son at least three hours to pick out his present bat and he had been trying everyone's he knew on this side of the state line, weeks before.
At one point I went out and sat in the car,....took him longer than it does me in the shoe department at Macys!-ha!
Sooo with that said,..I do believe it has to feel right. Perhaps part of it is mental, thats ok.
It has to feel right physically and it has to feel right mentally.
While we all know a new bat won't soley make his batting average improve or be the sole source of taking one out of a slump,.. it could give him a fresh start.

We always buy last years model and have also bought bats from other players. We have a bulletin board for used equipment at our local ball field. Its been worth the 3x5 card & ink, more than once!
Best of luck in making your decision and good luck to your son too!!

Bonnie, I would also agree that if you did get him a new bat that it be a -3. I may also suggest if there are any good hitting clinics or hitting instructors in your area, that you consider these for your son. They can teach him not only good swing mechanics, but also how to stay back on a pitch. Although having quick hands is great, learning how to wait on a pitch will become increasingly important as your son moves up the baseball ranks.

I agree with Coachric. Don’t let the bat be an excuse for a slump. If your son has quick hands and gets out early, he needs to learn to stay back and wait. If he doesn’t, high school pitches will have him turned inside out trying to deal with off speed pitches after they set him up with a good fastball. Timing (his swing trigger, not bat speed) has to be variable in order to adjust to every pitch. Either hitters learn this skill or they don’t play very long.

Having said all that, I think your son should be using a -3 bat by now. At his age, lighter bats just mask hitting problems. Find one that is not end heavy and it will make the transition easier. The TPX Omaha and Dynasty are both very well balanced.

Thanks to everyone! Lots of advice and that's what I needed.

Just some background info. I didn't want to put all of this on my original post, but thought I would add it now. My son (age 14) is about 5'4" 116 lbs. Very skinny and long. He has attended the local Big Ten University clinics since he was old enough and clinics at DII schools. He has taken private hitting instruction for years. He started with an average instructor and he moved him to a DII batting coach and he moved him to an instructor who made it as far as the minors, but had a career ending injury. This current instructor will not just work with anyone. He said my son was referred to him and he would work with him for a month before deciding to take him as a client. My son has been with him every week since October '06. This guy normally works with 16 yrs and older. He also gets requests from Texas U, NC, Florida, etc. to fly out and work with a couple of players that are having issues.

Although he has an impressive resume he is a man of few words. When I asked him about a -3 bat his response was "whatever Nick is comfortable with." That's what brought me to this forum. I just thought I would ask and see if it is crazy to purchase another bat this time of year.

Nick has been using a -3 bat (another players) for a week now. He is comfortable with the weight, etc. He is also back to hitting line drives to the outfield. Last nights game he had two doubles, single, and was walked. I'm not saying this was/is the answer and maybe it was a mental thing for him. I'll wait and hear what his instructor says tomorrow. I guess in this case "comfort" and the fact that he was just ready for a heavier bat could be the answer.

I really appreciate everyones thoughts. This place is great.

I do have another question about clinics that have scouts attending. Please don't get me wrong I have no idea if my son will ever make it baseball beyond hs. This is a clinic he was invited to attend and I'm just thinking he is a little to young yet. Where/who should I be asking?

Thank you so very much.
Bonnie

If it is free or cheap, take him. If it is very expensive, find a free or cheap one. The experience is good and maybe it would get him on a radar of someone. But to spend very much money at 14 is not worth it for the future. The only way he should go is if they are giving written evalutations on each player so that he can know what to work on. Some college coaches do these to help kids and hopefully find an unknown.

im having the same problem. what i do is go to a batting cage and get in the fastest one and take 200 cuts and work on waiting on the ball and then having the quick bat speed.