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What do you do when a player suddenly can’t hit in games? 

My son is a 2020.  Since he started playing baseball close to a decade ago, he has always been a middle of the order hitter.  He also always has been streaky—he’d hit .600+ for ten games, then strike out every AB for a couple of weeks or more. 

Starting this past spring in his first year of JV ball and continuing through summer and last weekend’s first fall travel ball tournament, the boy has a batting average with zero as the first digit.  The couple of hits he has managed were bloops to shallow OF.  Lots of strikeouts, a few weak grounders—not making decent contact at all.  He _is_ swinging at strikes, but doesn’t seem to be seeing the ball—rarely even fouls one off.

The quality of pitching he is seeing has _not_ changed (other than the natural step up that comes with everyone getting a year older).  This is not a problem hitting curve balls or any single category of pitches.  He has been working on the side for the past couple of months with a hitting coach he has known for years.  In the cage, the boy looks good—very good, even.  In games, he looks terrible.  His hitting coach has seen video of some in-game ABs and has worked with the boy on the specific problems the coach saw in those.  In the cage, those fixes seem to take.  In game, the kid still looks awful,  The problem seems to be between his ears, not with his hands or his stance.

Yes, he has been pressing.  He isn’t seeing much playing time other than at pitcher because of his hitting.  I have refrained from giving advice other than reminding him that he’s a good hitter and that he should relax and trust that.  I also told him I’ll pay for sessions with his hitting coach so long as he also puts in reasonable time on the tee in the backyard, etc.  The boy’s attitude still is good and he has been working pretty hard (maybe not as hard as I would like, but I'm not a teenaged boy…).  Son is used to being his team’s #1 pitcher and to dealing with in-game pressure—handling that was always one of his strengths. 

Any suggestions?  Eventually the boy is going to become a pitcher-only; but he wanted to avoid that for a while yet.  To suddenly go from hitting ~.500 in the clean-up slot in 8th grade to flailing at the plate in 9th doesn’t make sense.  (He goes to a small private school that plays other small private schools, so the pitchers he saw in JV were the same kids he saw in middle school.)    

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I would recommend you find other hitting coaches that would be willing to look at his video. I am betting that there is either some mechanical change that has taken place either naturally or prescribed  by a coach that is effecting his ability to make solid contact or he has always has had a flaw that is going to be more apparent as pitching velocity increases. Having success in a cage or batting practice has little to do with success at the plate...especially as pitching velocity increases. If you son has any flaws in his swing, his at bats are only going to get more difficult as the pitching gets better. IMO...don't put all your eggs in one basket with one hitting coach is you are not seeing results.

MidAtlanticDad posted:

Have you had his vision checked lately?
Why did you use the term "yips"?

A vision check is always a good thought (and he's due next month), but since he's hitting in the cage and at practice, I don't think that is it.

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.

Does he take any pre-game batting practice? Perhaps some pre-game tee, side toss and live pitch BP can help. Also, is he using any type of relaxation technique? If not, prior to stepping into the box, he should pick out a small point on the bat (small number, letter or mark).  While focusing on that point, take a deep breath then exhale. This will help him clear "inside or outside noise" that may be affecting his concentration.  Reset with this technique if he goes deep into the count, fouls off pitches or starts to feel nervous during the at bat. Also, make sure he has a good game plan for his at bats (should not be taking decent first pitch strikes etc.). Hopefully this helps.

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.

I was also going to say have is vision checked just to rule it out. (Which I see you are doing). Depending on the speed of the pitches he is see in the cage, it may be why he is hitting better there. Slower pitches will give more time for his eyes to pick up the ball, focus on it, and make better contact. I have seen this with a middle school level player. Cage great, games not so good. Had his eyes checked, got contacts, now hitting at game the same as he does in the cage.

 

I echo many of the ideas suggested so far.

I'll also share some unusual advice given to me when I really struggled at the plate (happened way more than I care to admit). This came from a player a couple years ahead of me who had an illustrious MLB career.

His suggestion? Pretend you have a hit and run on and slash the ball the other way. His reasoning?

He said when you're pressing, you get anxious and tend to leap out after the ball. Thinking about taking it the other way, as if the coach gave you a hit and run and you want to hit behind the runner, makes you stay back, letting the ball travel. This approach also gives you a game plan instead of merely having the negative thought of "please let me make contact" running through your head. 

Please keep in mind that this doesn't mean you have to swing at the pitch (as in a real hit and run)...you are looking for a good (outside optimally) fastball to aggressively slash the other way.

This isn't a universal fix, but it worked very well for me and many other teammates. Your son sounds very talented. I'm sure he'll struggle through and be an even better player on the other side of this.

I have seen this phenomenon. In my experience, it has been an issue of the kid "guessing" at the pitch instead of actually tracking it with his eyes. Solved it with soft-toss from the side, using 2 balls thrown from the same hand. Just as I'm releasing, I tell him which one to hit (top or bottom, as balls are stacked in my hand). I've also used the very small balls that have different color numbers on them. Batter has to call out the number or color before swinging. I think that works better, but those things really fly, and could get through a net.

-42

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.

Lots of good suggestions here...I'll add one more.  Give him a reason to believe that the slate has been wiped clean and he is starting fresh.  Whether its a new instructor, a change in stance, a gain in strength or anything else - provide him with a reason to believe that now is a different time and what has gone on before is meaningless.

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