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10 replies

fear

N njbfrMember
I would say i have a fairly powerful swing for someone my size and build, but one thing has always held me back when i step in the box, fear. i am and always have been afraid of getting hit by a pitch. of course i been hit before and i know it doesn't really hurt that much, but i just can't get over it. i worry so much about getting out of the way of a ball that i often take weak swings with terrible results. anyone know of any tips or drills i can do to get over my fear? any help would be grealt appreciated. thanks
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MWR-VAMWR-VA1,000+ posts
njbfr...

When I played as a small boy, here's how our coach "broke us" from stepping away from the plate as you describe.

After stepping up to the plate, the coach would lay 5-6 bats behind the heels of your cleats. You can imagine what happens when you take a step backwards and step on those bats... You can now see the blue sky instead of the pitcher. It worked! clap
B baseball #110+ posts
Moving out of the way of somthing thrown at you is normal. But yon need to overcome it. One way to help is have a friend throw tennis balls at you and work on turning youre back to the ball. That and a lot of batting practice,like hitting off a tee,soft toss and live hitting will give you more confidence. Hitting a baseball is the hardest thing to do in sports so it needs the most work. Good Luck.
cvstingcvsting1,000+ posts
Another tip,

Practice the proper way to get out of the way.

Tuck the bat and head down and turn toward the backstop as you are dropping, the most the ball will do is hit you in the rear end (area of the most natural padding Smile) or just skip off of your back.

Another way would be to just fall flat on your back with the bat and face facing the backstop

Practice this to build confidence in your mind that you have a way out without risking serious injury.

CV
S Savannah100+ posts
I believe this is the most common problem with youth hitting. The reason it isn't identified as the #1 problem, is because kids never fess up to being afraid. You can't be a great hitter unless you are the agressor. You have to have the attitude that you are scaring the pitcher.

Then again, Al Kaline of the Detroit Tigers said he was afraid of the ball until retirement.
T TrueBlue10+ posts
It is not a fear that is not uncommon. Just be glad you aren't like my brother..who sometimes gets hit on purpose.. Eek ouch!



"The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt an erased again. But baseball has marked the time."

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