Hitting slump breakout ideas

Hey Tequila... I'll base this on him saying he feels like his mechanics are off.  A few suggestions, depending on his resources...

If you happen to have any video clips of his swing earlier in the season, take a few now and let him compare.  The objective is to have him identify one minor difference and let him focus on that for a few cage rounds.  Or, similarly, if there is an instructor he has worked with, send him in for a short tune-up.  This will often result in the same - identifying one small aspect that has changed or slipped.  This is the "don't tell him" part - even if that small thing has nothing to do with the "slump", it is a tool to break any negative thought train and focus on a positive flush.

Then, come game day, he needs to make sure he has his usual specific focused attack plan for each pitch, whatever that is for him. This is a great test for him for next level where he will be challenged with failure frequently.  Staying positive and proactive regardless of the obstacle will pay off.  Letting negativity/doubts creep in will assure continued decline.  Chris Davis seemed to handle this so well during his recent record slump and he came out of it in a big way.

I will add... when one of our players slumped and we were seeing good pitching regularly, it was very common that the one minor thing was timing/balance - getting the front foot down on time. 

If none of this works, get the chicken. 

Does he run well? If so, how is his bunting for hits. Just getting on base is a confidence boost. Sometimes just gaining confidence changes mental approach and aggressiveness affecting mechanics at the plate.

When my son was a preteen he could bunt for hits every time up if he so desired.  But I wanted him swinging away. When he got in high school I told him if the third baseman is positioned in certain places it’s a free double with a bunt and stealing second. 

Four bunt hits over the season was worth fifty points in batting average with seventy-five at bats. Soph year six bunt hits was the difference (about eighty points) between a decent batting average and all conference. 

cabbagedad posted:

 

If you happen to have any video clips of his swing earlier in the season, take a few now and let him compare.  The objective is to have him identify one minor difference and let him focus on that for a few cage rounds.  Or, similarly, if there is an instructor he has worked with, send him in for a short tune-up.  This will often result in the same - identifying one small aspect that has changed or slipped.  This is the "don't tell him" part - even if that small thing has nothing to do with the "slump", it is a tool to break any negative thought train and focus on a positive flush.

^^^This.

I'll do this with my son from time-to-time, even if it's a single game if he rolls over a couple times or pops up.  He'll put a video clip along side a clip he considers his ideal swing and he'll single step through both.  It helps if they are from similar angles.  In almost every case he'll see a small mechanical change.  It's important that he discovers it because he'll know how to fix it and he's motivated to work on it.   I've found that focusing on a mechanical problem keeps the issue from becoming a confidence problem.

I saw an interview with Dave Winfield years ago and he was asked how he works out of slumps.  He said the best way to get out of a slump is to prepare in advance by taking video when he was hitting great.  He also kept a notebook of how he felt at the time, what he did to prepare, and what was going through his mind as he entered the box.  When he hit a slump, he brought out the notebook and the video.

cabbagedad posted:

Hey Tequila... I'll base this on him saying he feels like his mechanics are off.  A few suggestions, depending on his resources...

If you happen to have any video clips of his swing earlier in the season, take a few now and let him compare.  The objective is to have him identify one minor difference and let him focus on that for a few cage rounds.  Or, similarly, if there is an instructor he has worked with, send him in for a short tune-up.  This will often result in the same - identifying one small aspect that has changed or slipped.  This is the "don't tell him" part - even if that small thing has nothing to do with the "slump", it is a tool to break any negative thought train and focus on a positive flush.

Then, come game day, he needs to make sure he has his usual specific focused attack plan for each pitch, whatever that is for him. This is a great test for him for next level where he will be challenged with failure frequently.  Staying positive and proactive regardless of the obstacle will pay off.  Letting negativity/doubts creep in will assure continued decline.  Chris Davis seemed to handle this so well during his recent record slump and he came out of it in a big way.

I will add... when one of our players slumped and we were seeing good pitching regularly, it was very common that the one minor thing was timing/balance - getting the front foot down on time. 

If none of this works, get the chicken. 

 

I agree with the video to see what has changed. I know when I pull out the camera at every game and sit it on the tripod everyone is thinking, here he goes getting highlights. I video every at bat and every pitch at my sons request. They study them like football players study film to see what they did right or wrong and my son that catches uses it to see how a batter reacted to the pitch that was thrown, or how he can improve his pitch calling. One son is hitting really well and the other is just kind of mediocre. It shows which one actually studies every AB.

Thanks for the replies folks! Video is a great idea that has not escaped me. I typically video when he asks and the only time he has this season has been for this throw-downs . Having videoed hours and hours of footage over his first three seasons in HS (plus summer ball) I must admit that I've slacked quite a bit in that area with where he's at now. I guess I'd better get to it!

.321 isn't exactly horrible....

In general, simplifying things helps.  Less movement.  Less thinking.  Looking for fastballs in one zone.

RJM posted:

Does he run well? If so, how is his bunting for hits. Just getting on base is a confidence boost. Sometimes just gaining confidence changes mental approach and aggressiveness affecting mechanics at the plate.

When my son was a preteen he could bunt for hits every time up if he so desired.  But I wanted him swinging away. When he got in high school I told him if the third baseman is positioned in certain places it’s a free double with a bunt and stealing second. 

Four bunt hits over the season was worth fifty points in batting average with seventy-five at bats. Soph year six bunt hits was the difference (about eighty points) between a decent batting average and all conference. 

Thanks RJM. He runs fairly well – I think his last timed 60 was a year and a half ago and was a (hand-timed) 7.02 – but he's historically not been signaled to bunt for hits often. I'm not sure if his HS coaches give him the green light to do that but I suspect that bunting would be one of the last things to cross his mind as an option if left up to him. I might need to have him look into that a bit more.

If the third baseman starts to play up for the possibility of the bunt his fielding angle is diminished on hard grounders. 

3and2Fastball posted:

.321 isn't exactly horrible....

In general, simplifying things helps.  Less movement.  Less thinking.  Looking for fastballs in one zone.

Good call on that 3and2. Not being a baseball guy, but having played golf competitively, my inclination is to believe that he's simply thinking too much. I know that was very detrimental to my swing when it happened. Most of my good tournament rounds I can't recall much about how my swing felt at all. I also think when his Ks have happened he looks to be slightly behind but that's probably a different issue. Thanks for the input!

Mike Diaz, former Pirates MLB and I operated several baseball clinics in Santa Rosa.

Mike, a right handed hitter would discuss his method in getting "back on track".

He would remove the LF in his mind and focus left center to the right field foul line.

In taking photos of hitters take the "lower" half and then the "upper" half of the hitter body. The lower half can be "out of control" and upper half "in control" there fore effecting the total swing.

Bob

tequila posted:

3and2Fastball posted:

.321 isn't exactly horrible....

In general, simplifying things helps.  Less movement.  Less thinking.  Looking for fastballs in one zone.

Good call on that 3and2. Not being a baseball guy, but having played golf competitively, my inclination is to believe that he's simply thinking too much. I know that was very detrimental to my swing when it happened. Most of my good tournament rounds I can't recall much about how my swing felt at all. I also think when his Ks have happened he looks to be slightly behind but that's probably a different issue. Thanks for the input!

Good hitters use muscle memory.  Baseball homework is to break down the swing mechanics step by step, without a ball, slow swings.  Practice on each mechanic step by step.  Do this every night before going to sleep.  Worry about mechanics while in the box can make it difficult to succeed.  You definitely want a plan stepping in, but not thinking mechanics.  Unless the pitcher is throwing 90+ heat, being slightly behind can possibly be a function of thinking too much at the plate.  Keep it simple

Batting average is so arbitrary. Your son is a bright kid, right? Does he have detailed data about his ABs? Does he track hard hit balls? That's about the only thing he controls for balls in play. If his K rate is up, is he facing better pitching? Has coach asked him to go deeper in counts? Facing more lefties? Sometimes an objective analysis can take some of the emotion out of the equation.

In my experience, things aren't usually as bad as they appear, and focusing on AVG can give you a false sense of insecurity.

MidAtlanticDad posted:

In my experience, things aren't usually as bad as they appear, and focusing on AVG can give you a false sense of insecurity.

No doubt about that! Last season his avg tanked very shortly after he found out what it was (mid-way through the season). Consequently, we decided not to worry about that this season but all the players have access to the gamechanger data and I think it's really hard for them not to look at it.

Yes he's a bright kid but nobody is out there filming every at bat. Maybe the coaches are taking notes, I'm not sure, but your comment about emotion being in the equation is very helpful because I do think there is some of that going on right now. He just seems to get mad, and down, and goes and pounds balls, which could be exacerbating the situation. I also don't think there's a lot of work going on with the hitters, which is unfortunate, but this is really his deal at this point so I just try to help when I see a window. I may try to take some notes myself during these next few games and see what kind of data we can get. As always, thanks for your input!

High school seasons are fairly short. He might even be able to go back through his schedule and recall most of the ABs. Note the HHBs. Categorize the pitchers (LHP/RHP, velo). Note the "hits" that actually should have been outs. Note the hard LDs that were hit right at the OFer. If he's so inclined, it might be a useful exercise for him. 

MidAtlanticDad posted:

High school seasons are fairly short. He might even be able to go back through his schedule and recall most of the ABs. Note the HHBs. Categorize the pitchers (LHP/RHP, velo). Note the "hits" that actually should have been outs. Note the hard LDs that were hit right at the OFer. If he's so inclined, it might be a useful exercise for him. 

Great idea! I know he's hit quite a few very hard, right into a fielder's glove but I'm sure there are those that were recorded as hits where the fielder actually had a glove on the ball as well.

BUNT BUNT BUNT. It worked for Hammerin" Hank AAron.

Just to see the ball better and it also shakes things up.

Don't worry about the 3rd baseman, he still has to make a play: And bunt to 1st is an option.

RMJ is on the money.

Practicing Bunts in the cage is easy as well for proficiency.

Is he just not getting hits or objectively hitting the ball worse?

If he hits the ball hard that is the only thing he can control. Really the best goal you can have is to try to hit two balls per game hard. If you do that you will have great numbers in the end, don't worry about the outcome.

And unless he has inherited a big flaw in season don't worry about mechanics in season. Most slumps are not mechanical albeit there are exceptions when a major thing in the swing goes wrong.

Maybe post a video here or send some DMs if you don't want it publicly out there. 

Question:

Does the hitter desire a "longer" look at the ball? Does he "crowd the plate or move off"? Many hitters in a "slump" crept closer to the plate. When I discuss hitting with Willie, he revealed that his knowledge of the pitcher, the conditions of the field, the weather influenced his personal game plan.

Bob

Jose Altuve:

I used to take mine to the cage - but I had to wait for him to ask for help.  Any unsolicited suggestions usually got a version of "I'm fine...leave me alone" 

Go to the 75MPH tunnel...set the plate up so the pitch is on the outside corner or an inch off the edge.  Work on hitting  line drives into the opposite field net i.e. the right side for Righty and left side for a lefty.  Focus on staying in and driving through the ball the other way.  Stay positive - with a lot of "that's it", "good", "feel better?" kind of chatter when good contact happens.  If they get frustrated then come with the "battle", "gotta stay with it" or my favorite - "you know how to hit".

Then reset the plate so the ball is over the middle and work on driving it right back at the machine.

Do not leave the cages until he is clearly feeling better than when you got there even if it takes 200 swings. 

When the game starts look middle out and drive the other way or back up the middle.  Do not try to pull the ball. 

It usually did not to take long for line drives to return - and with them confidence - end of slump. 

Dominik85 posted:

Is he just not getting hits or objectively hitting the ball worse?

Maybe post a video here or send some DMs if you don't want it publicly out there. 

Hate to say but I think there's a little bit of both going on. His hard hit balls seem to be mostly on the ground so some get through and others do not. He's been working on staying back more to get some elevation as it looks to us like his spine is more straight up and down coming through than tilted back if that makes sense. Other ABs he just looks weak when he fans one or gets himself in trouble early and is forced to be less selective. I'll try to get some video in tomorrows game and maybe put it out here. Thanks for the input!

Consultant posted:

Question:

Does the hitter desire a "longer" look at the ball? Does he "crowd the plate or move off"?

Bob

I haven't noticed him moving closer to the plate but I also haven't been able to focus on each and every AB with all the other things that a small group of us parents seem to be tasked with at many of the games. I rarely just get to sit and watch my him play uninterrupted . I'm going to try to pay close attention over the next couple of games and get some video. Thanks for the reply!

This probably won't help much but this morning I worked with one of our hitters who has gone into a mini slump.  She is popping everything up.  So, I showed up with donuts and we talked hitting.  She took some swings on some drills that I identified long ago that she benefited from.  We ate another doughnut.  We hit some front toss.  Talked.  Threw some more front toss.  She got a drink.  Then, to the machine which was set up at 52 mph at 30 feet.  She absolutely raked!  

Am I a genus?   NOPE!  The doughnut and talk were really important.  She mentioned at one point that she can't even sleep she thinks about the slump so much.  She said that she is hearing comments from parents that bother her.  She said that she needed a little one on one coaching without the team there so that I could just focus on her.  When the team showed up, she kept hitting.  Will it help in a game?  I'm betting that the next team we play is in big trouble.  She hit the pitching machine 3 times in a row and if you think about 52 mph at 30 feet, that ball is coming in with some serious speed.