Stepping in the bucket - How to fix

Have him just do a heel lift for his trigger instead of a stride.  Probably need to widen his stance a little and then have him lift his heel off the ground with a slight knee bend inward to start the swing.  Have him set up and do this on a tee MANY MANY times to help change the muscle memory.  Then move to a flip toss from behind a screen and then move back to a full screen to build up to the change.

 

Honestly, the one thing I would do to help him overcome the fear of getting hit is mix in some indoor balls that are softer and just hit him on occasion when those balls come up.  I know some people will disagree with this method and they will have their own method but I've seen this one work.  It worked with me back in the day.

IMO if it is a fear thing, then he needs to get over that fear.  Teach him how to "get hit" by the pitch so he won't get injured.  Teach him to change his thought process from "what if I get hit" to "drive the ball" or something similar.  Good luck. 

I think Domingo Ayala had a good drill for that on YouTube

You've gotten good advice and I would also add that the single most effective thing with both my boys was to video their swing and show it to them.  Even if they knew what they were doing wrong, seeing it on video made a huge difference.  I find it really speeds the process of getting something corrected.

What eye is dominant? Go to U tube. Watch Willie Mays swing.

what do you see?

 

Bob

Getting hit is never fun. It may sound weird, but preparing yourself to get hit is simply another aspect you can practice. Start off with practice sponge balls and you throw at him, while he is standing at the plate with a bat and helmet on. Teach him to tuck his elbow into his ribs and rotate to throw his backside towards the ball. You throwing to him/at him will allow him to grow confidence in recognizing when a pitch is going to hit him or simply be inside. After he gets confident reacting to the sponge balls, graduate to tennis balls. Don't burn them in there, but no lobs either. Constantly remind him that getting hit is a small part of the game. It's not fun, but it doesn't happen too often either. Once he gets over the fear, he will become a lot more successful at the plate.

Thanks for the advice guys. Very consistant with each other. My oldest son recommended the video as well. Have "coaches eye" so will do that. Heard about but never did the throwing at him ideas. Sounds pretty simple yet may be just what he needs. Will keep you posted.

I would add doing a lot of short front toss away, which prevents a hitter from opening up too much/too early. 

Here is something else I have had success with for younge hitters bailing with the front (or back) foot...

Get a box about the size of a printer paper box - should be somewhat weighted.  (laying down a full ball bucket works in a pinch).  Place it behind his stride foot.  Throw short front toss middle and away.  He shoud feel the box on the back of his heel as he strides straight forward.  The box prevents the front foot from bailing.  The control of short front toss takes away the concern of tripping over the box with innacurate pitches. 

There is a recent thread that bashes the bat behind the feet but I have found the box to be quite effective.  

 

Regarding fear of getting hit, also teach him that the proper inward roll will result in hitting the large muscles like the lats, glutes and back of thigh where the worst result is just a bruise (and chicks dig bruises).  That said, be sure to put much more emphasis and time toward an aggressive hitting mindset vs the proper way to wear one.  There is a game I used to play with my own kids, even at 13, where I would pitch foam balls to them in the back yard with them facing the house and fairly close to it.  I would offer $5 if they could break one of the windows.  Maybe fifty cents if they could hit me before I could get my hand up.  This really encouraged an aggressive hitting approach.  Of course it did take several failed attempts on the windows before my wife was OK with it. 

Too funny. He literally steps in a bucket

Thanks for the chuckle d8

If you want to work balance and a more even stride. Try making one of these.

Hi!

 

You are correct. Your son is facing mental issue. However, baseball hitting drills can help, but to be specific, try the Broom Trick Drill. Place a broom to the left of your son's foot. Once he steps on the bristle end of the broom, he'll instantly know that he has stepped in the bucket. This is an old way of correcting stepping in the bucket, but I still find it very useful. 

It's very hard to teach "don't fear".  My son did the same all through little league and it drove me bonkers.  I tried everything but couldn't get him to shake the fear.  When he transitioned to the big field, the fear went away for some reason.  Now he crowds the plate and often gets hit.  I guess what I'm trying to say is, if he loves baseball, he'll grow out of it in time.

 

Fortunately, or for my son I guess you could say unfortunately, he has never feared getting hit by a pitch because I frequently came in tight or hit him when I was throwing bp to him.  I wasn't throwing gas, but he did get used to getting plunked. Absolutely unintentional on my part, but it does explain why I was never allowed to pitch as a kid. 

I do agree that if you believe the problem is fear, then working on turning inward to protect from the ball, as opposed to turning out or jumping away, is the way to go.

 

With youth players, though, sometimes they really just don't realize what they are doing, or sometimes they do not do well with translating spoken instructions into physical movements.  The board setup depicted above is pretty much what I've used in the past.  If you don't feel like a carpenter, taking the standard picnic table bench and turning it on its side behind his feet (once he's in his stance) works.  Cinderblocks also work.

 

When you use those, a player who's stepping out or spinning off will fall on his backside.  The embarrassment factor leads to an immediate correction in a way that no amount of coach's jawboning can accomplish.