The mental part

My son has gone through similar situations. The biggest question is, how much as he grown lately?

The reason I ask this is, my son, who normally was a very good hitter and fielder started having problems. We were confused at first but then we realized he had grown nearly 6" in 6 months.

This fast growth caused a lot of problems and just recently he has begun to play "normally" again.

Maybe this is something to consider?

Ranger.... Thanks... Now that you mention it... he has grown 8 inches in the past 6 months!


He plays football so this was a good thing! He also wrestles and (obviously) is a baseball player so this is very dis concerting to us...

This is something we will keep in mind! Thanks again!

Another (possibly related) issue is fatigue. Slumps can be caused by minor mechanical changes brought on by being tired. The irony is that the usual "solution" is to take more cuts, do more tee work, etc, which only makes the fatigue worse. Taking three days off can sometimes be the best idea.

What you describe sounds as if it is not just a batting slump, but it still could be fatigue related, perhaps brought on by the extraordinary growth spurt.

Take him on a quick vacation for a couple days!

quote:

hitting the ball "at people"

this one raised a flag for me if his father thinks that is a mental breakdown. Is it possible dad is pushing him to hard?

quote:

Originally posted by baseballtoday:

quote:

hitting the ball "at people"

this one raised a flag for me if his father thinks that is a mental breakdown. Is it possible dad is pushing him to hard?

Wrong answer... He is pushing himself. Who said mental breakdown?

"Two strike approach"...

Norstar, I think baseballtoday is referring to your quote below:

quote:

Mental errors (picked off at first, wrong position during cutoffs...hitting the ball "at people".... ect)

Hitting the ball "at people" seems to be an example of a mental error on your son's part, since you listed it within the parentheses. It may not be how you intended to say it, but it comes across that way.

I agree with Rob. it could just be fatigue. Dont know what year in HS, but could he be worrying about producing etc etc for a college to notice him?
It is summer ball, they just came off a full HS schedule.They just finished school, their boys and growing they get tired. Mines 18 and he has been tired this summer. hes getting caught up but it was a long season. also remember its summer ball. just have fun.it should be relaxing. sometimes they put too much pressure on themselves. errors could be mental fatigue as well as thinking too much. again dont know whats on his mind. but a few days rest wouldnt hurt. after legion ball is over in mid july i told my son take three weeks off of all of it. just let your body rest and rejuvanate. anyway good luck

What does your son want to accomplish? Is he playing for fun or for a college scholarship or to go to the pros?

Motivation is key. My own son plays to win, so I know his motivation. To him, baseball is a game, and winning the game is the primary goal. When he does not win, it's like he pushes an imaginary button, like on an XBox machine, and clears the slate. Time for a new game. He knows he has a good chance at winning next time.

If my son progresses in baseball it will be because he continues to meet his objective - to win.

As a woman it is sometimes hard for me to understand that many men's goal is to win at whatever they are doing. It's about competition with others.

My suggestion in all of this is to determine whether your son's motivation to win is strong. If it is, he will overcome any deficiencies he has and reach the highest level possible. That means he will move on until other players overtake him based on better athletic skills. Or he reaches the top and wins the most, like Tiger Woods did today.

Eventually, every player must concede to someone who is better. At that point some quit while others continue on, waiting for their chance to win again against the odds.

Just my take on it.

I do not care how good a player a kid is there are going to be times they struggle. The best thing you can do as a parent is not talk about it all the time. Don't put additional pressure on them. They already put enough pressure on themselves. Talking about it , showing disgust , getting angry or frustrated will only add to the equation. Tell him to relax and have fun and you do the same thing. He will work himself out of it. Baseball is a game where you can go from the penthouse to the outhouse very quickly. The great thing is you can go from the outhouse to the penthouse just as quickly. When kids try too hard they struggle. When they start to struggle its like quick sand the more you fight it the faster you sink. Relax and support him. Praise him when he does good and find positives instead of negatives to talk about. jmho

I agree with Coach May.

On my son's team this HS season, our first baseman had a top tier D1 scholly, but from start to finish the regular season, he was in a horrific batting slump. This is a gifted kid, a great hitter, but he literally batted .040 over a 26 game season!

He was REALLY beating himself up. I had several conversations with his father over the course of the season. His dad is a very easygoing guy, and the best I could tell, he did nothing to add to his son's pressure.

I told him several times: "Talent will prevail. He will pull out of it." By the end of the regular season the poor kid was fit to be tied. It hung on him like a ton of bricks.

In our team's four game playoff run, he batted .467, hit a key HR, a couple doubles. Nothing seemed different. A complete mystery.

Baseball is a funny game!

These things just happen. I know a kid that is playing at a local major D1 right now. He signed with his college program before the start of his senior year. He then went out and hit around .150 for the year. Struggled the whole season. When he did hit it hard he hit it right at people. This year as a freshman he hit .320 in college.

You have to just play through it and not allow it to eat you up inside. You have to understand the game can be cruel and you are going to have periods of struggle. Its not if you will struggle its when and how long. Dont get too high when its going good and dont get down when its not. Sometimes you have to say " "it and go about your business.

There are worse things that can happen to your son. Believe me I think we all know that is true.

This saying is taped on my 16 yo son's mirror right at this moment, "Baseball is a game of failure, to be a winner be willing to fail 9 times out of 10."

Reading that has helped him thru many tough times! I believe alot of players and their parents have a hard time coping with the "failure" aspect of baseball. The one's that perservere are the player's that really love the game and are willing to keep playing tough and giving everything they have to the game even when it seem like the game isn't giving much back.