Alanj posted:Timely post. I would ask what you would tell your son to do on this. My son is playing middle school ball. Coach lets them bat and gives them 8 pitches. All over the place - over their heads in the dirt and so on. He tells them they must swing at them. He actually got upset with my son because he did not swing at one over his head. So how do you deal with that or is this a normal thing that happens in school ball?
Listening to my son, all I can say is HS practice is much different than his TB practice. In school they rely on the kids more and they set things up differently. Sometimes it is not very effective as the kids don't have the experience. They once took batting practice with overhand pitching from about 8 feet away. Another time they where working on hitting the ball opposite field. He pulled a hanger into the field bleachers. Coach's comment -- "nice ball, but doesn't count for this drill." 
So the kids just have to figure it all out and not get frustrated. When it is time to play a game, then play.