What to tell struggeling hitter

I had a kid like this in 10U travel. I told him I wasn't going to have him pick my lottery numbers and definitely get away from me when lightning strikes. The kid got it, laughed, lightened up, plugged away and the hits started falling. The point was I didn't want him to change a thing. Everything was fine with his hitting except the ball had radar for the defense.

I had a LL pitcher who got too tense on the mound. I walked to the mound, stared him in the eyes and said, "Boogers! Big, slimey, green boogers." The kid started laughing to kill himself. It was not what he expected from an adult coach. Then I smiled, said "Stop laughing and pitch" and left the field.

Sometimes all they need is something to lighten them up.

Golfman

My son (now 18 and a senior) went through the same sort of slump around the same age. In part due to a growth spurt. He was hitting the ball hard but it almost always seemed to be right at the defense.

As long as his swing mechanics are good, I wouldn't change a thing. In my son's case it was also a timing issue. He eventually came out of it and the hits began to come - just about the time he made the JV squad. He's had slumps from time to time but all batters go through it. His average is about .450 through 14 games.

Just hang in there and have fun. Remember it's just a game.

quote:

The thing is he is hitting the ball hard but right at the fielders for the out.

As a coach this kid is not struggling. If he is not making good contact and striking out he is struggling. As a coach I was not one to look at batting avgs etc. I knew who was hitting the ball hard and who is not. Look at a box score and you might see a kid o-3 and a kid 2-3. The kid o-3 hit the ball hard all three times and the kid 2-3 hit a blooper and a dribbler down the line and stuck out looking.

As far as what to tell him I would say to a kid who hit the ball right at somebody " thats why they have gloves"

"If it aint broke....don't fix it". I would just reinforce everything he is doing right and tell him to keep swinging away, that eventually he'll get his.

I like the advise above. When my son was 12-13 he went through the same thing. Even now HS he has a 2-3 game funk each year but understands it better.

Problem at the youth level is that the batting average is talked about way too much.You cant control how good the defense is and most kids cant control where they hit the ball. My son was always told by his travel coach that it is "The Law of Averages" That if you are hitting the ball hard it will all work out to whatever your norml average is. The coach actually sat him down one time and explained the "law" as it was actually a real law of baseball. Boy believed it and a week later at a weekend tourney everything he hit found a hole and it all worked out.

Good Luck

quote:

Originally posted by BBoy400:
I like the advise above. When my son was 12-13 he went through the same thing. Even now HS he has a 2-3 game funk each year but understands it better.

Problem at the youth level is that the batting average is talked about way too much.You cant control how good the defense is and most kids cant control where they hit the ball. My son was always told by his travel coach that it is "The Law of Averages" That if you are hitting the ball hard it will all work out to whatever your norml average is. The coach actually sat him down one time and explained the "law" as it was actually a real law of baseball. Boy believed it and a week later at a weekend tourney everything he hit found a hole and it all worked out.

Good Luck

I too like the advice already given, and I agree that BA is given way to much value. But rather than characterize its being wrongly valued at only the youth level, I’d say it was something that takes place all through baseball, and is a consequence of ignorance, be it a player, a coach, a parent, or a fan. But one has to keep in mind that for well over 100 years, BA was really the only batting statistic people could see that measured the players against each other. There was also HRs and RBIs that made up the triple crown, but for the masses, BA was and still is the only measure most people ever see of hitters.

There are a lot more stat wonks today than ever before, but most people look in the sports page and see the same old leaders, top 10 BA, HRs, RBIs, SBs, ERA, wins, and maybe Ks in each league. But in a way its really ok. Its what keeps the “REAL” game secret.

Golfman- That is a good problem to have. Good at-bats are the most important thing for a hitter. Hits will come if he keeps hitting the ball hard. If a hitter begins worrying about his batting average, that is when he will begin to make unnecessary adjustments and pressing too much.

I'd advise taking a look at www.qualityatbats.com. Some good info on this exact subject.

golfman,

If anyone figures out a solution I bet the best hitter of the past decade would like to know. Maybe showing the struggling hitter Albert Pujols stats this year will make him understand it can happen to anyone. You just keep playing!

"Swing for the Castle, don't worry about the Outhouse"

RJM, what a great way to loosen the mood! My son's favorite catcher did that just other night for him. He was pitching and struggling bad, couldn't find the strike zone and when he did they hit him. long story short, he started game, got rocked (gave up 12 runs in 2 1/3 innings), came out, we got hot tied the game 16-16 and at end of 9 was suspended because of darkness. 2 days later, I get to field to watch them complete the game and my son is on the hill (LORD KNOWS WHY, that is a different thread). anyways top of 1st inning that night gave up 2 run homer. we ended up losing. He was very upset, (held it together until he got in the car), wouldn't talk etc. He happened to have a school project he needed to go work on with his catcher after game. When he got there, his friend loked at him and said "dude, that was a bomb! I don't think it has still landed. then grinned at him. My son jsut relaxed right there and laughed. Next game, he went back to pitching well.

Keep a separate batting average for balls hit hard.Line drives ,hard grounders.if the BA for hard hit balls is HIGH as it will be if the player is stroking the ball well.

I beleive the Oakland A's used this system.

My son a senior in collgee, he always loooks at how he hit the ball.You can go 0-4 with 4 line drives right at people,you can go 4-4 with infield slow singles or bloops.That is why batting average is so deceitful at times.

Sometimes when you are hitting the ball hard,and you get a bloop single,it makes up for the ten that you hit to the warning track.

So much of hitting is mental, and a lot is luck sometimes.If the player has a good swing,proper mechanics and recognizes the pitches, and hits the ball hard every at bat,that isnt a SLUMP.

But when it happens for a long period of time it can get in the HEAD.Then you can have a little slump as then many times the player will start to press.

Same appraoch every at bat: Work on having an approach if you dont yet.

As others have said, it does not sound like he is really struggling if he is hitting it hard.

I'd tell him that he is fortunate to get this early opportunity to learn something most players don't learn until later and some never get: to distinguish between having a good at bat and getting a hit. If he can start understanding that now, it will serve him well in the years to come.

The other night I watched Hunter Pence hit a bleeder into RF as the 2B was playing up the middle for a single. Ball barely made it into the OF. his next AB he smoked a line drive that the SS made a leaping web gem catch on. He'll take the hit of course but I bet he likes the stroke he was out on better.

quote:

Originally posted by Will:

quote:

The thing is he is hitting the ball hard but right at the fielders for the out.

As a coach this kid is not struggling. If he is not making good contact and striking out he is struggling. As a coach I was not one to look at batting avgs etc. I knew who was hitting the ball hard and who is not. Look at a box score and you might see a kid o-3 and a kid 2-3. The kid o-3 hit the ball hard all three times and the kid 2-3 hit a blooper and a dribbler down the line and stuck out looking.

As far as what to tell him I would say to a kid who hit the ball right at somebody " thats why they have gloves"

Outstanding advice.

The key in baseball is hitting the ball hard. You cannot control the results after that. Sometimes, all it takes is a blooper hit to start a hot streak. Encourage him to keep hitting it hard and assure him that if he does, he will be doing his job. Don't tie batting average into his mental well-being. Steve Springer has some great CD's on quality at bats versus batting average.

Thanks for all the imput.

One thing I did ask him was what percentage did he think he was actually hitting the ball. His reply was about 50%. When I told him that it was closer to 70% (ok, I fibbed a few % points) his eyes lit up and he couldn't believe it. We then went out and hit.

I also noticed that he has almost as many walks to start the year as he did all of last year (about 10 so far vs. 15 last year). He is being more selective, but hates to walk.

I'm hoping for good things for him as the weather warms up.

When I see our players or parents getting their panties in a bunch because of BA, I make sure they look at the following.

Go to http://www.infosports.com/scor...images/batting12.pdf Go down to the 10th page, “Batting Average on Balls in Play” and look at the metrics through the next 9 pages.

The problem is only that people don’t understand what’s important and what isn’t. Once they have a new perspective, the way they feel about performance usually does too.

Just a thought - worked for my son. When you are in a "slump" it is all the more important to have a plan for every at bat. Know what you need to do - get on - advance the runner - sac fly - bunt. Sometimes the additional focus is very helpful. If your have been lining out - knowing that a ground ball to the right side of the field will produce the desired result may be just the ticket.

May not be your son - but I have also seen multiple kids that grow into this gap where a max effort hit always seems to be hit to the depth that the average outfielder plays. Thus a well hit ball is VERY likely to be caught. Frustrating but just a phase if they keep growing and getting stronger.

I saw a statistic once based on the type of hit vs. batting average. Line drives = .700, grounders = .350, and fly balls = .100 or something along those lines.

That being said, a 12-year old with lots of Ks and a low BA says one of three things to me: a big kid with an uppercut swing, a hitch in the swing that slows down the bat and cause him to be overmatched by the better pitchers, or poor eyesight.

I generally told the kids "low and hard" and you have done your job as a hitter.

The ground ball thing might be true for 12 year olds, but ground balls are exactly what most pitchers want to see. No long balls on the ground! Ground balls should never be the goal for a hitter. Unless they are able to beat a lot of them out.

Golfman, if he isn't striking out a lot I wouldn't worry too much. The important thing is he is putting the ball in play.

Well he had a good week, so I think things are turning for him. Had a couple of line drives in the gaps -- one for a double. Add a few more walks and he spent a lot of time on base. The confidence is comming back.

It is really about perspective. In his mind he was "struggeling." When you looked at it more objectively -- contact made, strike outs, walks, hits, hard hit balls, etc. it was a different picture. I think the two eye openers for him where the approx 70% making contact and the amount of walks. Getting on base helps the mind.

As for ground balls, against most of the teams my son plays against, they are outs. I prefer hitters that drive the ball out of the infield. Thanks all.

The 1st goal should always be to recognize a strike from a ball. After that, a hitter has to realize that if he doesn’t swing, he has no chance of getting a hit. Once he makes that decision, he has to be able to make contact, and once contact is made, he has to run to 1st as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, a lot of folks try to skip over steps or place less importance on them than they should.

Good to hear that your son finally got some good days. My younger one is struggling at times as well and I would ask him about the quality at bat. If he is hitting it square and hard, that's a good at bat. The last game, he was thrown out three times and he was very sure that coach will put him back to number 9th spot, from being a lead off. I asked how close were you to the 1st base. Two times beaten by 3/4 of a step and the last one was by 1/4 step to 1st base. I told him that if the fielder took an additional half a step to throw the ball, or hesitated for a moment, you would have been safe. Then it clicked in his mind, pretty good at bat. Sometimes, they just need some reassurance.

IMO, too much 'analysis' for the age group we're talking about here.

Seriously, I have seen fathers drive very good baseball playing sons out of the game forever with their over-analysis at this age.

Some of the very best father-son 'coaching lessons' with my own boys were the days where I didn't say a thing about the bad day, slump, whatever.

Please...take it easy and let your sons enjoy the game. I know you'll say they are, but just be careful not to overdo it on a 12-year old hitting slump. Please.

quote:

Originally posted by justbaseball:
IMO, too much 'analysis' for the age group we're talking about here.

Seriously, I have seen fathers drive very good baseball playing sons out of the game forever with their over-analysis at this age.

Some of the very best father-son 'coaching lessons' with my own boys were the days where I didn't say a thing about the bad day, slump, whatever.

Please...take it easy and let your sons enjoy the game. I know you'll say they are, but just be careful not to overdo it on a 12-year old hitting slump. Please.

Geez ya think??...Relax and let 'em have fun...plenty of time to serious up!

Glad to report that coach put my younger son again as a lead off again yesterday and to my surprise, he hit a HR with a 1-2 count. Haven't thank the coach for the faith he has on son but I will when I have a chance. It's much sweeter after all the bad days and slump.

quote:

Originally posted by justbaseball:
IMO, too much 'analysis' for the age group we're talking about here.

Seriously, I have seen fathers drive very good baseball playing sons out of the game forever with their over-analysis at this age.

Some of the very best father-son 'coaching lessons' with my own boys were the days where I didn't say a thing about the bad day, slump, whatever.

Please...take it easy and let your sons enjoy the game. I know you'll say they are, but just be careful not to overdo it on a 12-year old hitting slump. Please.

I probably wasn't all that clear in my first post -- I don't think his was struggeling. He was hitting the ball hard, just not getting the "hit." Thus, the mind of a 12 YO -- he's "failing." It was affecting his having fun.

So what do you tell him? I was looking for ideas to put it to perspective for a 12 YO. When I showed him that he was making contact almost 70% of the time and on pace to triple his BB, I think he saw the light.