8u TB (Coach Pitch) Hitting Slump!!! HELP

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Jan 21, 2015
11
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Ok OK your probably asking yourself how can a coach pitch team be in a hitting slump? I don't get it either, we went from crushing the ball this fall and our first tournament this spring to the last two tournaments to nothing but, dinks and dunks. I keep up with all of our stats and we went from a Slugging % of 1.098 this past fall to %.734 in three tournaments this spring. I thought maybe it was my pitching but, I don't think it is, Wednesday at practice everyone was killing the ball again. However, this weekend... first pool game...we had 4 hits...4 now we did play a good team. 1st bracket game we lost and only put 4 runs. 2nd game we won 15-0 but, we played a team full of 07's and 12 of those 15 runs were dinks and dunks and the other team just couldn't field the ball. This morning 3rd game...lost 7-0 with only 6 hits in 5 innings.

I know in the cage we look good but, same principle as golfing and the driving range....can hit pretty shots all day on driving range but, step on course and spray everywhere.... I'm starting to get highly frustrated...any suggestions on how to break this funk?
 
May 6, 2014
532
16
Low and outside
I feel like the only time I should read "8U" and "slugging percentage" in the same post would be if you said, "My 8U team is very impressed with Mike Trouts's slugging percentage."
 
Jun 18, 2013
322
18
I feel like the only time I should read "8U" and "slugging percentage" in the same post would be if you said, "My 8U team is very impressed with Mike Trouts's slugging percentage."

This tells me that someone is taking things entirely too seriously. Even batting average is hard to track properly at 8U and now we are going to slugging percentage? Do you also calculate each kids VARP?

If the girls see that you are judging every at bat as crucial then they will too. 7 and 8 year old girls are not always ready to handle that level of pressure and still perform at the level that they do when they are in the cage or at practice and they don't feel like they are being scrutinized.
 
Nov 29, 2009
2,975
83
Blaze,

You are seriously over-the-top. At 8U they need to be learning the fundamentals of the game. Detailed stats are not necessary in coach pitch 8U. Tons and tons of instruction and positive reinforcement are the mainstays at that level. Results are waaaaay down the line in importance. They will come in time.

FWIW all teams at all levels have slumps or off weekends.
 

JJsqueeze

Dad, Husband....legend
Jul 5, 2013
5,436
38
safe in an undisclosed location
Blaze-Any sort of stats for 8U coach pitch are meaningless by definition and will not be of any use. At this age it is all about process and NOT about any sort of results, especially caring about wins and losses. If you teach them how to track a pitch and some basic swing timing and work on mechanical fundamentals then they will benefit in the long run.
 
Jun 27, 2011
5,089
0
North Carolina
I don't have a problem with the OP keeping stats or worrying about the hitting - as long as he's doing the other things that are being recommended. Some folks are just 'numbers guys'. They like to quantify.

First TB team that I coached was 10U, age 9, and I kept stats, including probably slugging. I can't recall. But players didn't feel pressure or scrutiny from it. Doubt they knew I was keeping it. Just helped me track progress. The most important job at this age is to nurture the players' enjoyment of the game, but that doesn't mean you can't try to make them better. If stats help, then us 'em.
 

JJsqueeze

Dad, Husband....legend
Jul 5, 2013
5,436
38
safe in an undisclosed location
When I say they are meaningless, I am referring to the fact that coach pitch has a pitcher that is trying to help the batter so it cannot possibly reflect on how well a hitter is doing. There are no balls or strikes, just a number of pitches (I am assuming) usually 3 in my experience. So any numbers generated from this will give zero info on how good a hitter is actually doing. Add in the fact that "ordinary effort" is a very nebulous thing in 8U and you get a situation where any hit ball is hard to judge. Unless there are fences and balls get hit over them, how do you judge a true home run in 8U? How do you judge a double or triple? Maybe keep track of solid/weak/no contact but that is about all you can do.
 
Jun 27, 2011
5,089
0
North Carolina
When I say they are meaningless, I am referring to the fact that coach pitch has a pitcher that is trying to help the batter so it cannot possibly reflect on how well a hitter is doing. There are no balls or strikes, just a number of pitches (I am assuming) usually 3 in my experience. So any numbers generated from this will give zero info on how good a hitter is actually doing. Add in the fact that "ordinary effort" is a very nebulous thing in 8U and you get a situation where any hit ball is hard to judge. Unless there are fences and balls get hit over them, how do you judge a true home run in 8U? How do you judge a double or triple? Maybe keep track of solid/weak/no contact but that is about all you can do.

Good points about the difficulty in scoring. I just wouldn't say that it's meaningless. I think there is merit in keeping track with how often players are getting on base and how often they're putting the ball in play. It can help you track progress and trends. Is slugging a bit much? Maybe. It's been a while since I coached or even watched 8U.
 
Jan 21, 2015
11
0
When I say they are meaningless, I am referring to the fact that coach pitch has a pitcher that is trying to help the batter so it cannot possibly reflect on how well a hitter is doing. There are no balls or strikes, just a number of pitches (I am assuming) usually 3 in my experience. So any numbers generated from this will give zero info on how good a hitter is actually doing. Add in the fact that "ordinary effort" is a very nebulous thing in 8U and you get a situation where any hit ball is hard to judge. Unless there are fences and balls get hit over them, how do you judge a true home run in 8U? How do you judge a double or triple? Maybe keep track of solid/weak/no contact but that is about all you can do.


Not sure what 8u yall play.. Girls strike out here and are done...no balls of course, you get 5 pitches, and then you have to swing everything. I use stats, the girls don't know stats, but, I use them to help with my line up. And Ill have you know, we have graphs and can see if a girl is slumping as well. Stats are useful for me when making a line up. I know a lot of people on here dog on 8u but, we take it pretty serious around here. We do teach fundamentals, really all that we do work on as far as team.

I was just wanting some suggestions to break us from this slump not a judgement on how we play. We talk up the girls constantly on their hitting...its not like they are reprimanded for hitting a dink or a dunk..atleast its not a strike out.
 

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