Hitting slump & KCs

[Cannonball]

This ^^^, is very much related to this...


Developing a good mental approach takes work just like the physical/mechanical aspects of the swing.

At the age of 9, one of the topics of discussion I had with my DD was about attitude/swagger in the box. You might not have a lot of confidence in yourself at the moment, but why let the pitcher know? If you're in the box looking timid and unsure, the pitcher's confidence goes up. If you're in the box with strong and positive body language, looking like you can't wait to crush the ball, the pitcher might not feel so confident. Even if you aren't so sure on the inside, step into the box like you're the best hitter on that field. Fake it. Fake it well enough that everyone on the field believes it. Sometimes a pre-setup routine helps - tap the outside corners of the plate with the bat, wiggle your rear foot into the dirt, or anything else that triggers a "I'm going to crush the ball" attitude.

As for approach to the actual pitch, the video that FFS posted is excellent. I have quoted/paraphrased the heart of Enquist's speech from that video with every player I have coached. You HAVE to expect that EVERY pitch is going to be one to hit, and get the body prepared to deliver a good swing on time.

Mig demonstrates it beautifully...

Every pitch, his body starts the same, well before he knows where the pitch will be. He doesn't wait to see if it's good before he starts the process - he doesn't have enough time. A good hitter expects to be swinging the bat on every pitch.

This is a top notch post!

 

[rdbass]

I made a gif of the HR from June:

Don't say this much but, for now leave her swing alone. A lot to like in this 9 yr old swing. I would keep an eye on the dropping of the hands. Might need to be addressed as the pitching gets better. Again JMHO and not a top notch post.

 

[Eric F]

OK, and here's one full at bat with several fouls, a ball, and striking out looking.

https://youtu.be/aooCrXbpZww

That last pitch was on the outside edge. I'm betting your DD thought it was a ball all the way. Sure, she could have been more aggressive, but those things happen, even with the best batters in the game.

Another thing I worked on with my DD about that age was getting her to understand the difference between the strike zone and her hitting zone. Let the pitcher and umpire worry about the strike zone. The hitter needs to be thinking about their "hitting zone", and that zone will change depending on the count. With zero strikes, the hitter should be looking for (and expecting!) their perfect pitch in a zone not much bigger than a dinner plate. If the pitcher delivers it, you'd better be ready for it! With 2 strikes that zone grows to be anything you can make decent contact with.

To help my DD understand about her hitting zone, on a tee, I started moving the ball around from off the plate inside to off the plate outside, from below the knees to chest high, outside the entire perimeter of the strike zone. I had my DD hit multiple balls at each tee location as hard as she could. This helped turn on the lightbulb in her head that she had the ability to make contact in a big area. With 2 strikes, a cue of "big hitting zone" reminded her of the tee work, and what she was capable of doing. Her attitude with 2 strikes improved significantly, very quickly.

 

[Cannonball]

I made a gif of the HR from June:

Don't say this much but, for now leave her swing alone. A lot to like in this 9 yr old swing. I would keep an eye on the dropping of the hands. Might need to be addressed as the pitching gets better. Again JMHO and not a top notch post.

You make a lot of "Top Notch Posts."

 

[rdbass]

You make a lot of "Top Notch Posts."

I was just joking with you. Your kind to say. I know I'm a man of few words. I speak in gifs. This way I don't get in too much trouble with my 'words/critics'.

 

[Cannonball]

RD, I think that by now, we have a pretty good grasp of what we both think/do. BTW, I'm going to make some drastic changes. I'm putting a shock collar on and when I say certain cues, I'm going to get the heck shocked out of me. To be sure, I'm avoiding playgrounds. LOL

 

[_MIA_]

I think she has a really nice swing for a 9 year old. Best hitters in the world go into slumps and the coaches shouldn't make a big deal out
out of it IMHO. If she is having a hard time pulling the trigger maybe she needs to go up there with only 1 swing thought for a while...find
a decent pitch and hit the snot out of it...

 

[grcsftbll]

Thanks everyone. I think part of the mental issue is a reaction to the pressure. She has a very cool head in the circle but the pressure gets to her a bit more in the batter's box. I think in PCB I'm just going to tell her to swing the bat at hittable pitches and have fun and try to get everyone else to leave her alone. I don't know if I'll be successful at that second part or not. But honestly, it's not like we're going to go down there and clean up. Let 'em have fun I say.

 

[FP26]

Thanks everyone. I think part of the mental issue is a reaction to the pressure. She has a very cool head in the circle but the pressure gets to her a bit more in the batter's box. I think in PCB I'm just going to tell her to swing the bat at hittable pitches and have fun and try to get everyone else to leave her alone. I don't know if I'll be successful at that second part or not. But honestly, it's not like we're going to go down there and clean up. Let 'em have fun I say.

Advice from one "pitcher parent" to another.... My daughter has felt the same way several times throughout her career and is currently experiencing some of those feelings right now (16 years old). We have talked at length about this. When she is in the circle, she feels like she is in complete control. Sure she will give up walks, hits, runs, etc., but she feels that all of that can be controlled if she does what she is supposed to do. She never feels that a hitter has beaten her. She has allowed the hitter to beat her. There is a difference. She doesn't have this same feeling when she hits. Again, she feels like the pitcher is in control. I try to explain to her that she has good mechanics and very good hands. During the high school season she faced 4 different pitchers that will be playing college ball in 2017 and she hit well against all of them. There is no reason she can't do this against (almost) anyone. In her particular case it all comes down to her approach at the plate. EricF has made some posts in this thread that are awesome and explain the situation really well. If he didn't live over 2500 miles away from me, I would swear he is talking about my daughter. She has a tendency of taking the first pitch, and in some cases it is the best pitch she will have to hit that entire at bat. Against better pitchers, it is very dangerous to allow them to get ahead. It opens up the zone and places them in even more control. EricF did a great job of explaining this with the talk about "strike zone" and "hitting zone". I would take this one step further and explain the difference between a "pitcher's count" and a "hitter's count". If she is that confident in the circle, there is no reason she can't have the same confidence in the box....

 

[grcsftbll]

Our coach bumped her from 3rd to 5th in the lineup when she started to slump. She hasn't said a word about it but I think it bothers her, like he has no confidence in her so that shakes her more. I think he meant to motivate her, not sure it's working though.

I will never forget watching her pitch in her first game. Before the game started I was a complete nervous wreck. She walked out there cool as a cucumber right off the bat. It was pretty great to watch her so in her element. I would love to see her confidence in the circle carry over to her hitting. It does sometimes, but it seems to get shaken a lot easier. I've talked to her before about faking it til she makes it, LOOKING like she's very confident and ready to hit even if she doesn't feel like it. I'll remind her about that. She seemed to have fun with that.