Scared after getting hit with the ball

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Dec 5, 2012
4,143
63
Mid West
I've used the MOJO ball (it's like a marshmallow) and play the forehead game. (With my youngest dd's 8 and 10u teams) The fielder must move under a tossed pop up and with out using hands, let the ball hit her forehead. This was originally designed to get them under pop ups, but they all were suddenly staying completely in front of everything both hit and thrown.
 
Dec 5, 2012
4,143
63
Mid West
Whatever you can do to get back to normal is best. Hyperfocus or soft anything does not work. We work with JV players who never played and we just let them take their time but we don't let them out of normal practice.

Second, if an entire team is learning proper fundamentals or a clinic or using a softee, that is the best way to get over getting hit. The player does not feel babied and has competition from peers.

Having said all this, the player must understand why she got hit and how not to get hit--it was a physical placement or movement or even a head turn that was just incorrect. It just needs to be adjusted.

The alphabet game or counting game is excellent. I also think adults often stand too close to the kids. Give them more room to learn to pick up the ball and help their arm strength at the same time.
While making some valid points. You have lost sight of the op... she's only 7 or 8 yrs old. Not a high shooler.
 
Jun 27, 2011
5,089
0
North Carolina
I ask her not to say she cant do it. To tell herself she can and to try her best. Just concentrate on the ball.

She's entitled to her opinion. You're entitled to yours. I'd rather she be honest and express her lack of confidence than give me what I want to hear, and that extends beyond softball.

I stay as calm and I can and not show my frustration.

My daughter at age 8 had her nose broken in pregame warmups. Ball thrown by teammate hit her in the nose.

I didn't lecture or remind her about what went wrong. It was natural consequences. That's the best teacher.

It took her a while to get over a fear of the ball. Oddly, it wasn't right away that she was afraid. She actually played that game and did fine. The fear crept in there in the next week or two. That was spring. During fall tryouts for rec ball, I could still see she was a little afraid. It affected her fielding, her hitting.

Was it frustrating? Yes, somewhat.

But that was my first and only daughter playing organized sports. If I had to do it again, I wouldn't worry nearly so much about the rate of her skill development. I see now that it's an endurance race, not a sprint. All girls who enjoy the game and keep playing will figure out the fear-of-ball issue and so many other things we fret about when they're 8-9-10. Don't worry about it. This phase she's going through will be inconsequential to the kind of player she is at 12, 15, 18.

My advice - Be patient and be confident. If you want daughter to be confident in herself, you have to be confident in her. Frustration is not confidence.
 
Dec 31, 2014
4
0
Thank you for all the great suggestions. She is slowly getting used to catching the ball again. I tried catching without a glove, making it fun and light and starting with tennis balls. It takes a few minutes to get her to not move but she finally did it on Friday.
I wasnt sure if I should keep pushing or let her just quit. I thought maybe it was the wrong thing to do and scare her more by forcing her to keep trying. Im glad I kept trying. Thanks so much once again! Im using all your suggestions.
 
Feb 17, 2014
7,152
113
Orlando, FL
Thank you for all the great suggestions. She is slowly getting used to catching the ball again. I tried catching without a glove, making it fun and light and starting with tennis balls. It takes a few minutes to get her to not move but she finally did it on Friday.
I wasnt sure if I should keep pushing or let her just quit. I thought maybe it was the wrong thing to do and scare her more by forcing her to keep trying. Im glad I kept trying. Thanks so much once again! Im using all your suggestions.

The thing about letting a kid quit or give up on something is that it makes it so much easier for them to quit or give up the next time things are not easy. :)
 

ArkFastpitch

Dont' I know you?
Sep 20, 2013
351
18
I think all young players have a fear of the ball at one time or another. Most get over it in their own time. Just keep playing catch and stressing fundamentals.
 
Oct 22, 2009
1,781
0
A couple of things to try starting with the plastic balls, and moving on to the other balls:

2. Have her stand with her back to a wall (again, start without a glove). She will not be able to back away from a throw, but she can still move to the side.

I use this, and another thing I like is having them sit on a bucket.
Tossing them foam balls and they can't move off the bucket, they have to reach out to catch and then catch the ones coming to them.

When my DD was 3yrs old I signed my 5yr old DS for T-ball. In the house while watching TV on the couch, we threw a pair of rolled up socks at each other, my DD didn't want to be left out so I threw them to her as well. As their eye/hand coordination got better and they weren't afraid of socks hitting them, we started throwing harder and harder, quick snapping it at them. They thought it was hilarious, and thought it was more a game of can you hit someone in the face than the actual skill of catching the socks.
When my DD was 4 I signed her up as well in T-ball, and they placed her in the pitchers circle right away as she was one of the only kids that could throw and catch.
 
Oct 22, 2009
1,781
0
I've used the MOJO ball (it's like a marshmallow) and play the forehead game. (With my youngest dd's 8 and 10u teams) The fielder must move under a tossed pop up and with out using hands, let the ball hit her forehead. This was originally designed to get them under pop ups, but they all were suddenly staying completely in front of everything both hit and thrown.

I bet this drill caused a lot of giggles with all the forehead pops.
 
Jun 7, 2013
984
0
My youngest DD had some of the worst luck with softballs ever. The worst being getting hit in the face without a mask by a hard line drive while pitching. This was a few years ago now and still, occasionally, we will see her get gun shy about fielding ground and fly balls. However, it took a lot of time and patience and she now plays quite well and without fear--most of the time.

My advice: Follow the excellent suggestions in this thread and utilize a massive amount of patience. It will take time.
 

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