Boosting a hitters confidence?

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Aug 1, 2017
7
0
I know there isn't a magic drill or speech that cures a lack of confidence at the plate, but I was wondering what others have done to help with this issue. My DD just doesn't have it a lot of times. She has a good swing and does get some good hits when she swings, but when she gets an early strike on her, you can just see her tense up or sulk. It's frustrating when I see how good of a swing she has and she is just watching balls go by because she is afraid of swinging and missing. We talk about trusting her swing and just letting it go all the time, but it just gets frustrating sometimes. We are about to start a new season with a new team, so I am hoping we can get over this hump this year. Thanks.

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May 24, 2013
12,461
113
So Cal
A few things from when my DD was about 9-10yo (and things I have done with her teammates along the way)...

1. Confidence in the box. Fake it 'til you make it! - Even if you don't feel confident inside your own head, you need to make the pitcher believe that you're the best hitter on the team. Have swagger. Look like you're ready to hit anything the pitcher throws. Make everyone watching believe it, too. If you look timid and uncertain, you're giving the pitcher the advantage before she even throws a pitch. If you look confident and powerful, you're taking that advantage for yourself. For my DD, fake confidence grew into real confidence as she started having success.
2. Hitting zone - With a tee, I set up the ball in different locations - high, low, in, out. Some of them were even set up a bit outside of the strike zone. The instruction was to hit the ball hard. When we were done, we talked about how she just proved to herself that she can hit the ball hard no matter where it is. This is your "hitting zone".
3. Intent and timing - You're up there to be a hitter. Expect that every pitch will be one to hit, and get the swing process started early enough (before you even know the location) to be able to make a good swing. If you wait to see where the pitch will be before you start the process, you don't have enough time to make a good swing.
4. Approach - You've already proven that you can hit the ball hard no matter where it is near the plate, so let's have a strategy on how to use that. With 0-strikes, you're looking for your perfect pitch location, and if it's there, you need to be ready to kill it. If it's not there, and it's called a strike, that's fine. You still have plenty of time. With 1-strike, expand your target zone to about strike zone size, and go get it! A swing and miss or a foul ball is fine. You still have another chance! With 2-strikes, you need to be ready to hit ANYTHING within your "hitting zone". Don't pray that it's going to be a ball. Get your bat on it, and hit it hard (you already know you can!). If you foul it off, that's great - it gives the pitcher another opportunity to throw you your favorite pitch.
5. (This is a hard one for a lot of young girls to grasp) No one will think less of you, or be disappointed in you, if you swing and miss. Even the best players in the game swing and miss. Some do it a lot.

It's never an overnight fix, but rather a process of learning to trust their abilities, learning to understand where their favorite location is, and building confidence.

At 13yo, my DD has become a serious threat with 2 strikes. Sometimes, I think she prefers it - LOL.

To use a term I learned from others on this site about the right attitude for a hitter...Be a "predator".
 
Last edited:
Sep 29, 2008
1,401
63
Northeast Ohio
Here would be my typical speech to a player with these issues - "I understand that you may be uncertain at the plate and have a little fear of failure. It's not always easy to talk about or admit. But you need to know that until you face it and beat it you will never really be happy playing and deep inside you'll always have a feeling of disappointment because you know you can do better but your letting emotions get in the way. Nothing feels better than the simple joy of knowing that you did your very best. That's the secret of the top players and those that are really into it. They love the challenge of having an opportunity to make a difference. Win or lose they'll always be another game so go for it. Don't miss an opportunity to do your best. It won't happen overnight but realize you're out there to play the game...not to let the game play you. So always be honest with yourself...and work on it. You'll love the feeling of stepping up and being an impact player"

Some girls zone out at the very beginning...some about halfway through but a few own it and slowly learn they have been their greatest enemy.
 
Oct 1, 2014
2,219
113
USA
A few things from when my DD was about 9-10yo (and things I have done with her teammates along the way)...

1. Confidence in the box. Fake it 'til you make it! - Even if you don't feel confident inside your own head, you need to make the pitcher believe that you're the best hitter on the team. Have swagger. Look like you're ready to hit anything the pitcher throws. Make everyone watching believe it, too. If you look timid and uncertain, you're giving the pitcher the advantage before she even throws a pitch. If you look confident and powerful, you're taking that advantage for yourself. For my DD, fake confidence grew into real confidence as she started having success.
2. Hitting zone - With a tee, I set up the ball in different locations - high, low, in, out. Some of them were even set up a bit outside of the strike zone. The instruction was to hit the ball hard. When we were done, we talked about how she just proved to herself that she can hit the ball hard no matter where it is. This is your "hitting zone".
3. Intent and timing - You're up there to be a hitter. Expect that every pitch will be one to hit, and get the swing process started early enough (before you even know the location) to be able to make a good swing. If you wait to see where the pitch will be before you start the process, you don't have enough time to make a good swing.
4. Approach - You've already proven that you can hit the ball hard no matter where it is near the plate, so let's have a strategy on how to use that. With 0-strikes, you're looking for your perfect pitch location, and if it's there, you need to be ready to kill it. If it's not there, and it's called a strike, that's fine. You still have plenty of time. With 1-strike, expand your target zone to about strike zone size, and go get it! A swing and miss or a foul ball is fine. You still have another chance! With 2-strikes, you need to be ready to hit ANYTHING within your "hitting zone". Don't pray that it's going to be a ball. Get your bat on it, and hit it hard (you already know you can!). If you foul it off, that's great - it gives the pitcher another opportunity to throw you your favorite pitch.
5. (This is a hard one for a lot of young girls to grasp) No one will think less of you, or be disappointed in you, if you swing and miss. Even the best players in the game swing and miss. Some do it a lot.

It's never an overnight fix, but rather a process of learning to trust their abilities, learning to understand where their favorite location is, and building confidence.

At 13yo, my DD has become a serious threat with 2 strikes. Sometimes, I think she prefers it - LOL.

To use a term I learned from others on this site about the right attitude for a hitter...Be a "predator".

I love that write up Eric...nicely done!
 
May 16, 2016
1,024
113
Illinois
A few things from when my DD was about 9-10yo (and things I have done with her teammates along the way)...

1. Confidence in the box. Fake it 'til you make it! - Even if you don't feel confident inside your own head, you need to make the pitcher believe that you're the best hitter on the team. Have swagger. Look like you're ready to hit anything the pitcher throws. Make everyone watching believe it, too. If you look timid and uncertain, you're giving the pitcher the advantage before she even throws a pitch. If you look confident and powerful, you're taking that advantage for yourself. For my DD, fake confidence grew into real confidence as she started having success.
2. Hitting zone - With a tee, I set up the ball in different locations - high, low, in, out. Some of them were even set up a bit outside of the strike zone. The instruction was to hit the ball hard. When we were done, we talked about how she just proved to herself that she can hit the ball hard no matter where it is. This is your "hitting zone".
3. Intent and timing - You're up there to be a hitter. Expect that every pitch will be one to hit, and get the swing process started early enough (before you even know the location) to be able to make a good swing. If you wait to see where the pitch will be before you start the process, you don't have enough time to make a good swing.
4. Approach - You've already proven that you can hit the ball hard no matter where it is near the plate, so let's have a strategy on how to use that. With 0-strikes, you're looking for your perfect pitch location, and if it's there, you need to be ready to kill it. If it's not there, and it's called a strike, that's fine. You still have plenty of time. With 1-strike, expand your target zone to about strike zone size, and go get it! A swing and miss or a foul ball is fine. You still have another chance! With 2-strikes, you need to be ready to hit ANYTHING within your "hitting zone". Don't pray that it's going to be a ball. Get your bat on it, and hit it hard (you already know you can!). If you foul it off, that's great - it gives the pitcher another opportunity to throw you your favorite pitch.
5. (This is a hard one for a lot of young girls to grasp) No one will think less of you, or be disappointed in you, if you swing and miss. Even the best players in the game swing and miss. Some do it a lot.

It's never an overnight fix, but rather a process of learning to trust their abilities, learning to understand where their favorite location is, and building confidence.

At 13yo, my DD has become a serious threat with 2 strikes. Sometimes, I think she prefers it - LOL.

To use a term I learned from others on this site about the right attitude for a hitter...Be a "predator".

Great post. That was certainly worth reading.
 
Dec 11, 2010
4,713
113
That is a great post by Eric F. It is exactly the attitude I tried to instill in my daughters.

When it comes to convincing a player to be confident, the right instructor, (not mom and dad), can be a huge help too. We used to go to a guy who was instrumental in building a lot of good hitters, especially young kids. A “lesson” was 180-200 machine ball swings, he didn’t own a batting tee, he didn’t really “instruct” it was a set program and some of the stuff we did there would cause rebellion over in the technical hitting forum. But that guy was behind you 100%, and you left there feeling good. His process included some magic, and that leaving there “feeling good” was a big part of it.
 
Sep 21, 2017
230
43
PA
Good stuff Eric. 100% agree. Especially number 5. We, as coaches/parents (though I am not a parent), really have to do a good job of separating the player and person, and not placing their value in the outcome of their performance. I've had parents (dad's) who didn't talk to their daughter for multiple days because they took an L in the circle, or had a bad few days at bat.

I truly believe that confidence only comes from two things:

1. Your preparation
2. What you say to yourself

Only you truly know if you have prepared to the best of your ability. Coaches can't prepare you, teammates and parents can't, only the player truly knows if they've really done what they need to do. Secondly, I don't care if you have prepared the best of your ability, if in your own head, you're a wreck...you aren't going to be as successful as you might otherwise be, it's a gamble. Which I guess...takes the preparation portion almost out of the picture. I'm always up for a conversation about it, I love to learn more about how athletes build mental skills! It's the most under taught skill in the game.

If you're a podcast person, Finding Mastery by Michael Gervais is one of my favorites, and he has a conversation with Nicole Davis, once considered the best volleyball libero in the world, and they have a great piece on confidence. I highly suggest it!

Here's a link for the conversation: https://findingmastery.net/nicole-davis/
 
Aug 1, 2017
7
0
Thanks for the input, everyone. There is some good information here. I didn't play baseball, so some of the finer points of the game are still foreign to me, especially mental preparation.

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk
 
May 24, 2013
12,461
113
So Cal
Thanks for the input, everyone. There is some good information here. I didn't play baseball, so some of the finer points of the game are still foreign to me, especially mental preparation.

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

I didn't play baseball either. I grew up playing ice hockey, and raced bicycles as a younger adult. My join date to this form (May 2013) was when I got serious about learning all I could about the game of softball in order to be a better guide for my DD. I have learned a lot from some wonderful coaches my DD has played for, and I've had the fortune to coach along side. I've learned more than I could ever have imagined from the shared wisdom of the people on this site that have gone down the road before me, and that knowledge has been significant in my growth into becoming an effective coach and instructor.One of the things I've learned on DFP...No matter what it is, someone else has already experienced it, and can offer some input. Never stop learning, and ask lots of questions.

As for the mental side with young female athletes, there's a generalization that is often helpful..."Boys need to play good to feel good. Girls need to feel good to play good." There are always exceptions, but this is a good place to start. Self-esteem and self-confidence are HUGE factors. At the younger ages, you will get a lot farther by complimenting their successes, than you will by criticizing their failures. A player comes back to the dugout, upset because of a strikeout, look her in the eye with kindness and compliment her intent..."Good job, Susie. I love that you were up there making good swings and trying to hit the ball hard. You'll get it next time."

How old is your DD? What level is she playing - rec? school? travel?
 
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