DD wimps out at the plate

I am by far no expert, but I have played the sport and now my DD is going on to play College Ball this year. Everything that has been said is great and both my DD's do this or have done it and it works. One thing I didn't see mentioned and if it was I apologize but I know this works for both my girls and this was advice that I got from here and that is as part as the mental game when you step up to the plate take that nice relaxing breath that helps to clear your mind "In with the good out with the Bad" it sure helped my girls to relax!!

Lori, good point. There are any number of relaxation techniques. I used to tell my players to hum their favorite song as a way to disengage and let their muscle memory and instinct work. Coaches have a tendency to fill up their player's heads with the mechanics of the swing and they often spend all of their time at the plate thinking their way through everything. The most undertaught aspect of hitting at younger ages, IMO, is the mental and vision portion of hitting.
madskilz, does she hit live arm in practice? if she does, and has no problem with it, then you need to look at the mental part of all this. ASK her what is bothering her. It could be fans, coaches, pressure, distractions, etc. If she doesn't hit live arm in practice, then incorporate it and evaluate it in both environments. Becoming a solid hitter is a marathon so avoid the lectures (not saying you do this, but I do sometimes) and encourage her by letting her know that everyone has these problems.

It sounds like you've tried everything......Including telling her it's OK to strike out......

I'd be wiling to be a dollar to a doughnut that she's afraid of the ball.........She may not want to tell you.........And she may be VERY GOOD at hiding it.

This is the FIRST thing I look at when a hitter performes in practice well but not in games.........

In practice, in a controled environment, against pitching machines, and friends she feels she can trust standing in againt in live hitting, it all comes together.

When she gets in the box against a pitcher she doesn't know or trust, throwing a rock at her, everything becomes more about the fear of getting hit then executing in a relaxed, fearless condition.

I'd start by getting her a shin protector and a front elbow guard and move her up the plate to see how she reacts to severe inside pitchers, compared to comfortable outside pitches.

Watch carefully. It should be obvious........

If I'm wrong, your road will be easier traveled.........

DD struggling at plate during a game

Hello everyone,
I have read a lot of good suggestions on this list so far and many have helped me in my game. Thanks to all.
It is hard to "let go" of the thought that a strikeout is failure. Everyone has experienced one (or more) during a season, and yes, a strikeout is ok. (speaking from experience of an at-bat in my this past Wednesday game) Hitting is a mental game and what will help maintain confidence with a strikeout is positive support from the coach/team, fans. Yelling at anyone for a swing and a miss is not going to help them in any situation and it will not help build confidence. However, as hard as it may be after a strikeout, being positive to yourself is important too in maintaining confidence. Take a strikeout as a learning experience and at the next at bat, be aware of what led up to the strikeout, but don't let that dominate your thoughts. For example, on Wednesday, I was called out on strikes and the third strike was on the outside corner. When I came to an at bat today, my awareness was of the outside corner and I ended up hitting the same pitch that led to the strike out the game before.

The issue of being afraid of the ball was posted here. Does she know what to do with a pitch that is too far inside to avoid being hit or to be hit by the pitch that will cause the least amount of injury?

Junior member Lori, good point about relaxing yourself while at the plate. A deep breath is always good. If she finds herself getting too tense, step out a second or two if you can and regroup, come back in strong.

Lori (Magglio 36)

Try incorporating the ideas here into how you praise her after a good practice session. For example, "You really looked relaxed at the plate today", or, "You were just crushing the ball, it looked like you were really seeing it well". Or even, "That one ball almost hit you, you are getting really good at picking up those inside pitches".

The idea being to create associations to positive actions. In the end it may be one thing or the other that is causing a problem at the plate, but the underlying issue will always be trust: trust in her swing, her eye, her ability. She trusts herself in practice; build on her success and help her discover what makes her successful.

the "mental side"

I beleive this is the biggest issue any coach can face when it comes to teaching batting. I like the idea of swinging at everything they think they can hit, and to swing hard. My approach is similiar to what was said previously, as to having the coaches confidence whether its a hit or a strikeout. To many times I have seen girls strikeout and walk back to the dugout with their head down, not to hide their face in shame but rather to avoid the coaches facial reaction even if words aren't said. I always give the girls the same reaction whether they hit or not, positive encouragement sometimes followed with mechanical points that will improve their results as to how far they hit it. This is also something that we need to coach parents on also, they most times or not do more harm than good as far as a hitters confidence.

As a player, i have my share of strikeouts in a season, but ive gotten used to it, i know that i tried, tell her just to let everything else go, and focus on the ball, swing hard, and even if she misses its okay, when i miss, or have a bad swing, i usually just step out of the box try and figure out what went wrong, and correct it, if i didnt watch the ball all the way, i focus on that, but just tell her to let everything but that at bat go, and focus on the ball, all of the other posts have really left nothing out, so i hope things get better and i hope she gets more comfortable.

I struggle with the same thing with My DD, along with several others I coach. One of the conclusions that I have drawn is that these girls equate contact or a walk with success regardless of power & they instinctively slow the swing down to keep the bat in the hitting zone as long as possible. Another byproduct of poor mindset is the called strike3!! I intend to coach a much more agressive hitting style next year!! I intend to reward the girls for showing good aggression at the plate regardless of the outcome.

Easy solution: One lap for the team for every called third strike. I bet called strikeouts go down to ZERO after one game.

sluggers said:

Easy solution: One lap for the team for every called third strike. I bet called strikeouts go down to ZERO after one game.

Click to expand...

WOW...I thought I was tough for making the team run when I catch someone catching with one hand. I like this one. Thanks...