11 yr old scared of getting hit by pitch...

[erinsdad]

My 11 yr old has a good swing and can crush the ball off a tee or in the batting cage however she is obviously scared of getting hit by a live pitcher thus her entire form goes out the window and she takes a step back then swings. We just had our first 12U tournament and she struck out every at bat.

She didn't do this last year and she never got hit so I'm not sure why she is scared. She is also the pitcher and has beaned a couple of girls before but nothing major.

How do I fix this?

Thanks,
Pat

 

[softballphreak]

My 11 yr old has a good swing and can crush the ball off a tee or in the batting cage however she is obviously scared of getting hit by a live pitcher thus her entire form goes out the window and she takes a step back then swings. We just had our first 12U tournament and she struck out every at bat.

She didn't do this last year and she never got hit so I'm not sure why she is scared. She is also the pitcher and has beaned a couple of girls before but nothing major.

How do I fix this?

Thanks,
Pat

First thing, she needs to understand that fear of getting hit is natural. She doesn't need to be afraid of being afraid, in other words. Let her know that courage is what you do when faced with fear.

Next, I would show her how to react to a pitch that might hit her. Show her how to turn her back with elbows in and protect the bat also. Emphasize protecting the bat--make her realize the importance of her game mission. You want her to be as safe as possible, but she must think of the higher mission. That should give her reason to be brave.

Next, throw a lot of full speed tennis balls. Let her find out how easy it is to avoid being hit.

Next, have an accurate pitcher throw her a lot of batting practice.

 

[amanda_cake]

Definitely agree with teaching her how to be hit by a pitch. I always teach girls. It's a fun practice, since I get to throw tennis balls at them. When I did it with 10U, I told them to make sure they explained the drill to their parents when they got home. I knew someone of them were going to run home and say, "Coach hit me with the ball!"

 

[Rhodyman]

Fear at the plate

I'm dredging up a year-old post because my 11 y/o DD is going through the same thing this season.

We just played in a 10u tourney and she struck out even against the slower pitchers because she is "bailing out" and moving her feet. I can see the expression in her face as the pitcher is about to release and that's when she falls apart. She was also hit several times last year in TB but had more confidence. She hasn't been hit this year. I bought her some UA elbow sleeves, more as a psychological boost than anything. I'm her dad and she is at that age where I sometimes do more harm than good. She is going to work with a hitting coach today (I explained the situation to her). We'll see what happens..

 

[KevinC]

One trick I've seen is to place a ball on the ground outside their lead foot. If they step away from the plate they kick the ball. Some girls don't even know they are stepping away from the pitch.

 

[Mr T]

Phreak is right. First of all she needs to know it's normal and natural. When you see faster pitching than you ever have before...well, who wasn't afraid at some point, at least when you were little. And even when you were older, it's wasn't fear but it sure was harder. It takes time, no I know says, "wow this is great, this is the fastest pitcher I've ever faced, this is so much fun."

Some key points kids need to understand when they bail at the young ages:

* Their body language that says "I'm terrified" up here is a HUGE boost in confidence to the pitcher at these ages. The vast majority of pitchers I've seen who face these types of kids will throw more strikes immediately

* Bailing completely eliminates your chance to hit all but a very select pitch locations and even then your mechanics are so hosed you probably can't do anything

* Bailing removes the strike zone frame of reference for the ump, and again I believe sub-consciously promote the ump to call more strikes. Bail out with the front foot and I argue that for 9 out of 10 umps your strike zone just grew - substantially

* Bailing with the front foot is the last thing in the world to do if you don't want to get hurt. Stand in your stance with your DD where the pitcher would be, then step your front leg out, she can see very obviously you just made the target to get hit by a pitch 2.5 times larger. You also just exposed the most painful parts of your body and the ones that can get more than hurt, injured by a hard pitch. Getting hit in the back butt or thigh hurts. Getting hit in the ribs, forearms, wrists, or even neck can be the next level of pain and injury.

 

[redhotcoach]

I have added live pitching to every practice to get the girls over there fear this year. Years past I avoided girls pitching to batters in practice and have had lots of girls blast the ball when I pitch to them, then freeze or bail out in games. Seeing 100s of pitches helps.

Also I have padded up my daughter, long slider, padded sliding shorts, and xprotec elbow pad. One hard ball to the elbow would set a girl a long way back.

 

[CoachScott]

One hard ball to the elbow would set a girl a long way back.

I agree with this statement. My middle DD, now 15, got hit in a local 10U tournament by a hard throwing pitcher. She tried turning her back but couldn't do it fast enough. She was hit outside tricep area close to shoulder while turning away from pitcher. Sent her straight to the ground. Swelled fast and black and blued her whole upper arm. Didn't play for 2 weeks, tried to get her back into game, but would always bail out on pitchers. Went from one of the best hitters to the worst. Finished out that year and never went back. Wish I had this forum 5 years, maybe she'd still be playing. Main, she was a hitter.

Oh, btw, the pitcher that hit her, blew out her shoulder 3 years later. Bet they wished they knew about this forum also. She no longer plays either.

Keep up the great work here, guys & girls!

 

[Wellphyt]

There is all kinds of protective gear on the market from Mcdavid, EvoShield, XProTex etc. Protect her front side and take away the fear. I've been hit with the ball many times and it hurts like crazy.

 

[Rhodyman]

Thanks everyone! The hitting lesson went very well. My daughter even asked to see her again! I am going to get her a good quality elbow pad this weekend.

Thanks again! I love this site!!