mental part of the game

Question
My son is 15 and made the high school baseball team. He has played on rec leagues since t-ball. He has never really had a set position in the field, he has played every position except first and has always been able to make the plays in the field and hit off of some really great pitchers. But it seems like when he gets in the game now he does nothing but nake errors on the field and can't hit. he started at 2nd and now when he does get to play he has been put into left field and still he can't do anything. He does great at practice but as I stated when it comes to game time he can't do it and I have seen him make all these plays thousands of times before. I know this is a mental thing but I don't know what to do to help him get through it. We practice every weekend and again he does great. Please help. I am so afraid that he is going to get so down about it that he may give up or not make the team next go around and I know how much he loves the game. I know it really would only take one good play or a hit and he would be there again but trying to get him to that point is hard. If you have any tips or suggestions for what we can do to help him get through this would be greatly appreciated.

Answer
Dawn,

This is tough for you and him to go through.  It does sound like he has lost his confidence.  When this occurs, repetition is the key.  He needs a lot of repetition with ground balls, fly balls, throwing to bases, hitting, etc..  Next, he needs to relax and understand that mistakes are going to be made.  He needs the repetition and the confidence to want the ball hit to him and to want to be the guy who is coming up to bat.

As far as his hitting, my son is also a 15 year old on HS team.  He had recently gone through a little slump at the plate.  We went through our normal extra BP in the cage and found that he was doing something technically wrong for him that was causing the problem.  A small adjustment to his step and setup fixed the problem and he is now hitting the ball better than ever.  That small adjustment gave him the confidence he needed.  Your son may be doing something small wrong that is causing big problems and a loss of confidence.  He needs someone to take a look at his swing and approach to make sure that is not the problem.

In the field, it is simply going to be confidence and concentration.  Fielding confidence improves with repetition and positive reinforcement.  

It is tough for some 15 year olds to gain the mental confidence needed to get over things like this and I have seen some good ballplayers quit.  Don't let this happen.  He has to become mentally tough enough to let those things go as soon as they happen.  You never carry a bad at bat with you out into the field.  You never carry a fielding error with you to your next at bat.  If you strikeout, it is part of the game and it is over.  If you make an error, it is part of the game and it is over. There is nothing you can do to go back in time and change it, you can only focus on the next play and the next at bat.  Forget about the past, focus on the present and make a play.

My son is a top notch prospect as a left handed pitcher.  He has gone undefeated in his pitching appearances in high school this spring.  3 games ago, he gave up his first homerun ever.  It was a grand slam and put us down 4-0.  As the hitter rounded the bases, my wife asked me, "How is he going to deal with this?".  I looked out at the mound and saw my son smiling and shaking his head.  It was inevitable that someone would eventually hit a homerun off of him.  That was the day.  He got the new ball, stepped on the rubber and struck out the next batter.  He then proceeded to pitch the next 5 innings giving the team no more runs.  We came back and won the game.  The point is that something really bad happened to him and he had the focus and composure to let it go and focus on the job at hand.  This is the mark of a solid player.  

This is where your son needs to get.  Repetition in the field.  Hit him a lot of ground and fly balls.   Practice throwing to bases.  At the plate, he needs an instructor to check his swing.

I hope this helps.

It will all come together.  That first year of high school is tough because you have a lot of good players coming together on one team to play.  Your son may not be the best player on the team anymore.  But he is still an important piece of the puzzle. Take advantage of the opportunities you are given and he will succeed.

Coach Boss