overcoming anxiety in the batters box

Question
My son is 11 1/2. He is a good athlete. He has played 3rd base
and now is playing outfield. He is a good hitter, but gets very
nervous when he is up to bat. Sometimes, he doesn't even swing
and says it is because he feels nervous. Any tips? I can't find any
websites that address this issue. It isn't an issue of skill; it is more an
issue of confidence. How do batters concentrate or shut out everything
around them as they hit?

Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you, Ellen

Answer
Ellen,

Thanks for the question.  This is a tough problem and actually is one that my son, 13, is going through right now.  It is about confidence with him.  He had a rough stretch of games in which he did not hit the ball well and got walked a lot. He then started going up looking for only that "perfect pitch" to hit.  When he didn't get it, he didn't swing.  Now he has gotten "stage fright" so to speak.  He has always been a very good hitter, batting average around .500.  Right now he is hitting at a .270 clip which is not acceptable.

You are right with your son, it is an issue of confidence.  The only remedy is to increase his confidence level.  This will not come initially in a game, but in practice.  We have been hitting about 250 balls daily in the batting cage over the last week.  I can see my son's confidence increasing and as a result, he hit a game winning triple on Sunday which broke a tie game in the last inning. Your son just needs repetition practice like this.

He needs to hit soft toss and batting practice.  Soft toss is where he is tossed a ball from close range underhanded and he hits it using proper technique.  This will help his timing and eye/hand/bat coordination.   Then go to BP.  It is all about reps at this point. The more success he has in the cage, the more confidence he will get and it will spill over into the game.  He needs to feel comfortable in the cage and then that comfort will spill over into the games. It may take more than a week or two, but it will happen.  Once he knows he is a good hitter, he will produce when it counts.

I have seen this a lot and he just needs encouragement and consistent practice.  Every day or every other day, he needs to hit.  Whether it be soft toss or live BP.  He needs to hit a lot of balls until he knows in his heart, mind and soul that he can do it.  Encourage him, pray with him, relax him, whatever works, do it. Right now he is just afraid to fail.  Let him know that the best pros in the MLB only get a hit 1 out of 3 times up to bat.  That means that they fail more than they succeed. Let him know that the pitcher in a game is just like taking batting practice.  Once he gets this vision in his mind, he will block out every thing else and focus on the pitched ball.  Not the pitcher, but the pitched ball. With time, you will see the fruits of your labor and his.

If you have any more questions, let me know and good luck. Baseball is great and so is your kid.  You sound pretty great too if you are going to this length to try to help him.  Give him a hug, tell him you love him and get him more practice.  

Play Ball!

Coach Boss