confidence problems with my 8yr old

Question
My 8yr old knows baseball. He has been around it his whole life as his dad, my husband, coaches legion & college. This year he is playing his first year of kid pitch, is really having trouble seeing the ball and as a result is struggling with hitting (he's had a few hits, BB & HBP, but many strike outs mostly looking & a few swinging). Today he had 1 AB and struck out. He was in tears after the game and was saying how he wishes he was better. What can I do to help him with his confidence? Mechanics are not the problem, even his coach has said he has the best mechanics and swing.
Thank you...

Answer
Hi Sherry,

you are right - this is a confidence problem.  We all go thru this, some struggle more than others.  The only fix is to just encourage him not to give up and that everyone has the same fear at first.  No one likes being hit by a pitch, even major league players don't like being hit.  

One way of gain confidence is batting practice... the more at bats the easier it will get.  You can even try practicing with you son at home - use tennis balls.  Eventually he'll figure out that the best way to avoid being hit is to hit the ball.  You can even play dodgeball with him - throwing tennis balls.  I did this with my younger players until they got the hang of stepping out to avoid those wild pitches.  

Confidence is something he has to cultivate and only he can overcome this fear.  With patience and encouragement from you, his coach and his team, he'll get thru this.

Best of luck,
JohnMc