afraid of baseball

Question
my 12 yr old son playing select backs up when batting and does not put his body in front of the ball in the field. He will dive for a ball and no problem with a pop fly. It started mid season last year. Coaches are great this year Dad has worked the tennis ball drill for a year...

Answer
Ann:  Thank you for your question.

Based on your description of what is happening, and the timing, something must have occurred to start his apprehension, as it sounds like he did not have it before.

In both instances, I would start back at the very beginning.

Fielding:  Start by rolling him easy ground balls, stressing the fundamentals. You could start with an incrediball and slowly progress to a baseball.

Have him field the ball out in front, come through the baseball and square up to his target to throw, and make that throw.

By having a sequence to follow, he will have something to focus on instead of his fear.  Be patient, stay slow and easy and progress up as you feel him starting to relax.  How long that takes depends upon how traumatic the incidents were which made him afraid.  It is worth the time and effort, as he will never enjoy the game until he is able to relax and play.

Getting hit with a baseball is an inherent part of the game; but the proper skills help to alleviate the number of times it occurs.  Moving to, and through the baseball eliminates many bad hops, or getting caught in between hops, thus less chance of being hit.

Building his fundamental base will provide him with the confidence that he has skills to field ground balls, and that those skills put him in control so that he can field balls safely.

Hitting:  The fear of being hit with a baseball, whether batting or fielding has certainly been a part of the game since its' inception.   

I would suggest that you show him how to best protect himself in the batters' box, by turning his front shoulder back towards the catcher. That will get his head turned also, protecting his face.    

You can practice it with no ball, then with a rolled up sock. Once he develops a good reaction to the pitch, no longer freezing or turning into the ball, he should have a little more confidence, as he will have a definite plan for dealing with the situation.

If you can get him to focus on the pitcher's release point, then load/stride on line(straight back at the pitcher), getting his front foot down early, it will help him focus on the at bat, rather than the possibility of getting hit.  If he is currently backing up on the pitch, he is only thinking about being hit.  A point of focus may help him get past it.     

Bailing out, or stepping in the bucket is generally caused by stepping to hit, rather than step, then hit. When the pitcher is in his power position, with the ball loaded back, the hitter should be load/stride in his power position, the position he will hit from. That is accomplished before the pitch is released, so it should be on line, straight back at the pitcher.  Getting himself to that position should keep his mind and body engaged, so he isn't thinking about getting hit.   

I have a page on my website at www.theoleballgame.com on hitting progressions for rookies. If you click on the hitting link under baseball instruction, then locate the link in the list at the bottom of the hitting page entitled Hitting Progressions, Rookies, you will find more details on hitting for younger kids.

As with the fielding, I would start slow, teach him how to react to the pitch, then work hitting progressions on a Tee, then move to soft toss, then short toss and eventually live pitching, all with someone who he can feel confident won't hit him.  Over time, with a lot of patience and effort, it can be fun again.

This is one of the tough ones to work out with kids, because of the mental side.  It isn't as simple as correcting a flaw in their swing, or changing their arm slot.  You have to help him change his mind set, by building back his confidence.  He has the confidence to dive for a ball and he isn't afraid a pop fly will hit him, he still has confidence in his skills there.

You can help make it happen.  From your description his coaches will help also.  

Good luck as you all move forward.

Yours in baseball,

Rick