Hitting Problem

Question
Hi, my daughter just started a Fall 10U travel softball team.  She move up from rec in the spring, is 10 years old, and was a great hitter at the rec level.  Now, with the girls pitching faster and more erratic, she is very tentative at the plate, bails out with her left foot (she is righty hitter) and is striking out all the time, not making contact.  Obviously this is frustating for me to watch, but I fell bad for her.  She is doing great defensively, but I don't know how to correct these issues.  Any ideas???  Thanks.

Answer
Hello Daniel,

It sounds like she has more of a confidence issue than anything else.  I'd suggest taking her to some batting cages were the threat of being hit is minimal and allow her to hit several balls while focusing on proper mechanics.  I think if she were able to boost her confidence back up, the concern over getting hit will diminish.  

If this doesn't help, you may want to check into purchasing some protective gear for her in the short term until she feels comfortable in the box again.  You can purchase elbow and forearm protectors along with shin guards.  Try to promote her swinging without striding and this will help with the "bailing out" problem also.