Fear of the ball while batting

Question
My 9 year old daughter is playing in her first year of girls fastpitch softball. She has developed a fear of the ball and is stepping back on every pitch, even when the ball is right over the plate. How do I get her over the ball fear?

Answer
Hello Bob

Make sure she is wearing a batting helmet with a face guard.

Credit: The following was found at www.thecoachingstore.com and was written by Coach Vince

First of all your daughter has to be taught the proper way to protect herself. The proper movement of the batter when the ball is thrown at her is to turn toward the plate and then toward the catcher. While doing this she wants to drop her head. This is called by some," duck and scrunch". This protects her head and chest, the two most dangerous places to get hit. Make her understand that striding straight not only gives her a better chance to hit the ball but is safer. Secondly, here are a few drills you can do to help with the fear of the ball.

1) Throw wiffle balls to her. Make the pitches inside so she can work on the proper way to get out of the way of the ball and that he can prove to her that she is quick enough to get out of the way of most balls. Hit her with a couple but also throw some strikes so she is not bailing out with anticipation.

2) Same drill but change to tennis balls. If need be, put a catchers chest protector on her back to eliminate the fear of the tennis ball.

3) Now with a real softball pitch to her (or better yet have one of her teammates pitch to her). Put her glove or a flat board to the left (if she is right handed) of her hitting stride area. She will now know when she is stepping out. To help her stop you can have her lift her front heel off the ground during her stance and stride. This will keep her weight forward toward the plate.

4) Another great drill that does not have to do with batting but is great for dealing with fear of the ball is a drill they use for catchers. Have your daughter put on catching mask or batting helmet with a face guard. Gently throw a waffle ball at her face mask and ask her not to blink.