| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| et2014 |
Posted - 04/06/2014 : 19:41:27
My son is making the transition from coach pitch to kid pitch and would love to hear some tips or drills to work on with my son to make him more comfortable with being at the plate. I'm new to this forum and have read many good things as we enter into the world of travel baseball. Thanks in advance for your input as I can imagine many of you have gone through this process! |
| 9 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| in_the_know |
Posted - 04/09/2014 : 10:11:14
quote:
Originally posted by rippit
And please PLEASE teach him how to turn and take a pitch so he doesn't get injured. Even in HS we still see kids turning into the ball, ducking, or doing the happy dance instead of tucking and turning away.
THIS is the single most important post in this thread. Don't give the kid a false sense of security by getting plunked by a tennis ball. Teach them the CORRECT WAY to turn if a pitch is coming toward them. In fact teach them HOW TO GET HIT. If done properly, they can easily take a glancing blow that is simply painless and gets them on base. My sons were taught this early on by one of their coaches who would continue to stress is during game situations. One led his HS team 4 years in hit by pitch. The other led it his frosh season and is leading it again this season. Neither have been injured beyond a bruise and neither are the least bit intimidated by inside pitches.
Additionally, when they are hit by a screamer, because they have turned properly, they minimize the injury factor IMMENSELY.
You can build a false confidence all day long by bouncing tennis balls off them, but if not taught properly how to allow those to hit them, all will be lost when they take a real baseball to the ribs. Kids know that tennis balls aren't being used in games. Use the tennis balls to teach them the CORRECT way to turn into a pitch. |
| rippit |
Posted - 04/09/2014 : 08:41:47
And please PLEASE teach him how to turn and take a pitch so he doesn't get injured. Even in HS we still see kids turning into the ball, ducking, or doing the happy dance instead of tucking and turning away. |
| gwin9 |
Posted - 04/09/2014 : 00:18:30
I did pretty similar to Gwinnett. I would throw BP with tennis balls and intentionally throw inside, not so much at him. He began to get more comfortable and then I threw at him. He began to realize 99% of the time he could get out of the way without getting hit. Once he realized that, he started driving the ball again.
I will tell you he is playing 12U this year and this is the first year that I have seen that the kids are throwing so hard that one thrown directly at him he has no chance. You have a few years for that to come... :) |
| et2014 |
Posted - 04/08/2014 : 12:06:25
Thanks for all of the input, my son seems to be one of those magnets, but only by the kids that throw really hard, just his luck! |
| Marlin |
Posted - 04/08/2014 : 11:30:08
Reps,reps,reps. Can never swing to much. |
| prestont |
Posted - 04/08/2014 : 10:17:23
I took same approach as Gwinnett with Tennis balls. Fortunately my son was one who very rarely got hit. We all know there seems to be one kid that gets hit every game :-)
I also recommend Evoshield. That stuff is great. |
| turntwo |
Posted - 04/07/2014 : 13:02:38
As mentioned, confidence is key. Whether it's confidence that they can hit or confidence they can get out of the way, or yes, even confidence that it will not hurt long if they are beamed... The little guys need confidence. Some can be gained by dad pitching, letting him see faster (and potentially a little wilder) pitching, so it's not 'grooved' every pitch. But, you cannot duplicate a kid throwing to a kid. That takes things to a whole new level. Dad (for the most part) doesn't miss. 8, 9, 10-yr olds DO miss. He needs to develop the same confidence that he has with dad, with kids his own age. And that comes from experience. Period. I'd recommend getting him and a couple of his buddies together to hit off of one another. Seeing different deliveries, speeds, etc. |
| Gwinnett |
Posted - 04/07/2014 : 10:48:35
If he is afraid of the ball you can use tennis balls to pitch to him. When my son went through this I started using tennis balls to pitch to him. About every fifth pitch I would purposely hit him. After about 2-3 weeks of everyday reps he wasn't phased what so ever by staying in and driving the ball. Once he had super high confidence I switched back to normal balls. Never had a problem since. He learned he had two choices 1) get hit by the ball and get on base OR 2) stay in there and drive the ball. I think he liked 2 better because to this day he drives the ball. |
| Domingo Ayala |
Posted - 04/07/2014 : 09:29:59
This can be tough, especially if he is a magnet for getting hit by the ball at the plate. #1 thing is reassure him that he can do it, continually build his confidence. You could also let him use a a elbow guard for the exposed leading arm and maybe a padded under-shirt for additional protection. |
