Help Your Child Get Out Of A Slump …you don’t need to know a thing about swinging a bat
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Expectations and Confidence
First, we want to recognize that pre-teen and early teenage hitters can't really get into a slump.
Why?
While there is the challenge of managing one’s emotions and mental perspective at all ages, and these factors can effect confidence and focus while in the box, until a batter has a solid understanding of their swing and has gained consistency in their swing, they don't really have the foundation to be 'eligible' for a slump.
Batters who aren't accomplished in the understanding of their swing and don't yet have a 'feel' for their swing are just up there giving it their best shot - again this describes most every 12U player and many players in their early teens.
‘Slump’ Can Become an Accepted Excuse
The use of the word 'slump' at the youth level of play opens the door for negative thoughts and can make a kid a candidate for a loss of confidence ...this word can also become a crutch or identity, which a young player could latch onto and use as an accepted excuse. - If it were up to me, the word ‘slump’ would be banned from being uttered within earshot of any youth baseball or softball player.
For middle and older teens, and beyond, the way to get out of a slump is to go back to the one thing the batter can control - their swing. They had it before, their muscles have the memory of that good swing in them, but they likely are letting their thoughts go beyond their swing.
The Pitcher is Your Servant
Point out to your child that "The Pitcher is Your Servant". The rules say the pitcher has to throw the ball through the strike zone. The fact is the rules say the pitcher must 'bring the ball to you'. Just allow the pitcher to do as the rules mandate and then apply the good swing you have spent years developing do the rest - and don’t worry about what happens when the ball leaves the bat ...it’s out of your control.
The Swing Zone
Next, we want to help the batter get their thoughts and focus into the small space in which they are doing their work - the swing zone. That space is about two feet long ...from the launching point of their hands (near their back shoulder) to contact (near their front foot) and extension through the ball. Thoughts of what the ball might do prior to contact are, more often than not, going to interfere with the quality of their swing. Thoughts of what the ball might do after the ball leaves their bat will, more often than not, interfere with the quality of their swing.
Batting Isn’t Fair
Finally, we need to remind players that batting is the most unfair thing in all of sports ...Its 1 against 9. We can get a perfect pitch every time, make a perfect swing every time and hit the ball on the screws and hit a line drive every time and be 0 for 4 at the end of the day. The stats say it was a bad day, but it may have been the best day of hitting the ball of the player's life*.
Yes, Yes, Yes …No
The most important thing we can tell your young batter is to believe, before every pitch, that the ball is going to come right down the middle. They have no doubt in their mind they are going to swing the bat at every pitch. Only at the last moment, IF they see the pitch is bad, do they halt their plan to swing.
We want our kids, when they are batting, to think, “Yes, Yes, Yes…” prior to and during each pitch. When they see that it’s a bad pitch, the thought process becomes, “Yes, Yes, Yes …No”. When they see that the pitch IS good, the thought process is, “Yes, Yes, Yes …Yes!”
At the youth levels of baseball and softball want to help the kids develop a proper mindset when standing in the batter’s box. We want them thinking YES, YES, YES, I am going to swing the bat at this pitch …and every pitch …unless, at the last moment I see that it’s a bad pitch.
A Successful Hitter
*I need to vent on one of my pet peeves. The statement: “A hitter can fail 7 out of 10 times and still be considered great”. Great hitters do not fail 7 out of 10 times. They succeed 7 out of 10 times and four of those seven still result in outs. I believe this type of talk leads to batters not being as focused as they can each time at the plate. “Coach says I can fail 7 out of 10 times, so it doesn’t matter if I don't do good this time up” (resulting in a less-than fully focused batter).
Let’s drop this phrase from the vernacular of the game – please. When working with younger kids let’s share with them the above thoughts: “Yes, Yes, Yes …”, “Batting is 1 against 9…”, “Keep the focus on the one thing you have control over – The Swing”. A young player can accomplish these three mental and physical points every time up - and by doing so they can ‘succeed’ every time up.