9 Year Old Hitting Help

Oriole33,

Thanks for responding. Here's my answers to your questions ....

Focus - He seems to be focused on the pitcher. In fact, he may be too focused. He gets into the box and immediately gets set and waits. He rarely gets out of the box or takes practice swings between pitches. I'm sure that the lack of a "loosen-up" routine makes him too tense. He also doesn't seem to be distracted at the plate but I know he hears the coaches, parents,etc. I have seen him turn his head and look at the coach after he had said something.

Bailing - He will lean back from an inside pitch occasionally. He doesn't step into the bucket but will step slightly in that direction. It has been difficult to get him to stride towards the outside pitch. He rarely hits it during our practice sessions in the backyard. Even with all this, I have never got the impression that the is afraid of the ball. He has been hit a number of times this year and doesn't seem to be affected.

Base coaches - Actually, on our team the base coaches are figureheads and generally ineffective. The head and assistant coaches are stationed near the bench and on-deck circle. "reprimanding" is too strong of a word but they do remind the batters not to swing at bad pitches. Both coaches rarely say anything positive except for an >

... PARTS MISSED....

o striking out - Here is the most visible indication of a problem. The first time he got called out on stikes he came back to the bench and cried. After discussions related to crying and trying to stay positive, he stopped the crying but his face shows that he is still upset. Two games ago I heard one mother remark to another "ohhhhh, look at that poor boy's face." After his 1st at-bat in his most recent game, he again struck out, one of the coaches said "you gotta swing at the good pitches". I did not hear any negative tone to it, but in any event he came back to sit by me and started crying so hard that he was unable to take the field in the next inning.

Competitive atmosphere - The parents are pretty much split into two camps on this. The two coaches are definitely competitive. In fact, after one game, my wife got into a heated discussion with both of them concerning their actions towards the umpire and infield ref. We have already discussed changing teams next year.

I can add a few things that may shed additional light.

1) He gives reasons for not swinging that the pitches were balls or the pitches are too fast. But during our backyard practices, I throw just as hard.

2) After one game earlier this year, an opposing coach came up to me and said he would like my son to try out for his U11 travel team this fall. At this point, this is the last thing my son needs. Right now he's not sure he wants to play baseball at all next year but is willing to work with me this winter. I mention this to show that he has potential, other coaches have recognized it, and it would a shame for him to quit baseball.