Posted by: SteveA (stanman1736@earthlink.net) on Thu May 8 09:45:58 2003

I have read through some of the posts and the problems posed by coaches and parents. I've been coaching youth sports now some years now and have an 11 year daughter in fastpitch softball. She's genetically blessed as far as sports go. I wanted her to be a (great) hitter so 2 years ago I began taking her to a batting trainer. She fairly quickly learned the proper mechanics of a rotational swing but produced very little that year. We continued going last year and at training as well as off the tee she would just crush the ball but at bats weren't effective. I quit taking her last summer and let it drop. Since LL practice has begun I have said little to nothing to her about her batting because she has retained the mechanics she was taught.I'm starting to see better results. Her first game this year she was 1 for 2, but it was a 2 RBI triple to the center field fence!My point! Pressure! I believe I was putting so much pressure on her to hit she couldn't focus for worrying about striking out. I feel we sometimes expect and demand so much from our youth that they can't get in that zone, be productive, and have fun doing it.

There is so much truth in this. No matter how good the mechanics, a cluttered brain will interfere with what the muscles have learned every time. Assuming he has tallied a sufficient number of reps in practice, once the game starts the batter must learn to trust his instincts. Not easy, but essential.