Posted by: BsH (Blitzfastpitch@aol.com) on Tue Mar 19 07:43:28 2002

my son is ten and plays little league. This is his first year without the coach or a machine pitching and he cant seem to hit any pitch from another child.He can hit every pitch I throw at him,any pitch from his coach and any pitch at the batting cage but he just cant make contact with a pitch from another player.How can I help him???

I have had the same problem , and have been working with kids for over 20 yrs. and have come to the conclusion that its a mental thing more than anything else . They hit everything adults, coaches, and machines throw but put another player in there and they cant touch it.
And after talking with many players with that problem ,asking them what they are thinking while batting ,I can remember the
number one overall concern was being hit by the pitcher. Very few 10yr. olds can throw consistantly around the strike zone. And there is a trust from the dad , coach , and even a machine pitching. And after dodging many bad pitches from another player , when that good one comes in , their just not ready for it as that thought of being hit is in the mind. Much like some pitchers i have heard of that will throw at batters. ( To get their mind right )

I dont have a simple answer .. And have used simple silly things like telling my player .. over and over to picture my face on that boy pitching out there . And also teaching them how to get hit by a pitch using safety balls. And have thought of getting the safety vests being sold now to see if that builds more confidence.

And also lots and lots of encourgement for the player. I have had some of the most akward , uncordinated kids become fantastic youth league ball players because they began to believe they were good and the belief came through.

I do believe that once the fear of being hit by another 10yr. old player is gone,or as the player advances to more consistant pitching your player is going to shine. Thats my 2 cents worth anyway ...