Hitting and Hitters Discussion Softball Player Hitting Slump

[Admin]

Needs some help, daughter who has played Fastpitch Softball now for 3 years and has always been one the best hitters on her team.

Is now struggle to even make contact at the plate.

She 12 years old, power hitter.

 

[Deen59]

If your daughter doesn't already wear glasses or contacts, then maybe have her set up with an eye exam. I had a similar situation with my son when he was 12, playing baseball. He was always good at making contact with the ball and then his timing started to be off . I didn't figure it out until one day I was pitching to him and he just was delayed in his swing, so I walked toward him and had him tell me when he clearly seen the ball. I was about 15' away from him when he said "There" and that's when I knew to make the appointment for an eye exam. He got contacts and after he got adjusted to them, he started making contact with the ball again.

 

[longball00]

That's great advice to start with.

 

[daboss]

Eyes eyes eyes. Once that is ruled out go to the mind mind mind. Most of the time when a slump comes along in this manner it's due to taking her eye off the ball in some way ( flinching or pulling her head) before making contact. Hitters become complacent, then panic when things fall apart. Make them aware of the problem, then work on some drills to keep her seeing the ball off the bat in her swing. Seeing the ball fixes almost everything, especially when she's had good mechanics all along.

I like a piece of colored tape on the barrel of the bat in the sweet spot and tell them to watch the ball hit the tape or tell me which side of the tape she missed it. It helps get them focused back to the impact of the swing that many good hitters have come naturally. There are many other drills but the girls think this one is fun.

 

[SOFTBALLS14]

Eye check is a good idea especially for ladies at that age when things are changing.
As a hitting coach when this happens I go back to basics! Slow Motion Tee work (form), Stop at contact, while hitting off tee, Small ball hitting (golf balls whiffle type) , Bean hitting (navy beans best) ........ One drill I "go to" to work on this is (and at this age).... Eyes closed, Hit ball off tee. (gets them to focus on there swing, contact with the ball, and confidence) ...( "If you can hit it with your eyes closed just imagine how good you'll be with them open!")
Give them a try! Hope it all works out !! Been there done that! Very frustrating, but they will come out of it. Don't put the pressure on hitting it far just on making contact in game. Remember 3 out of 10 is successful!!

 

[joboo1drew]

At 12u you start seeing more movement, and as the others above mentioned tracking the ball becomes VERY important. Does the head pull, or does the head stay in and track the ball all the way in. Take videos and watch.

 

[ificanbelikeu]

If she has proven that she has no issues with hitting before, maybe she is starting to see better movement and speed. Give her time and patience, she will catch up.

 

[JoeA1010]

Would need to know more information, such as how long the slump has been going on. If it's 10 or 20 at-bats, it may mean nothing, just pure chance. I think the first thing to figure out for a hitter is whether one is truly in a slump or not. A 2-for-20 weekend for a .400 hitter is not a slump, it's just a series of bad games. A 6-for 60 month is a slump and something has probably gone astray mechanically or mentally.

 

[WalkOffHR]

Did she hit a home run right before the slump? It is amazing how easily a power hitter can go into a slump right after an HR. The first few at-bats she tries to duplicate the HR. Before you know it mechanics are out of whack and she is 1-15 and now thinking about being in a slump. I do more counseling after an HR than I do after any other hit.

 

[Admin]

This players was hitting a true .397 and had 12 home runs before going on a 9 month slump as of today.

 

[WalkOffHR]

Well most certainly by now her state of mind is a factor whether or not her mechanics are a mess. I would have to assume if she was a very good hitter before and it has been a full 9 months mechanics are not the issue here anymore, even if they are a wreck. Slumps are a misnomer as is burnout in people who are athletic. Chuck Knoblach and John Rocker are two of the most famous athletes to suffer from a condition known as "YIPS". Virtually all athletes experience some form of Yips over their careers. Golfer might struggle with putts. Basketball players with free throws. Baseball/softball players with hitting or throwing. The cheap, dirty way to minimize yips is to add in a mind clearing exercise right at the moment before the athlete executes their maneuver. For throwing it is common to have the player tap the ball twice on their upper thigh before throwing (during warmups). Once the player does this they are adding a "new" instruction into the throwing process and it can reset their brain to allow them to throw accurately again. Try adding in a simple move such as wiggling fingers as soon as the pitcher makes her first move. Make sure that is conscious to the hitter....really make it deliberate, so she has to STOP thinking about mechanics, failure etc.

Yips can be very dramatic (ie catcher overthrows the pitcher every time by 2-3 feet or spikes the ball) or hitter looks like a total fool on every swing or swings so early or late they have no chance to put it in play. It can be super subtle too. A golfer misses a very short putt. It is maddening. Back off in giving too much mechanical advice. I show hitters that they can hit ANY PITCH thrown from the dirt to their nose in all kids of weird stances to demonstrate that they have the ability to track a ball and move a bat head to the ball and that "mechanics" just make them do it with the greates efficiency.

That's a lot if info to cover on a very tricky subject....Google Yips and sports psychology. You will be amazed at how many pro athletes use mind clearing techniques....esp hitters. If she is in NE Ohio look me up. The best part is I don't charge a penny. If I'm wrong it won't be the worst hitting advice she receives in her career....I guarantee it.

 

[Lester]

I will tell you I've seen this at 12u many times. More often than not, the bat is too light or not right-sized to match their evolving bodies. They grow, their muscles actually start to perform at this age. With proper mechanics and talent I've still seen this be the root cuase many times. So, I believe to look their and if not there are many other reasons mentioned in this thread. I'd get with a competent instructor or existing instructor and regroup. Lots of great stuff posted already. Start simple... and as stated, keep the mental stuff in check or nothing will work.

 

[Louuuuu]

Louuuuuise had a similar problem back in 12U.

The coach was wise enough to correct it by having her show "bunt" as the pitcher was starting her delivery, then pull back into the normal stance and hit. Sometimes, a player's mind gets overloaded with all the things you're "supposed to do" when hitting. This might be cured with the John Daly approach - Grip It & Rip It. It didn't take long for my daughter to regain her confidence and go back to a more conventional approach, eventually earning Clean Up Hitter rights.

Free your mind, and the hits will follow...

 

[Coach_Dave]

Another simple thing to consider is batting stance, or how far apart her feet are. My DD's instructor has been preparing us for age 12ish since 10U. He spoke about how Girls have to adjust to their changing bodies. He often points out that one of the biggest mistakes is as the Girl grows, she doesn't adjust her batting stance. Consequently her stance is not wide enough to maintain proper balance. My DD still has to remind herself to maintain a wide stance, but it will feel funny for a while. What seems to help is to visualize her stance when fielding a ground ball.

 

[Admin]

Update,she taken a break from softball for now. And plans on playing more then one sport. She never played nothing but slow pitch and Fastpitch Softball. She planning on signing up for basketball, she already started playing volleyball but was also playing Fastpitch Softball.

What do you think? maybe the break from softball is needed?

 

[Louuuuu]

Was the "break" to escape the hitting slump, or she simply wants to try other sports?

 

[Admin]

I think it was a little of both.