Fear of the ball

[vdubya]

I've been asked to work with a 10yo girl on my DD's fastpitch team who has a 100% chance of batting zero for the season. The reason is that she isn't in the batters box when the pitch is released. On release of the pitch, this girl immediately pulls her front foot out of the box to bail and dangerously opens up her front side to the ball. Her swing off of a tee isn't bad. She has been taught and has practiced the proper way to turn from a ball coming at her. She understands there is a problem and everyone in the world has explained it to her until they were blue in the face. We have tried all manner of foam balls, standing on a 2X4, putting a bat behind her feet etc. She does a little better with a coach pitching, but against a peer it is all over. She will actually jump out if the pitcher winds up and snaps the ball into her own glove and never throws it at all, so her mind seems to be made up before she even picks up the bat.

The best she ever looks is when there is a catcher set up normally and another holding a target directly behind her butt and the pitcher gets a signal to throw to one or the other. Then she knows if she steps out she might be opening up to a FB directly at her. She actually stands and turns correctly during this drill, but there is zero intent to hit. She seems scared for her life.

At this point it seems to be a terminal problem. Short of a shock collar for immediate feedback(and I'm joking), there appears to be no solution. This is an otherwise athletic girl and decent fearless fielder but she threatens to suck the life from an otherwise very competitive travel team by putting an automatic out in the lineup. There is no chance of her bunting for the same reason. I can't imagine she could enjoy the game and I wonder if it's time to hand her parents a check and move on. The other girls have been very supportive for months, but even their patience is running out. I like the kid and the parents and hate this situation. Any advice other than a referral to the soccer association?
VW

[wilson68]

Has she ever been hit by a pitched ball? The reason I ask is that she could be scared of the unknown. The solution, and there is absolutely no way I can think of for you to ethically do this, is to have your pitcher hit her. Once she knows how much it actually hurts she may be fine. Or she'll quit.

This is mainly from my own experience. My first year on a men's fastpitch team I was too scared to hit in our first practices. I hadn't played since I was a boy. Finally I made up my mind to stand in no matter the result and the pitcher promptly hit me with three consecutive pitches. He was pretty raw and I had him freaked out by this time. The pain was better than my imagination of the pain and I was good from then on.

[Coach G]

Yup. Time to try a new sport.

[ralanprod]

This is tough because there isn't really much that YOU can do. It's one of those things that SHE has to figure out in her own mind.

You can't make her not fear the ball, you can only provide the opportunity for her to get over her fear. To try to force the issue is just going to lead to frustration from everyone.

Sometime we lose sight of the fact that the kids are supposed to be having fun. In this case she's clearly isn't. Being a little afraid of the pitch is fine, being terrified isn't.

It's possible that she just isn't cut out to play the game - there's no shame in that. It doesn't mean she's a bad athlete, just not a good softball player.

[bob_r]

What I have done is have the batter swing at everything no matter where it is - it could be 2 feet out of the zone. The goal is just to take a swing at every pitch, even if they step out and comeback in to hit the ball. Constantly work on that and then it will just click one day because the mind will eventually forget to be scared. You don't harp on them for stepping out.

[skipper5]

In baseball, I've had some success with having the batter take their stance with their stride foot in the bailed-out location, and stride to the normal location from there. Similar to what some pros do.

[HYP]

I have had players like this. I would have them stand as far away from the plate as they can and remain in the batters box. Tell them that if they think they can hit a pitch then swing.

FYI this player eventually quit in a couple of years. Sometimes the love of the game doesn't out way the fear of being hit.

If you are doing something that scares the Hell out of you all the time it can't be enjoyable. I would say the parents need to reevaluate as to why the kid is playing. Is it because she wants to or because they want her to.

Golf is a pretty good game also.