Mid Season Slump

How do you help a player who is normally a solid performer .350 plus avg., but suddenly is having difficulty waiting on the ball and has put together a string(4 or 5 games) of sub par performances? Physically the swing looks good, just early. Starting to get down on himself - which is compounding the problem. Man, this game can be tough on a young fella who has high expectations, but isn't on his game.

 

Drop down a bunt... It worked for the catcher in Summer Catch

I know how it feels. Just gotta keep believin in yourself and going about things the way you always do. Slumps suck, but the happen.

 

Good Q!...

Quit thinking about it! Know it seems difficult but focus on the rest of the game and performing at a max there! Without actually seeing his swing yet from your description it sounds to me his approach is out of whack!? In front of pitches, good looking swings........he isn t exercising patience and this is only going to get worse as he "anxiously" tries to get that first solid hit again. Also he obviously is not "SEEING" the ball! This is the most fundamental aspect of hitting!!!! Take a day off from the cage and live pitching and get back on the tees and soft toss!!!! Use the "thunder stick" and practice golfballs! Concentrate on rotating the head from focal point out front to point of contact and then SOLIDLY over the plate for asec or two! needs to take a 100 or so of these JUSSTTTTT trying to hit the ball solid and STRAAIGHTTTTTT!!!!!! Ask me about his approach if interested in pm! :xyzthumbs

 

Great response!!!...I like this advice a lot!!!

 

One thing I try not to do is think about my swing when it comes gametime. All you can do when you step in the box is see it and hit it. Trying to do anything else in there is not going to make you better. It is also important to be confident in yourself and know you can hit whoever is on the mound. And in baseball there are going to be slumps...it's just part of the game. I was batting .220 a few weeks ago, but I just kept swinging because I knew they'd start falling. Now it's up around .280, which is respectable. Just keep swinging it...the hits will come around.

 

the son

They are a pain in the butt. I know some people say don't think about it but when something goes wrong in something that you love(baseball) how do you not think about it. You have to do everything else the best you can so that the slump is not the top thing on your mind.
I had a wise man tell me "see the ball hit the ball" o wait that was my coach pitch coach but he was right on that. When you hit a slump a lot of people get the video out first thing but that just makes you think about it even more. You do some tee work and soft toss. Then you go to some front toss and the first couple swings you try to hit the ball straight across from your mid area into the side of the cage. This lets you see the ball as long as possible and helps you know that you can't get bet on that pitch. Then you can start working other parts of the plate.
You have to know that there is no difference in a hit to right as it is to left. You might get a to round first a little further out then you would on a hit to right.

 

absolutely!

front toss side toss directional toss are the most advanced as well as double tees!! Again SEE IT! I teach, coach my players to intentionally and forcibly FRREEEZZEEEE their heads at contact and probably even more importantly AFTER contact over the plate. Watch athletes videotaped and see the the slow motion of hitters swinging and EVEN golfers and watch their head and EYES obviously STAY PUT for a split second longer after contacting the ball REPETITION and EMPHASIS routinely are the keys here!!!!! You bet it is tough very tough to keep it out of your mind BUT baseballl is like life! peaks and valleys slumps and streaks they allll run their course! As a baseball player you will know when you have reached your MAX potential as a hitter BECUASE you will no longer be able to successfully consistently hit the level of pitching you are then playing at, period! That day comes for ALL ball players, PERIOD! :scared2: :scared2: :scared2:

 

the son

YOu could always do what Edgar does for the M's. Set the pitching mech. on 120 and read the number on a ball that comes out of it. I can't do it because I'm not a freak like him. Maybe if you toss it to me.

 

Thanks for all the input- I did shoot some digital video last night--struggles continued--- however, tape reveals he's breaking down on the front side and taking his bat off plane to the ball- thus--really high pop ups. Showed him the tape , now he's got a plan. Hard to see this kind of thing just watching, Slow Motion reveals a lot.

 

FROM......

your analysis of the videotape..... he is over anxious, overstriding, "dipping" dropping his hands and WAYYY out in front!!!!?/ Could be only ONE of these or a combo of all of em.....wait and WEIGHT back as long as he can do not woryy about "timing" the speedvelocity of the pitchers / pitch try and rely on his natural hand speed and hip rotation! :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: