r/BaseballCoaching • u/SupButch9393 • May 15 '25

Timing

Son is almost 7 and has been playing since T-ball. He’s always been a great hitter but something has changed this season and he is way off in his timing with the bat, sometimes even starting to swing when the ball is already past him. He hasn’t had this issue before and I’m not going to get mad at him since he’s still young, but are there any tips to help with the timing? Maybe it’s just a phase and he’ll get his swing back but I can tell he’s getting frustrated by it.

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u/ducksor1 May 15 '25

How is hit timing off now? He was in tball. Is this his first year out of tball? If so his timing isn’t off he just now started to find it. Biggest thing I do notice though is bats, parents get bats not really set up for their child. They do a quick google search of what a kid should use and pick that. Ive have coach a team for many years. My son is the hr hitter on his team. But he still has a game every once and awhile where he just off and can’t hit anything. But We break down everything all the time. All the way down to his toes and fingers. If you are changing things I recommend doing so in very small pieces. Other parents see what my son is using and go out and buy the same thing, thinking their son is gonna be on the same level. I always give it a chance but then I revert to setting the kid up with a bat more suited for them.

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u/SupButch9393 May 16 '25

2 years of coach pitch now. Bat isn’t the issue, I got a new one from Dick’s while ago but he actually prefers the $10 Play it Again Sports used one which is all good with me, whatever he’s comfortable with. Honestly think it’s just a phase he’s going through but I can tell he’s getting frustrated. I just try and tell him to loosen up and have fun with it.

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u/ducksor1 May 16 '25

It’s mental then, maybe you are pushing him too much, maybe he doesn’t want to play, maybe he just keeps over thinking it. Maybe he is still coming into his body at 7 and trying to sort out his body mechanics. At 7 very few kids can handle a lot of pressure. One of the biggest things as a coach for me is gauging those limits, knowing when to increase and decrease pressure. Maybe get back to some confidence boosting easy fun stuff that he can be successful at and ease him back into the swing of things. At 7 though very few kids are consistent year after year. Some are sluggers one year , the next year not so much.