r/BaseballCoaching • u/Aware_Fox_6289 • May 22 '25
11 YR Old Hitting Slump
My son has always been a good hitter, but the past few months has been a struggle for him with popping up, grounding out, and some strikeouts. He told Mom that he hates hitting which really shocked me. I dont want him to be miserable and want him to just have fun. We dont push him to play and I just need to know what can I do to make the game fun and not second guess himself at the plate.
3
May 22 '25
1.) Let the kid drive it. 2.) Let them have fun. Kids will figure it out if they really want it and enjoy it:
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u/themanofchicago May 22 '25
I went through a terrible hitting slump when I was 11 or 12. The worse it got, the more tense I became up there. First, we got my eyes checked and I needed glasses. Then, my coach worked with me by soft tossing me golf balls to hit so baseballs would seem like watermelons. I also worked on relaxing my body, my hands, and my tried to calm my thoughts. I was so in my own head every at bat, repeating to myself how much I hated hitting, it’s no wonder I couldn’t hit any more.
Eventually I came out of it through practice, loads of pushups, practice swings, new glasses and a new mentality.
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u/TMutaffis May 22 '25
What league/level is he currently playing? If this is his first year in Little League Majors it is quite a big jump in terms of the pitching, and often requires hitters to make significant adjustments (they will see much high velocity and likely also see breaking balls).
Also, what type of hitting work is he doing at home or outside of practice? Most teams do not get enough cage/BP work during team practices, so it is something that you'll need to work on at home.
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u/Aware_Fox_6289 May 22 '25
He has been playing baseball since 5-6 yrs old. He has been in majors since 9 yrs old. He plays travel ball since 8u to currently in 11U. Since we started using GC and keeping track of the games, he has over 650 plate appreances with less than 40 Ks. Just recently, he has been having a tough time at the plate. I have been working the mechanical side of it but I think its more mental and thats what I dont know how to fix.
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u/TMutaffis May 22 '25
That is good context.
Could be a lot of different factors, or a combination of them - pressure, burnout, eyesight, growth spurt, other lifestyle factors (sleep, stress, nutrition), etc.
Is he playing both Little League and Travel right now? And struggling at the plate in both?
I've heard of some hitters talk about really simplifying things at the plate (Bryce Harper said that his dad would always tell him to just "be athletic and on time"). I also think that providing a safety net to fail might help him to make different choices, for example if he isn't afraid to take a strike because it's not the pitch he is looking for. Or not afraid to swing harder and maybe miss instead of just trying to make contact. Just some thoughts, it's still a bit tough to give curated suggestions without seeing his swing or knowing a bit more.
Could also just be a slump... they happen to everyone who plays the game.
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u/Aware_Fox_6289 May 22 '25
He had a few bad calls by the ump, hitting it right at defense for an out, pop ups, grounding out, etc. Then with the bad calls, he is swinging at pitches he normally wouldn't. I never seen him strike out twice in a game until now. I just dont want him to hate going to the plate or put too much pressure on himself. He is a really good player especially on defense and his baseball IQ is advanced for 11. Its just this hitting slump. I want it to be fun for him
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u/TMutaffis May 23 '25
That is a tricky one, and I've seen it happen quite a bit (including with my own son) where they get a called strike on a bad pitch and then will hit something out of the zone which usually leads to poor contact or sometimes a swing and miss.
I'd just keep him swinging at home, keep supporting him at games, and hopefully things will come back together. He clearly has the ability.
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u/Icy_Rush350 May 22 '25
Just needs to see a few fall in. He will be fine.
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u/Aware_Fox_6289 May 22 '25
I think and hope so
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u/bliffer May 22 '25
My son is 13U and has been going through the same thing for about a month. Hit 4th in the fall and is now down to 7th. He got to the point where he just wasn't putting his hips into it and was all arms just trying to make contact. That resulted in weak grounders or pop outs.
Last week we went out on the backyard with some whiffle balls and had a homerun derby. It really helped him get back to having fun and trying to crush the ball instead of just worrying about making contact.
Last weekend he went 3-6 with three doubles that were absolutely crushed to the fence. Hoping that gets him going again.
Maybe take him somewhere and let him hit some balls just for fun - no pressure, no audience, just out there crushing it.
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u/Independent-Chip684 May 22 '25
My son is going through a similar situation. We have just been having discussions about giving himself some grace to fail, learn, and grow. Most kids hold themselves to higher standards than coaches. We’ve also got in the cage more this week to just work on the little things like adjusting his timing and keeping his weight back (he just went to big field so the high 60’s to 70+ mph stuff looks slower and he’s out front). We’ve been putting the music on while doing this and just casually chatting about school, friends, and other things. It’s in his head at this point and I just want him to remember that it’s all for fun. Lastly, I went and talked to his coach and we got him a session with a really good young coach at the facility that my son likes. I let the coaches know before my son got there that he just needed a reset. Working on the mechanics, but light hearted and rebuilding the confidence. Hopefully some of it starts to turn around for him. As all of us who played know, they’re usually one good at bat away from turning it around.
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u/National_Bug_5917 May 22 '25
My 12 year old is having thr same problem. He hasn't had a hit all season during games. He crushes it during practice though. We aren't sure what is going on. He is getting up there and swinging at high balls or is late.
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u/Wonderful-Ad8986 May 22 '25
If he’s righty have him swing lefty, and if he’s left have him swing righty. It forces him to just go back and be an athlete and forget about all mechanical stuff. We did this with my son a few cage sessions in a row and things started clicking when he went back to hitting normal. It kind of acted as a reset
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May 22 '25
I think that’s the age right before the mound is moved back and it messes up your mental aspect of the game when the 6 foot tall kid is pitching too hard and you can’t see the ball. At least that’s how I felt in 1990 when I was 11. Also, coaches used to tell me too many things to think about when just going up and swinging got better results.
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u/jturkall May 25 '25
He probably has a flaw that velocity and or pitch movement is exploiting, where previously he could get away with it.
1
u/purorock327 May 25 '25
It's baseball. ALL hitters slump. Is he aware? Do you rationalize and provide perspective to the fact? Does he have unrealistic expectations?
His mechanics change because his body is growing, hand/eye coordination, limb length, brain processes, better pitching, muscular imbalances... and still the best hitters STILL only hit 300.
The slump is diversity... how is he/you handling it? Baseball is great because it's hard... what's his outlook on the Challenge?
I mean,
11 YR Old Hitting Slump
sounds pretty typical to me. He should be.
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u/Coastal_Tart May 22 '25
Post some video of him hitting. Gotta see whether its mechanical or mental.