Bailing out while Batting!

"Stop stepping out Johnny", yells coach D. "Step toward the pitcher".  This is something you will often hear while at a Little League game.  Take a step back and think.  Why is Johnny stepping out to begin with?  Well, probably because he has been hit before or the pitcher is throwing hard and he is nervous.  When hitters step into the batters box there are alot of unknowns: Is the pitcher wild, what if he hits me, is it going to hurt, where is he going to throw it.  We have all gone through this and some of us this bothered more than others.  I just got in there and hit. So I say.  I bet when I was 6 and the players were 8 and 9 I did not have the same attitude either.  We think "what is the big deal" it is just a pitcher which is true to us but we aren't standing in the batters box.
As a coach, think about this-  OK, I have a player that steps out.  Well, telling him to move closer to the plate or stay in there probably doesn't do me any good with that player.  What do you do?  Here is what works for me.  Tell the player to back off the plate until he or she feels comfortable and start there.  If the pitcher throws a strike and your hitter thinks it was way outside he will move closer to the plate on his own and eventually he will get close enough on his own time.  This really works.  Also have practice with wiffle balls and help teach your player how to get out of the way of the ball properly.  This will really help his confidence knowing that he or she can get out of the way and it won't hurt as much.  Look for my next blog on how to turn away from a pitch thrown at you.  Have FUN!