Hey, Coach Justin here…
I hope you’ve enjoyed your first couple of Baseball Hitting Tips issues!
Today, we’re beginning something special that I’ve been looking forward to for a long time.
You see, I receive a flood of emails from readers like you each week…
And I receive a ton of great questions about hitting!
Some of the questions are so good — about topics that apply to almost every player — that everyone in our community would enjoy (and benefit) from hearing the discussion.
So that’s why I’m introducing a new mailbag edition of Baseball Hitting Tips.
Every week or so, I’ll pick a few of the best hitting questions you and your fellow readers send and do my best to answer them.
So, if you have a pressing question about hitting, ask away!
You can submit your questions to:
mailbag@baseballhittingtips.com
I’m so thankful you’re part of this great community.
And I’m looking forward to your questions and helping you as much as possible.
So, without further ado, let’s rip open the mailbag and get to the first question!
My son is afraid of getting hit. How do I fix this?
Our first question comes from Dennis T., who says:
“Do you have any drills for staying in the batter’s box? My son keeps getting hit by pitches during games and at batting practice, and now he has happy feet in the batter’s box. Any help is appreciated. Thank you.”
Hey Dennis, thanks for subscribing and sending in a great question.
First of all, your son’s not alone.
It’s natural to fear getting hit — and many hitters struggle with this same issue.
After all, our bodies are hardwired to keep us safe above all else.
So, the urge to get out of the way with an object racing towards you at breakneck speeds is a biological defense mechanism.
Your body is just trying to protect itself and keep you from danger.
So that’s the first thing I would tell your son:
It’s natural to have a little fear when a small, hard object comes whirling towards you at high velocity.
Accepting that it’s normal to have a bit of fear is an essential first step.
Now, how do we fix it?
Here are three steps I recommend:
Step 1: Let the worst-case scenario play out
Some people will remind your son…
“Don’t be afraid of the ball. Getting hit is no big deal. It just stings for a second, and then it’s over. Just don’t think about it.”
But such advice is useless to a hitter who IS thinking about it.
He already has the worst-case scenario stuck in his head.
Not thinking about it is not an option.
So, instead of ignoring this fear, the solution is to let the movie play out in his head entirely.
Tell him to imagine the worst — vividly and in detail.
The pitcher winds up, releases the pitch, and before he knows it…
A hard fastball is heading right toward him, and he cannot get out of the way.
It squares him up in the meaty part of his back.
He’s a little stunned. It’s painful for a few seconds. And then it’s over.
He jogs to first base, and the pain has practically disappeared by the time he reaches the bag.
Letting it play out entirely will help him realize it’s not as bad as he’s making it seem.
The worst-case scenario happened — and he dealt with it just fine.
Step 2: Make friends with your fear
Once a little fear has gone away by realizing the worst-case isn’t so bad, he can diminish his fear even more by making friends with it.
To do this, he must learn how to get hit correctly through gradual exposure.
Whether you’re afraid of heights, public speaking, or getting hit by a pitch…
Gradual exposure is the secret to becoming more comfortable and less fearful as time goes on.
Right now, he’s afraid of getting hit because he doesn’t know how to handle it.
But once he knows how to do it, he won’t fear it as much.
So take him in the backyard with some whiffles or tennis balls.
Before you throw any pitches, make him go through the mechanics of getting hit by a pitch in slow motion.
Tell him to pretend there’s an incoming pitch he can’t get out of the way of.
He should try to “roll with the pitch.”
Everything follows your head, so tell him to turn his face down towards the catcher as he rolls his front shoulder in.
And make sure he pulls his bat down so he doesn’t foul the pitch off or put it in play accidentally.
Run through the mechanics “dry” a few times so he gets the hang of the motion.
Once he’s got it down, grab the whiffle or tennis balls and throw him some BP.
Start by throwing him strikes.
Let him get into a rhythm of squaring the ball up.
After a few minutes, begin mixing it up with bad pitches thrown at him every five pitches or so.
Again, use whiffle or tennis balls so he has nothing to fear.
Ensure he’s expecting to hit the ball, not anticipating getting hit by the pitch.
He should get the hang of it in minutes and be one step closer to eliminating his fear of getting hit.
Step 3: Switch from a “what could go wrong” to a “what could go right” mentality
The last step I’d encourage you to take is to talk with your son about the tremendous opportunity he has each time he’s at the plate.
Each at-bat is a fresh opportunity to showcase his skills and the hard work he puts in.
When a hitter is afraid of getting hit by a pitch, he tends to dwell on everything that could go wrong.
But what about what could go right?
What if you get a crushable pitch right over the middle of the plate?
What if you see it like a beach ball, your timing is perfect, and you send a hard line drive soaring into the gap for a stand-up double?
Dream up the possibilities with your son so he steps into the box excited about what can happen, not what could go wrong.
This conversation will shift his mentality from defensive (or passive) to aggressive.
Once that’s through, he should have all the tools he needs to be successful.
He knows it’s natural to fear getting hit.
And even if he DOES get hit, it’s okay because he knows how to get hit correctly…
And now, he’s stepping up to the plate and focused on the positive and the good things that can happen.
All that’s left is to get a good pitch to hit and square it up.
We’ll stop at just one question for today, so that wraps up the first mailbag issue!
If you have a question for a future mailbag, you can send it to me right here: