Ask Doug: I Can't Break This Slump!
Baseball Factory
May 28, 2008
by Doug Glanville
Doug Glanville is working with the Baseball Factory and Team One Baseball as a Special Consultant. He will be writing articles and looking for your questions and feedback. If you have a question for Doug, please email him at askdoug@baseballfactory.com
Q: Mr. Glanville, my son had a great freshman baseball year. He broke the school record in RBI's. He had a 9 game hitting streak. All seemed to be great. He played summer and fall ball. This sophomore year, he seems to be in a bit of a slump. When you got in a hitting slump, what worked best for you.... going out and just hitting balls, or working with a trainer on your swing? My husband and I differ on this, and I want my son to have every advantage there is. Thank you. Baseball Mom
A: It is not a lot of fun to be in a slump, but as you advance to the higher levels, it will happen a lot more often.
With each new level, the expectations are higher, the competition is better and most likely, you will be playing a lot more often, not just on weekends or sunny days. So it is good to understand that slumps will happen, but you will get out of it.
Like anything, you learn a lot when you are struggling. When you are on top of the world, everything seems like it is on auto-pilot. Low stress and you don’t have to think. But in a slump, your mind is racing, you can feel every part of your body, and you practically forget that you have to hit the ball.
There are many ways to attack a slump but I have to be clear that there is no magic answer. It will come down to every player’s style and comfort zone. Some players are visual, some like to write, some like to hit until their hands fall off, but in the end, the most important thing is to protect the confidence in yourself that you WILL get out of it.
For me, I tried to understand, mechanically, what I was doing wrong. The amazing thing about baseball is that you only can be off by a hair and it will feel like you never held a bat in your hand. Relax. It isn’t as bad as it feels.
One problem I had a lot was that I would jump out at the ball. I didn’t give myself the needed time to let the ball come to me and I would move forward too quickly. So I needed to find ways to slow myself down. The interesting thing about baseball is that there are so many kinds of pitches and each kind of pitch can exploit your mistakes.
For example, when you are jumping at the ball, it is next to impossible to hit a tough curveball on the outside corner. Usually balls on the outside corner require more patience and better mechanics, so it is a good idea when you are pulling off or jumping to work on the outside pitch because as soon as you show a bad habit, the result will let you know, immediately.
I liked soft toss, but maybe you like hitting off of the tee. Bobby Abreu with the Yankees loved the video room. He could see something he was doing and make his adjustments in batting practice.
Once we have figured out the mechanical angle to the slump, you need to practice. At least until it feels natural and automatic. And don’t forget to mix in your strengths. Make a routine or a mini-game out of it. I used to hit with Rafael Palmeiro in spring training and we would play a game where we would have to hit the ball off of a tee into a square. Tough game! Alex Rodriguez loved the curveball machine. It helped him stay back.
Last but certainly not least is you have to get your mind right. A lot of slumps happen because we let doubt creep in. “How long is this going to go well?” “Oh no, I don’t hit this pitcher very well.” “This umpire doesn’t like me.” “I don’t hit well at night.” All those are issues, but they also make us be our own enemy. Be positive, relax and never forget you are doing something you love to do. Remember all the success you have had in this game and trust that you will find it again. And when you do, the slump you broke out of will make you appreciate the good times even more.
Doug
Republished from The Baseball Factory
