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Today's episode digs into one of the most common and misunderstood barriers holding young hitters back.
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Fear the ball.
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You know the look.
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Your kid steps into the box, pitcher winds up, and suddenly they're flinching, backing out, or freezing altogether.
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It's frustrating, especially when you know they can crush it in practice, but here's the twist.
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This episode isn't about toughening up.
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I'm your host, Joey Myers, from hittingperformancelab.com, and we're flipping the script.
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We're diving into the science of fear, why your athlete might be reacting before the pitch is even thrown, and how we can rewire that fear into focus.
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You'll learn the exact step by step drills I've used to help youth hitters go from backing out to confidently turning on inside pitches in just two weeks.
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You'll also hear why legendary sports psychologist, doctor Brett McCabe, says fear isn't failure.
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It's just information and how to use that insight to build real confidence in your hitter.
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So if you're a parent, coach, or just tired of seeing your athlete's talent get high jacked by fear, stay with me.
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This one's a game changer.
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Fear of the ball in youth baseball isn't just about physical safety.
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It's a complex interplay of psychology, mechanics, and development that can significantly impact a young player's journey in the sport.
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This common challenge affects players of all skill levels and can be particularly frustrating for parents who see their children excel in practice, but struggle during games.
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The problem often manifests visibly.
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A player who excels in practice understandable concern.
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What makes this especially challenging is understandable concern.
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What makes this especially challenging is that the fear response can appear even in players who've never been hit by a pitch.
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The mere possibility is enough to trigger protective instincts.
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What's crucial to understand is that this fear response isn't a sign of weakness.
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It's a natural human reaction.
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The brain's survival instincts kick in whether from a previous hit by pitch experience or simply the imagination of what could happen.
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For young players around nine or 10 years old, this imagination can be particularly powerful and their nervous system responds accordingly to perceived threats, whether real or imagined.
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The impact of this fear extends beyond just the mental aspect.
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It fundamentally alters a player's mechanics.
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A hitter who's anticipating pain or bracing for impact simply can't maintain the same quality of mechanics as one who's confidently looking to drive the ball.
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The fear creates a cascade effect that influences timing, posture, and visual tracking, essentially changing the entire approach at the plate.
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The traditional approach of tough it out or shake it off often backfires.
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While this might work for a small percentage of players, for most it creates an additional layer of shame on top of the existing fear.
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Now they're dealing with two problems instead of one, the original fear of the ball and the added pressure of feeling like they're letting people down by being afraid.
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A more effective approach involves a systematic plan to address the fear head on.
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This starts with controlled exposure, helping the brain learn safety through progressive experience.
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The key is to build a ladder of confidence through carefully structured practice sessions that gradually increase in intensity and challenge.
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This methodical approach allows players to build genuine confidence rather than trying to force themselves through fear.
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The progression begins with with soft toss using wiffle balls, which helps players focus on proper mechanics without the fear of injury.
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From there, they move to foam balls, which maintain low risk while introducing more realistic ball behavior.
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The next step involves tennis balls which add speed and reduce size while still minimizing injury risk.
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Finally, players transition.
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Does your young hitter flinch at inside pitches or freeze up when the ball comes in hot?
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You're not alone and it's not just about toughening up.
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In this episode, we broke down one of the most common and most misunderstood challenges in youth baseball, fear of getting hit by the ball.
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We revealed powerful step by step system to rewire that fear into focus using controlled exposure, vision training, and mental resilience drills trusted by top coaches.
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And here's the good news, every single one of those tools, they're baked right into our swing shift program.
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Swing shift isn't just a daily hitting drill.
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It's a confidence building system that grows with your child.
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Starting from soft toss all the way to live game reps.
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Each five minute episode is engineered to reinforce mechanics, mindset, and game day composure.
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So whether your athlete struggles with fear, flinching, or just needs to rediscover hittingperformancelab.com forward slash swing shift and give your hitter the daily edge they've been missing.
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Overcoming ball fear.
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The hard focus soft focus drill has proven particularly effective in helping players maintain visual contact with the ball throughout the pitch.
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In the soft focus phase, players relax their eyes before the pitch taking in the whole scene including the pitcher's stance and delivery.
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When the pitcher begins their motion, players transition to hard focus locking on to the release point.
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This technique helps prevent early eye movement away from the ball which often triggers the flinching response.
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A real world example illustrates the effectiveness of this approach.
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Take Lucas, a naturally athletic player who could hit well in practice but struggled with inside pitches in games due to a previous hit by pitch incident.
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His fear remained unaddressed for two seasons significantly impacting his performance.
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Through a systematic approach using tennis ball soft toss, vision drills, and creating a confidence zone, he transformed from flinching to confidently turning on inside pitches in just two weeks.
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The glove arm block drill offers a practical starting point for addressing ball fear.
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Standing 15 to 20 feet from the hitter, the coach or parent tosses tennis balls near the player's front hip or ribs.
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The player wears their batting helmet and their glove on their front hand, practicing blocking the ball while maintaining their stance.
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The key instruction is glove stays calm, eyes stay locked, body stays grounded.
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This drill helps rewire the brain's response from perceiving danger to feeling in control.
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The progression from this drill involves gradually removing the glove, switching to different types of balls, and eventually moving to live pitching.
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Each step builds upon the previous one creating a foundation of confidence through repeated successful experiences.
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This approach acknowledges that trust takes time to rebuild and can't be rushed.
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Sports psychologist doctor Brett McCabe, offers an important perspective on fear in sports.
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Fear is just information.
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It tells you what matters to you.
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This reframes fear from a weakness to an indicator of investment and desire to succeed.
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When players and coaches understand this, it changes the entire approach to addressing fear at the plate.
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The goal isn't to eliminate fear, but to help young players work through it effectively.
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Success looks like a player who can step into the batter's box with focus and readiness, not tension and anxiety.
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This transformation requires patience, understanding, and a systematic approach to building confidence through controlled exposure and proper training techniques.
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Remember, helping players become brave isn't about denying fear exists.
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It's about showing them they have the tools and ability to handle it effectively.
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With the right approach and support, young hitters can develop not just physical skills, but also the mental fortitude needed for long term success in baseball.
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The journey from fear to confidence might take time, but the results, a player who can compete with quiet confidence, are worth the investment in proper training and patience.
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If today's episode hit home, especially the part about rewiring fear and building confidence step by step, then you're going to love what we've built at hittingperformancelab.com forward slash AI course.
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Inside our AI for youth sports course, you'll discover how to use artificial intelligence to design smarter, safer, and confidence building practice plans just like the progressive ball exposure drills and vision training we talked about today.
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Whether you're a parent or coach, this course will show you how to track performance, reduce training stress, and tailor drills that your young hitter actually needs, all in minutes, not hours.
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Wanna turn fear into focus and anxiety into confidence without guesswork?
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Use code AI course podcast, all one word, to get $20 off and help your athlete become the bravest version of themselves at the plate.
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Visit hittingperformancelab.com forward slash AI course and unlock your edge today.
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Thanks for tuning in to the Swing Smarter Hitting Training podcast.
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If today's episode gave you a fresh way to look at your young athlete's development, whether it's building confidence, mastering mechanics, or overcoming fear, go ahead and subscribe so you never miss a swing.
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Leave a review and let us know what hit home for you.
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Your feedback helps other parents and coaches find the show too.
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And if you're hungry for more tools, drills, and science backed strategies to raise a game ready hitter, visit us at hittingperformancelab.com.
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You'll find everything from daily hitting lessons to breakthrough programs that make baseball simpler and way more fun.
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Until next time, keep it smart, keep it simple, and keep swinging.
