The hitter stands frozen, bat glued to shoulder, afraid to move.
Getting "plunked" by the pitch has to be the number one reason hitters don't hit. If he doesn't freeze, he steps in the bucket, to get as far from the pitch as possible. Fear of being hit by the pitch has taken over, and coaches must not fail to recognize how difficult a problem this can be for some of their players.

It can't be turned into a heroic act by telling them to "take one for the team". It can't be minimized by telling them it doesn't hurt — it does. The pain is real; the potential for serious injury is real; and your challenge is not to remove fear from the batter's box, but to give them proper techniques for reducing the risk.


Let's start by looking at some "avoidance" moves you may have seen at pro and elite games. We've combined them into a composite image, the animated version shows each in turn.

You might see all of these, but not all are safe. If the pitch is clearly going to be in the dirt at the batter's feet, then hopping and skipping over the ball is an effective and instinctive way to avoid getting hit in the toes or ankles. However, the safest to teach at the youngest ages is what we show below. You might not always avoid the pitch, but you will be protected.
 

 

Turn your back to the pitch. The safest method starts by turning with the pitch, away from the pitcher. This takes the face, hands, ribs, elbows and knees — all the exposed bones — away from the inside pitch. If it hits you it will be on the more "padded" backside.

Scrunch your head down, too, as tucked into your shoulders as possible — so the helmet protects the neck (a deeper tuck than the illustrations if you can.) And pull the bat down also — otherwise the ball could hit it which would count as a foul ball at best, or create a pop up or even accidental fair ball.

You might start this training with reduced-injury factor balls or even by putting a catchers chest pad on the backs of your batters.

1 Do the 'no blink' drill

Another way to conquer the fear - this is a catcher's training technique. Put on the face mask and learn to take balls in the face without blinking. While not directly related to being hit by a pitch it is a fear-battling exercise.

2 Fill the bucket

Stepping in the bucket is what happens when a batter pulls his stride leg back, away from the plate. The result is an ineffective swing (most often a miss) not to mention a dangerous front-side exposure to that stray pitch. You can place a glove on the ground in practice so that he must stride and stay on the plate side. This can also help encourage him to do the turn and duck.

3 Start out - Step in

Another approach for batters who step out in fear, is to start them with an open stance — in effect the front leg is already in the bucket. Have them step into the pitch, bringing their front leg in toward the plate and ball. This has the added effect of getting them focused on the in-coming pitch, helps keep their front shoulder in, and can continue into the turn-away if necessary.