Overcoming fear of ball

Question
My 7 year old is in his first year of kid pitch.  In the last 2 years he has done both coach pitch and machine pitch, and has not shown himself to be scared of the ball.   Although he is the youngest on his team, he is one of the biggest and strongest boys, and has a lot of natural ability. This year, he has become fearful of the ball, particularly at the plate.  If I pitch him a tennis ball, his fundamentals stay strong and he crushes the ball.  With a real ball, he is extremely fearful, and can hardly swing. I have tried everything I know.  Are there any unusual drills or suggestions to help him relax?

Answer
Jim:  I have received this question a number of times, thus I have created a page on my web site which I will provide you the link to.

It is certainly a common problem, and one which requires some patience and understanding.

The url for the page is www.theoleballgame.com/fear-of-being-hit.html

Hopefully some of these ideas will help with your situation.

Please let me know how it is going for both you and your son.  You can contact me back here at All Experts, or through the contact or ask a question page on my site at www.theoleballgame.com

Good luck as you go forward.  He is starting into a really good time in your family's baseball experience.  Once he moves past the concerns over being hit, things will smooth out!

Yours in baseball,

Rick