Every baseball or softball player encounters a hitting slump at some point—even the pros. As a parent, however, seeing your child struggle with the ensuing frustration can be tough. There are steps you can take to help your young athlete out of their funk. Here's what to do.

Help Your Kid Overcome the Slump

1. View Videos

When your child is up to bat, grab your cell phone and take footage. Watching the video can help identify mechanical flaws in a player's swing. Compare clips of good and bad hits to see if you can pinpoint differences, such as the player's stance. Be particularly attentive to trends, such as a penchant for continually hitting soft grounders or popping up.

2. Use a Swing Analyzer

If you're not able to identify trends in your child's batting based on the video, a swing analyzer can help. It provides real-time data about bat angle, swing speed, and more. You can use this information to adjust your child's batting behavior. If you don't have a swing analyzer yourself, your local batting cage may have one.

3. Head to the Batting Cages

When you do identify something that needs to be fixed, take your child to the batting cages. This contained space lets you provide your child with one-on-one focus to resolve issues. Use reps to reinforce good habits. Getting in reps at a batting cage also improves muscle memory and boosts confidence.

4. Encourage Your Child to Hustle

Subpar hits can be discouraging and leave players sluggish and unmotivated. Giving up will rarely help a player out of their slump, however. Encourage kids to commit anyway. Even if their hit isn't great, they should sprint, not jog, to first base. During a baseball or softball game, this maintains pressure on the other team to play defensively.

Head to the batting cages at The Hitting Zone in O'Fallon, MO, to work your slugger out of their slump. This state-of-the-art athletic club has knowledgeable baseball and softball instructors who are available to help. The facility offers batting cages, HitTrax® technology, pitching mounds, and pitching machines as well as a weight room. To inquire about availability or membership, call (636) 272-1015.