Yesterday, my mom took the boy to the batting cages. I was coming home from work right as they were getting there, so I dropped in to help out and watch batting practice.
His hitting has drastically improved this season, mostly in terms of consistency. His power isn't there yet, but his hand-eye is great. His form, just like anyone's, needs some help.
So my mom fed him balls, and I stood behind for the first bucket and watched him hit, giving suggestions and directions. Shoulder up, step back from the plate, swing quicker, harder, etc. At the end of the first bucket of balls, we nearly had World War III. He didn't want to hit any more, he wanted to throw the ball instead, but we can do that in our yard at home, not necessarily at the batting cages. He wanted a drink, so I told him to hit the water fountain, and we'd just go home.
After a drink and a rest of about 5 minutes, he was ready to hit again. This time, I told him I wasn't even going to watch - I was just going to sit in the background and take care of other stuff. He was JUST FINE with that.
So I sat back for about 10 minutes and just let him do his thing. He seemed to be hitting well, so I got up and stood behind him again and watched him hit. He was hitting some good balls. I didn't say anything this time, and after about 5 minutes, he realized I was there and gave me a dirty look. I promised I wouldn't say anything, and I just stood and watched and told him "good hit" when he hit a really good one.
He hit really well, but more to the point - he enjoyed it a hell of a lot more when I kept my mouth shut. He didn't need my input on every single ball, nor did he need it most of the time. He had a great time just swinging at the ball, and his batting improved over the time we were there. In the end, he hit 5 or 6 buckets of balls, and had a great time. And I remembered that sometimes, just watching and cheering is all that is necessary from me.
Sometimes, it's better to be still.
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