Overcoming flinching

[Anonymous]

My 11U player continues to have an outsized flinch reaction to lofted balls. She plays through it but it’s embarrassing to her and probably costs her a bit of reaction time.

Suggestions on how to overcome this instinct?

[Anonymous]

Honestly, reps.

It’s a 20-30 min, a few times a week cure.
1) start with low flight volleys- throwing them below waist and clean touch back to thrower. This will build confidence and feel for the touch needed to take a ball out of the air.
2) From there, bring it down to ground off chest and a clean touch.
3) judging flights using the skills from 1 and 2. Might need to go an actual field so you can do 15+ yard skyballs for them to bring down.

It really is just reps and realizing the ball won’t kill you and you have the skills to make the 1-2 touches needed from neck and below.

[Anonymous]

Was she recently hit or injured by a ball to the face? If so it will go away with some time. I have 2 teenagers and over the course of their 10 plus years playing when they would get hit in the face there would be a few weeks where they would start to flinch after it happened and it always went away.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Was she recently hit or injured by a ball to the face? If so it will go away with some time. I have 2 teenagers and over the course of their 10 plus years playing when they would get hit in the face there would be a few weeks where they would start to flinch after it happened and it always went away.

Good question but no - it’s been an ongoing problem with no clear cause.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, reps.

It’s a 20-30 min, a few times a week cure.
1) start with low flight volleys- throwing them below waist and clean touch back to thrower. This will build confidence and feel for the touch needed to take a ball out of the air.
2) From there, bring it down to ground off chest and a clean touch.
3) judging flights using the skills from 1 and 2. Might need to go an actual field so you can do 15+ yard skyballs for them to bring down.

It really is just reps and realizing the ball won’t kill you and you have the skills to make the 1-2 touches needed from neck and below.

This is so helpful thank you!!

[Anonymous]

OP, don't worry at that age...90% of girls still flinch like the ball is a hand grenade.

It seems that by 13 a lot of natural bravery develops and the flinching goes away.

But yes, as PP said, do those rep drills!

And yes, my kid got smashed in the face and will become more timid for a while.

[Anonymous]

Put her in goal for a couple games.

[Anonymous]

I appreciate this thread. I have a Ulittle that took several balls to the face u8/u9/u10. We work a lot with the ball in the air but for some reason when she is not with her parent and is at practice or a game, the ball has metal spikes on it. It’s so agonizing to watch, but remain hopeful she will grow out of it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Put her in goal for a couple games.

What a dumb suggestion

[Anonymous]

Can she juggle? Have her work in headers when she juggles.

[Anonymous]

The difference I see is predictable vs unpredictable. When she knows it is coming for her head, then it isnt an issue. But when she doesn’t know or its more sporadic, then that is when the fear comes in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Put her in goal for a couple games.

What a dumb suggestion

Is it though? The therapy for most things anxiety related is do the thing over and over again to expose yourself. In fact, that is what people are suggesting on this thread.

Standing in the goal getting balls kicked at your head and body would do the trick. Maybe not in games but could do some goalie drills in practice. The goalies are not flinching.

[Anonymous]

My kid went through this as well. I used to kick the ball around with him and would only talk about it when we played soccer together. He was about the same age as yours at the time and grew out of it about a year later, but think just having a conversation with him while we kicked the ball around helped him.

[Anonymous]

I registered my kid for HP Elite’s flight class for this reason. Hoping it helps with repetition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Put her in goal for a couple games.

What a dumb suggestion

Is it though? The therapy for most things anxiety related is do the thing over and over again to expose yourself. In fact, that is what people are suggesting on this thread.

Standing in the goal getting balls kicked at your head and body would do the trick. Maybe not in games but could do some goalie drills in practice. The goalies are not flinching.

Yes, poster explicitly said put her in goal for a couple of games. So the whole team suffers from goals conceded by a kid who flinches at shots? Dumb idea. In practice with a parent or perhaps team practice sure but that was not the suggestion. Dumb idea still.