DD having a hard time picking the ball up

I don't know if this was exhaustion or frustration or what, but at the last tryout we went to Monday night Cricket had a very bad showing behind the plate. One problem is that it was 95 with a heat index of 105-110 and the coach did what almost all of them have been doing and had the pitchers and catchers come out after everything else was over and work some more. So, Cricket got to work for 2.5 hours in that heat and then strap on the gear and try to catch. That irritated me quite a bit and sealed my decision that this wasn't going to be the team for us anyway, but I was concerned about some things I saw from her performance and we have a tryout this weekend for the team that she is really hoping to get picked up.

She is having a hard time picking up the ball from the pitchers in this age group. We are moving up from 10U to 12U so the mound is moving back to 40ft and we have had bad luck with the tryout information being less than truthful. So far, we have been told that we were going to be trying out for 2 different 2004 teams and gotten there to find out that Cricket was the only 2004 girl there with the rest being 2003 girls with a year of travel ball under their belts. So she has been trying to catch pitchers that throw harder and with movement. It is frustrating her and starting to get discouraging.

She is having a very hard time finding the pocket because she isn't seeing the ball until it is halfway to her so she is really starting to doubt her abilities and that is not normal for her. I'm not sure what to do, but I need to help boost her confidence before Sunday. Any tips on drills or even just coaching advice I can give her to help her fight through this? We have the NECC DVD and she has watched it several times. She has excellent form and I am going through it again today to try to pick up something to help me help her. If anyone wants to point out a specific place to pay attention to that I am overlooking, I feel like I am so deep in the weeds with this one that I am just missing the answer.

Reps and reps and more reps. Best thing would be to either a) find a pitcher or pitchers that need someone to catch either backyard practice or lessons or b) learn how to pitch yourself bucket dad in reverse...lol.

If she has caught for a couple seasons 10U it should not take to long to get her up to speed

djcarter1966 said:

Reps and reps and more reps. Best thing would be to either a) find a pitcher or pitchers that need someone to catch either backyard practice or lessons or b) learn how to pitch yourself bucket dad in reverse...lol.

If she has caught for a couple seasons 10U it should not take to long to get her up to speed

Click to expand...

I actually can pitch underhand. I learned so that I could throw BP. I guess that is about my only option at this point. I've never seen her lose confidence before. It's killing me.

Has she had her eyes checked? They change quickly at her age.

Quote from Harvey Penick:

If you play poorly one day, forget it.
If you play poorly the next time out, review your fundamental of grip, stance, aim and ball position. Most mistakes are made before the club is swung.
If you play poorly for a third time in a row, go see your professional.

...it may apply ?

Do you know any older pitchers that would come pitch to her? If her vision is good, maybe she is a little gunshy, older girls throwing harder. Can you get your hands on a pitching machine? Crank it up a little faster than she is used to catching.

If you can't get a pitcher, I agree that a machine is great to use. You can get a lot more pitches to her. Last night our pitcher who will be in college next year got too hot to keep pitching but DD wanted to keep going. Even though it's not as good, the machine never complains

Anyone can throw half speed at half distance underhand, but if you think she's not watching the ball early enough this might not be enough.
You may also want to back up and have her focus on just sticking the pitch without worrying about specific glove technique for the time being.

To help get used to faster speeds, with either a pitcher, you, or a machine, you can do a receiving version of the Bonds drill - receive a few balls at her normal distance then progressively move closer (i.e., shorten the distance, which reduces the reaction time, which is akin to increasing the velocity). Getting used to movement for the first time is a little trickier, but again just a matter of getting reps to get used to it. Catching a more advanced pitcher is always the preferred option, followed by a machine set to spin the ball.

However, it sounds like it might be as mental as physical. I'd try to put an end to that quickly by explaining to her that while the distance/speed have changed and are causing her some trouble currently, she can be confident that her training and practice will allow her to adapt quickly.

FWIW, if you appear nervous or concerned, so will she. Relax (or at least appear relaxed!

Good luck!

Thanks for the advice folks. I decided to keep my big mouth shut and be encouraging today at our latest tryout. This was a tryout with all 2004 girls and she was much more comfortable. She is still having a hard time finding the pocket with the 12 inch ball but that will come with reps. She did great with everything else. Sometimes the best solution is to let them work it out on their own.