Just Starting

To add to drc, if you are physically inclined and have the time, learn along with her. The more you can feel what is being taught/learned, the more it will help you help her.

I'd also add to inde's post about learning what is not good: Wrist snaps, palm pushing the ball through release, closed/open/close, forced follow throughs, bending at the waist. Instructors that teach whip (see IR threads,) a strong drive and a natural follow through generally will know their stuff. There are many successful PC's out there and some make a living at it. Many connect well with their kids and eventually end up with kids who find success. However, my estimate based on local experience and from what I've seen in books, videos, the internet, etc., is that most really do not understand the motion. They have their heart in the right place, but just miss the mark with some of the basics. Sometimes you may have to compromise on one area when everything else in an instructor is decent. No one is perfect, but it sure is nice to find that coach who can get you on the right path, and connect with your DD.

That said, another vote for the Hillhouse vids.

starsnuffer said:

Get her a pitching coach, let the PC teach her, and continue to be her parent.

You're a grown adult, you will pick things up quicker then your daughter does, even though your daughter is the one doing the work. You will quickly feel that you are an expert because you picked things up "so fast" compared to an 11 year old girl, and you will most likely believe that you can teach the 11 year old how to pitch.

Don't do this.

Get her a proper coach, and enjoy the experience of learning along with your daughter AT HER PACE. Be there for her when she needs you. As a pitcher, she'll have plenty of people telling her what to do, how to do it, and what she is doing wrong. She'll need you to be dad or mom, not Coach23214.

-W

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Good in theory... but there are too many PCs out there that teach different then the IR way described by BM.

Read as much about IR as you can, educate yourself as much as possible from the material on this site.... then search out a PC. as Star suggests.

Get a ASA Certified PC with a family counseling degree, and a brother in law who is a Physical Therapist. Your going to need them...Good Lock :{))

starsnuffer said:

Get her a pitching coach, let the PC teach her, and continue to be her parent.

You're a grown adult, you will pick things up quicker then your daughter does, even though your daughter is the one doing the work. You will quickly feel that you are an expert because you picked things up "so fast" compared to an 11 year old girl, and you will most likely believe that you can teach the 11 year old how to pitch.

Don't do this.

Get her a proper coach, and enjoy the experience of learning along with your daughter AT HER PACE. Be there for her when she needs you. As a pitcher, she'll have plenty of people telling her what to do, how to do it, and what she is doing wrong. She'll need you to be dad or mom, not Coach23214.

-W

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Excellent stuff Starsnuffer! It is almost impossible to do. I failed miserably in the beginning and always got on to my daughter about everything. It is not a good thing so be patient and always encourage her and try your hardest to make every practice fun for her!!! If she's not the one asking you to practice, it's probably not her thing though so pay close attention to that.

perfect circle said:

get a asa certified pc with a family counseling degree, and a brother in law who is a physical therapist. Your going to need them...good lock :{))

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lol.......

Yes, I have had a lot of people tell me that as well and it would probably bring my stress level down.

Starting Pitching Instruction

Pitcher2001 said:

My DD is just starting. 11 y/o. What are some good beginner tips?

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As others have stated Bill Hillhouse is one of the best in the country. houseofpitching.com
He sells very reasonably priced videos on his site and they are outstanding. He also has
several seminars at fastpitch.tv

There are also many other great pitching videos there. And a ton of videos on just about anything you'd want to know about softball.

Doug Gillis from the University of Missouri is also one of the best. He did sell a great video set - not sure if he still does. He does give online lessons.

The Gillis International Fastpitch Institute (GIFI)

This is a great site for training and buying training aids. Great instructor with excellent videos.

Rita Lynn Gilman's Softball Pitching Tools

Amanda Scarborough from Texas A&M also gives online instruction and is terrific.

Amanda Scarborough Houston Youth Softball Lessons | Softball Clinics & Camps | Softball Coaching

Of course, you need a local instructor. Online instruction can be helpful but many things are best taught hands on. However, if you do your homework through video study - you will be able to spot instructors who are teaching correct mechanics and fundamentals.

With a new pitcher I'd concentrate on getting mechanics down first. Then just throwing a fastball for strikes. After about a year of that - start to hit locations with the fastball. After they can hit about 7 out of ten for strikes, I'd introduce the change up. After they can throw change for about a year, move on to drop and rise.

One of the most important things is repetition. If a parent is not willing to pitch with the student 4-5 times a week it's very tough. Pitching once a week just won't get it done.

And the player has to love pitching - if they don't it's a struggle. It's a tremendous commitment from both player and parent.

Good luck and feel free to pm me if you have any specific questions.

This is my advice for the first step -

Make sure the DD wants to play at least TWO equally independantly demanding sports:
1. Pitching in fastpitch
2. Doing everything else in the game of fastpitch.

I have an 11 yr old, she started at 8 yrs. I also pitched fastpitch in the USAF. I have taken her to numerous coaches. The one thing I can say for your daughter is make sure you are starting her off right. Mine has changed everything a couple times and she is currently taking lessons from Hillhouse. He is fantastic!! 2 lessons with him and she is more balanced, quicker and consistant than she ever has been. Enjoy the ride, I have been having the time of my life with her. This doesnt last forever.......

DD is now 13...I love her pitching story. Opened my eyes on the position, that's for sure.

She was 11/12 - taking catching lessons at a local indoor gym during her off-season (November). She was primarily a catcher and 3rd base in rec league. She saw some girls taking pitching lessons and asked if she could sign up too. She hated catching lessons so much that I told her if she stuck with catching lessons I'd get her pitching lessons just "to see". We contacted one of the pitching coaches at this gym and got her a 30 minute time slot, once a week. Just beginner stuff...showed her the basics. Powerline, release point, etc...

Come spring -- in our old rec league we were pretty sparse on lots of talent. Every team pretty much got a pitcher and a catcher and a mix of talent/experience. DD normally got assigned based on catching skills. No one even knew she was taking pitching lessons. Her first game came up and the coach decided to throw her on the mound to save our "real" pitcher's arm. We never looked back after that. I'll never forget that day...other games had ended so we had a crowd of families watching our game and parents walking up "I didn't know DD was a pitcher!!". Having another pitcher in our league was apparently a big deal. She made All-Stars as a pitcher and ended with an undefeated winter ball season.

Things I would've done differently: I would've done more research on PCs in our area. Our PC is a great coach for a beginner. But I slowly noticed that she didn't teach girls older than maybe 12. She was a great coach for the basics and really stuck to it. Didn't want DD to step outside of what she was taught. They started butting heads pretty hard last year and we found another PC that actually took DD's style and showed her some releases that were natural to her body movement. Unfortunately, THAT PC is hard to get a hold of...so now we're on PC #3.

More practice on our part -- the more we sit on the bucket, the more practice she gets. This is with our without a PC coach. You can't get speed, you can't get better without practice. It takes a lot of discipline and time to do this and make it part of the family routine.

Things that surpised me: Pitching is just as much mental as it is physical. DD needs to know how her demeanor affects the rest of the team. That every game is one pitch at a time. That she has to do her job and let the rest of the team do theirs. Nothing breaks my heart more than to see a little girl on the mound, crying or upset. This is supposed to be fun...the minute that it's not, take a break and re-assess.

DD plays competitive now...she's only on the mound 25-50% of the time. She says she enjoys playing IF and making plays more than pitching. It's interesting to see as she grows and matures how her game changes, as well. Be prepared to give your DD that room. Know when she needs to commit and when it's okay to back off and let her enjoy her game. Have fun!!