Do they all say this?

At practice last night, I was chatting with the dad of one of our other pitchers. He was saying his pitching coach thinks his daughter will break 50 mph by 10 years old (they're 9 now). My pitching coach has said the same (her max speed is 46, that's as hard as she can with little accuracy). We were laughing about how we pay them so they must have to say these things. Seems like not many girls in 10U actually break 50 mph. So do the coaches all say this or what? Just wondering. My DH and I have often joked about all the praise she gets might be related to the money we pay for lessons

50+ MPH at 10U is rare and is usually one of those kids who matures early and peaks by 12U. Pitching coaches all think they can add 5 MPH to every pitcher they see, especially if they have open time slots in their calendar.

grcsftbll said:

At practice last night, I was chatting with the dad of one of our other pitchers. He was saying his pitching coach thinks his daughter will break 50 mph by 10 years old (they're 9 now). My pitching coach has said the same (her max speed is 46, that's as hard as she can with little accuracy). We were laughing about how we pay them so they must have to say these things. Seems like not many girls in 10U actually break 50 mph. So do the coaches all say this or what? Just wondering. My DH and I have often joked about all the praise she gets might be related to the money we pay for lessons

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I have not seen a player in the 10U age group legitimately reach 50mph consistently without their physical maturity being a major factor.

There were two girls who got to 50mph legitimately in our area in 10U. Both were really big for their age and as early maturers were literally head and shoulders above everyone else. 4 years on and these two are still right around 50mph and are struggling quite a bit. While they are still taller than most girls their age, the size difference is no longer as dramatic.

However we can all get to 51mph using Granddad Radar Gun... Even I can get the pocket radar to read 6-8mph faster if you time it right (our PC puts her Pocket Radar on a tripod so we get a legitimate reading)

We were up against one girl this past weekend who looked at least close to 50. But she was actually 11, sneaking into 10U because of the tournament rules on birthdays, and she was definitely a big girl. We have 3 pitchers on our team, all seem pretty similar speed wise, none big girls. Our first lesson mine was clocked at 33 max so she's gained a ton in less than a year. I credit that to actually learning HOW to pitch though. It's hard to imagine her throwing 50 in a year, not with any accuracy. I bet in games her fast ball is averaging about 38.

grcsftbll said:

We were up against one girl this past weekend who looked at least close to 50. But she was actually 11, sneaking into 10U because of the tournament rules on birthdays, and she was definitely a big girl. We have 3 pitchers on our team, all seem pretty similar speed wise, none big girls. Our first lesson mine was clocked at 33 max so she's gained a ton in less than a year. I credit that to actually learning HOW to pitch though. It's hard to imagine her throwing 50 in a year, not with any accuracy. I bet in games her fast ball is averaging about 38.

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They start hitting the big growth spurt around 10-11 years old so don't be surprised. Unfortunately with that growth spurt comes mechanics being thrown off because they have to adjust to the changes in their bodies. It all comes together in the end...very exciting to watch though!

Do not get caught up in speed discussions with other pitchers parents. There is a WIDE variation in the measurements being used and Radar Grandpa is a great example of how results can be skewed. My DD was throwing 42 when she was 10 and that was only when she came out of her shoes with everything she had and no control. I would be willing to bet she never broke 40 to a live batter. Work on mechanics and the speed will come as your DD grows and matures. My DD increased @ 5 MPH per year from 10-14. After they are done growing speed increases are much tougher to come by, so a pitcher needs to have good mechanics and be able to move the ball and hit her spots. 16U A-level TB batters can hit 70 MPH fastballs if they are flat and down the middle!

I have definitely noticed mine pitches faster in lessons and practice than games. I'm sure a big part of that is nerves. She's pitched in 2 whole games now I really don't get caught up in speed at all, we only clock at lessons about every other month & I don't have a radar detector myself. The other dad didn't seem to put much into it either. We were both kind of amused at the fact that a 10 year old breaking 50 is rare but supposedly both of ours will do it. My daughter is tall for her age, like 97th percentile, but not a big girl. I'd call her athletic/slender.

Lessons and practice can get monotonies, throw a tangible goal up there. We are going for this!

Rev fire would be another one but I am not sure many parents understand it; this is a SB forum so I am sure most of us do.

I think you know if the PI is giving you your money’s worth come game time.

I am a a PC with a DD that throws very fast (70mph) and she and I will be the first to tell you that there is way too much focus on speed. I think this is because it is the only attribute that is widely measured. Seems like everybody has radar now. Over her career we focused on mechanics and strength with a strong emphasis on command, and movement. Speed seemed to take care of itself. As with many pitchers that throw hard she has found that she is at her best a bit lower than top end. Last weekend she started a DH and threw 4 innings working at 65-66mph and bumped 67 once or twice. Her movement was exceptional and she was putting it in a tea cup. This was her "A" game. Then 3 hours later she came in to close the second game. With a 7 run lead needing only 3 outs she came in throwing gas. She was slinging it at 68-69mph and bumped 70mph once. However, she had less movement and had some drift into the white that happened to get by the hitters. Yeah, it was fun to watch but she would have been eaten alive throwing against a conference team. As JAD suggested do not get caught up in discussions of speed with other parents. Most likely if they are focused on speed it is because their DD lacks in command and movement. Be relentless on the proper execution of IR/BI and get the mechanics right because it is not where you start but where you finish.

Our goal with my daughter was to be very accurate but also be at the top range of speed for her age. Many times size will be a determining factor as well. My daughter is very average for her age, but works hard enough that hitting 50 on occasion at 12 yrs old happens. She cruises around the 47 mark with good location with good movement and off speed pitches. I don't think we could ask for much more or expect more.