calling pitches

obbay, does she have the freedom to shake off pitches? I'm not at the high school level but my travel ball pitchers have a chance to shake off pitches that I call. I'll then send in another if she shakes that one off, then the catcher will call time and visit the mound. She'll then relay the pitch call to me and I usually give the nod to go ahead with the pitch.

I'd check to see if she can shake off pitches.

obbay said:

DD's HS coach insists on having a coach call the pitches.

The AC (who I coach with on TB team) tells me everything and one thing he has been very upfront with is that this is new to him. he's seen other coaches do it effectively, and he enjoys doing it, especially with DD.
the problem I'm having is his pitch calling isn't that good (I'm hearing this from others, most recently a scout for another team) so he tries something, it doesn't work and DD gets blamed for it. (The HS Coach is big on placing blame on his players, but that's another story)
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Ok so someone you KNOW and COACH with is calling pitches. So I am assuming your DD knows him pretty well also. This should be a good situation to work within.

Apart from the other advice already given, it is also on your DD to discuss with the coach calling pitches what she throws best, what is a good sequence or two that she likes and is comfortable with, how she likes to throw to certain batters, etc. It is also on her to be able to turn down a pitch she doesn't want to throw in a certain situation and to go over with her coach how this works in practice (i.e. I get a sign, I shake it off, and we go to X pitch or we just call time out and talk about it). It is important that she communicates between innings what is and isn't working.

Your DD can help him be successful in calling the 'right' pitch. If it can be a team effort it gets better instead of robotically pitching whatever comes out of the dugout.

marriard said:

Ok so someone you KNOW and COACH with is calling pitches. So I am assuming your DD knows him pretty well also. This should be a good situation to work within.

Apart from the other advice already given, it is also on your DD to discuss with the coach calling pitches what she throws best, what is a good sequence or two that she likes and is comfortable with, how she likes to throw to certain batters, etc. It is also on her to be able to turn down a pitch she doesn't want to throw in a certain situation and to go over with her coach how this works in practice (i.e. I get a sign, I shake it off, and we go to X pitch or we just call time out and talk about it). It is important that she communicates between innings what is and isn't working.

Your DD can help him be successful in calling the 'right' pitch. If it can be a team effort it gets better instead of robotically calling whatever comes out of the dugout.

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Agreed on the points above. I think it helps to have a coach that invests time and learns how their pitcher works, and of course every pitcher is different. Communication is essential both ways and should include the catcher. I think it would go along ways for a coach to attend a pitching lesson once in a while. The coach should understand what the pitcher is working on with their pitching coach and maybe give feedback to the pitching coach on what they're expecting or about what the pitcher is doing.

Just from my experience, this whole communication process seems to break down. My DD has had a few coaches in their time and they just start calling pitches with a very little consideration to strategy. And they have very little discussion during the game or pre-game. I think the problem of course the coach is normally consumed managing all the facets of the game which is a very tough multi-tasking job. Constant feed back with the pitcher and catcher is just an after thought.

Also, maybe its just my experience, but most of the coaches my DD has had rarely call the change up. We work on this pitch every practice, and she's gotten better at it. She throws hard, so we need the change up to keep them off balance. But her coaches will call it 2 or 3 times a game, even if its effective. Yes, occasionally like all young pitchers she throws it in the dirt. Sometimes you have to throw it a couple times to find the feel. I've seen this so many times, one bad change up and they just quit. They keep throwing the same pitch over and over.

Softball scholar said:

Agreed on the points above. I think it helps to have a coach that invests time and learns how their pitcher works, and of course every pitcher is different.

Just from my experience, this whole communication process seems to break down. My DD has had a few coaches in their time and they just start calling pitches with a very little consideration to strategy. And they have very little discussion during the game or pre-game. I think the problem of course the coach is normally consumed managing all the facets of the game which is a very tough multi-tasking job. Constant feed back with the pitcher and catcher is just an after thought.
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I know it is tough for a young girl to actively initiate and talk to an adult authority figure, but once they do, it is normally a very positive experience for them one way or another.

I think someone on this board had told their DD that "Hey it is not me out there sucking" - that is a pretty straightforward way of saying that it is up to the player to take it into their own hands to make sure they are putting themselves in a good place to succeed.

I have found that the best pitch callers are the pitchers parents. Just ask them.

GunnerShotgun said:

I have found that the best pitch callers are the pitchers parents. Just ask them.

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Pretty sure I am the poster boy for this observation....

My DD earned the chance to call pitches her Soph. year and has owned it since. Her coach is former D1 pitcher, so she knows a little about pitching. DD went to the coach after an inning where the pitcher was rocked, suggested some pitch sequences based on batter behavior, in the box, and swing, and was given the chance. DD can remember what pitch the hitter missed, drove, and went deep every at bat throughout the game.
Maybe if she has the chance for conversation that shows a willingness to learn and also an understanding, she can gain her coaches trust.

GunnerShotgun said:

I have found that the best pitch callers are the pitchers parents. Just ask them.

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That's not necessarily true, but of course my DD would have tons of no-hitters if I was calling her pitches.

Jr10234 said:

My DD earned the chance to call pitches her Soph. year and has owned it since. Her coach is former D1 pitcher, so she knows a little about pitching. DD went to the coach after an inning where the pitcher was rocked, suggested some pitch sequences based on batter behavior, in the box, and swing, and was given the chance. DD can remember what pitch the hitter missed, drove, and went deep every at bat throughout the game.
Maybe if she has the chance for conversation that shows a willingness to learn and also an understanding, she can gain her coaches trust.

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Glad it worked out well for your DD. But I cannot pass up calling out nonsense and keeping it real.

I was born in a hospital so I guess that makes me a doctor? And since I ate dinner at Olive Garden last night I am both a chef and Italian? The fact that she played D1 means she played D1 ball. Nothing more. Does not mean she knows squat about the game or if she is a softball genius. Plenty of D1 players fall into either category. And let's remember that D1 in no way equates to a high level of play. It has to do with funding for scholarships, nothing more.

GunnerShotgun said:

I have found that the best pitch callers are the pitchers parents. Just ask them.

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The best part about calling pitches for my DD is it lets me know what we need to work on in practice. I remember one time I called an inside riseball, and my DD threw a pitch at the knees that was a called third strike. All the parents started clapping saying "great pitch", but DD looked over at me with an "ahh shucks" grin on her face because she knew she had just gotten away with one.