New Pitcher Nervous to Hit Batter

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Oct 4, 2016
176
18
Hey. This is my first post here. I've enjoyed reading a lot of your posts already!

My 10 yr old daughter has recently started pitching and has a very good pitching coach from what I can tell. When she goes to her weekly lesson and when she's with me in the yard she's throwing with nice speed. The pitching coach is very excited about her speed. Her accuracy is still sporadic and from time to time she will throw pitches to me that she knows would hit a batter. Our league is pretty new still and there are a lot of little girls who have never played before. When she pitches against these teams she throws at about 30 - 50% normal speed. In order to do this she's not really doing what she's been practicing. I want her to pitch in games to get used to throwing to live batters but I don't know if this can be detrimental to her progress.

Should I just let her do what she's comfortable with when she's pitching in games and keep working with her at full speed at home/lessons with the idea in mind that as she gets more comfortable with her accuracy she'll start going harder?

Thanks in advance!
 
Jun 12, 2015
3,848
83
Mine had that issue at first. She has really good control for her age, and it was forever before she hit her frst batter. Rather than slowing down she was missing the inside. Gave up some really good hits when her inside pitch went down the middle. We made her pitch inside to her dad until she nailed him. I think she's hit 4 or 5 girls now, going for way inside, and she's ok with it. Maybe there's some way to modify that, pitch fast at dad till you hit him?

Sent from my SM-N920T using Tapatalk
 

Axe

Jul 7, 2011
459
18
Atlanta
She needs to throw full speed all the time. It's the only way to learn how to do it correctly. When my DD2 was first learning she would hit at least 1 batter an inning. With hard work and experience she was throwing 60+% strikes a few months later.
 
Oct 11, 2010
8,337
113
Chicago, IL
I am am pretty sure DD set the record for most batters hit.

One game our batters were target practice for P, not excplabe in my opinion. Did not go well.

Throw it hard.
 
Oct 11, 2010
8,337
113
Chicago, IL
Sorry, she clipped a batter rolling around all coaches out on field. Batter needed I do not know what.

She hit her good next time, it had to hurt.
 
Jun 12, 2015
3,848
83

Yeah. lol

I remembered another thing we talked about, was how she felt when she got hit by a pitcher. Yes, it hurts to some degree depending on where you get hit. But she isn't ever mad at the pitcher who hit her, it's just part of the game. It's not on purpose and they know that as well as she does. I think turning it around like that helped her some too.
 
Jul 20, 2012
10
0
This is going to sound a little crazy, but it will work.

We always do at least one BP session where we learn how to get hit by a pitch. It's definitely a skill that should be coached. Take on the hip, turn the shoulder in, tuck the chin, hide the bat, etc. It's great for the pitchers too. We have them come inside as much as possible. And see how close they can get without hitting the batter. (I have to admit, that I don't think we did this at 10U - I'm not that crazy). In short order, the batters learn to stay in the box and take the base - AND the pitchers get past the fear to throw on the inside of the plate.
 

Ken Krause

Administrator
Admin
May 7, 2008
3,911
113
Mundelein, IL
Remind your daughter that the reasons pitchers wear masks now is so they don't get hit in the face with a hit ball. I have never seen or talked to a hitter who was worried that if she hit the ball hard she might hit the pitcher. All's fair.

When I'm working with young pitchers, the way I explain it is not to worry about it. If it happens, it happens. But if they do someone, the girl has to cry. If she hits a batter and the girl doesn't cry she's not throwing hard enough.
 

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