10U pitch speed

[RAZORWEASEL]

I have two DD that are pitchers, one is 16u the other is a first year 12u this coming summer. The oldest has one full ride offer on the table from a mid-major, the youngest consistently throws mid50's+ as an 11 year old (she's also 5'6" and 160 lbs...my fault, not hers ) Both of them have always been taught throw as hard as you can with good mechanics. Trying to slow down to throw strikes changes everything...changes how hard they drive off the rubber, changes the arm circle speed, changes the release point. Learn to find the strike zone. I have two absolutes when pitching...throw with as hard as you can, throw with good mechanics. Practice enough, they will figure out how to throw strikes.

I agree with Snotbubbles, be more concerned with development than winning games.

 

[Eric F]

I fully understand and don't fault you for your coaching decision. I'm sure there are many teams and many coaches who feel the same way. If my DD played only the field, I would probably feel the same way. However, as a parent of a 10u pitcher my one and only concern is for my DDs long-term development and not winning 10u games. I would happily find a lower level team who needs a pitcher (and there are a ton of them out there, especially here in the northeast) where she can get innings regardless of the outcome.

As a coach, I would encourage your DD to work her butt off to improve her control while maintaining (and building) her speed. After all, having a pitcher with speed AND control makes my decision a LOT easier.

You're right that finding a place where your young DD can pitch without the pressure of win/loss concerns may be an important phase in her development at this time. I get that completely. However, don't lose sight that the goal is to develop a pitcher that can perform at their very best with the pressure of the game on their shoulders. At some point in the very near future, your DD's game will count for something, and the coach will make a choice on who they think is going to give the team the best chance to win.

Another thing to keep in mind...Playing with a lower-level team so your DD can get more time in the circle certainly has value, but there is a trade-off. Facing easier competition often means that the rest of the game-skills aren't developing as quickly - on offense or defense. Time and time again, I see more development when young players have to stretch to reach the bar, than when the bar is lowered to be an easy reach. That said, I have also seen the bar placed too high, and the spirits of young players get broken. As I said, there is a trade-off. What's right for my kid might not be what right for yours.

 

[vol]

I fully understand and don't fault you for your coaching decision. I'm sure there are many teams and many coaches who feel the same way. If my DD played only the field, I would probably feel the same way. However, as a parent of a 10u pitcher my one and only concern is for my DDs long-term development and not winning 10u games. I would happily find a lower level team who needs a pitcher (and there are a ton of them out there, especially here in the northeast) where she can get innings regardless of the outcome.

If you were a parent on a team getting knocked out of tournaments early because the coaches chose speed over accuracy, and innings lasted 30 minutes and took 60 pitches with maybe one or two balls in play, you would be okay with that?

 

[Eric F]

If you were a parent on a team getting knocked out of tournaments early because the coaches chose speed over accuracy, and innings lasted 30 minutes and took 60 pitches with maybe one or two balls in play, you would be okay with that?

Snotbubbles has expressed that he would prefer to have his young DD pitching somewhere that the win/loss outcome isn't a concern. In that case, tournament games wouldn't be part of program.

 

[vol]

Snotbubbles has expressed that he would prefer to have his young DD pitching somewhere that the win/loss outcome isn't a concern. In that case, tournament games wouldn't be part of program.

But it also affects the rest of the team. As far as I know most games have time limits. If one or both pitchers are walking 3 out of 4 batters, and innings take 30-40 minutes to complete, how does that help a) hitters who want to actually hit the ball but only get one AB per game and may not see a strike, and 2) defense as only a handful of balls are put into play?

 

[Eric F]

But it also affects the rest of the team. As far as I know most games have time limits. If one or both pitchers are walking 3 out of 4 batters, and innings take 30-40 minutes to complete, how does that help a) hitters who want to actually hit the ball but only get one AB per game and may not see a strike, and 2) defense as only a handful of balls are put into play?

I tend to agree with you, vol. A pitcher that is having trouble finding the strike zone makes for a difficult game in lots of ways. However, there is a need for young pitchers to get time in the circle, even if they are struggling. Nothing else can really replicate a real game situation. As I said before, when the game matters, I'm going to pick a slower pitcher with control over a faster pitcher without control.

I'm not saying that young pitchers should not work on pitching faster. Speed is absolutely an important part of the equation. However, speed without control isn't useful. Both factors are important. IMO, control has the edge over speed for importance.

 

[vol]

I tend to agree with you, vol. A pitcher that is having trouble finding the strike zone makes for a difficult game in lots of ways. However, there is a need for young pitchers to get time in the circle, even if they are struggling. Nothing else can really replicate a real game situation. As I said before, when the game matters, I'm going to pick a slower pitcher with control over a faster pitcher without control.

I'm not saying that young pitchers should not work on pitching faster. Speed is absolutely an important part of the equation. However, speed without control isn't useful. Both factors are important. IMO, control has the edge over speed for importance.

I'm with you. My daughter is a second year 10u pitcher and she throws strikes. All this BS about speed is just that - BS! She throws on average 47ish, but will hit 48 or 49, and has hit 50 a time or two in games, but will also drop down to 45 or 46 depending on the pitch call. She understands the difference between pitching and throwing. We played this past weekend and both pitchers we saw in bracket play were hitting 48, 49, 50 regularly. But were only throwing 30-40% strikes. Our team had a lot of strikeouts but thanks to the walks had runners on when he got a hit or two. And when they missed is wasn't by an inch or two - more like a foot or four.

One point of emphasis with my daughter is the most important batter of the inning is the lead off batter. If you walk her, she will score 80% of the time in 10u. The next most important batter is the one in the box. Get the lead off batter out and you are ahead of the game. Walk her, and you are behind the curve.

 

[Eric F]

I'm with you. My daughter is a second year 10u pitcher and she throws strikes. All this BS about speed is just that - BS! She throws on average 47ish, but will hit 48 or 49, and has hit 50 a time or two in games, but will also drop down to 45 or 46 depending on the pitch call. She understands the difference between pitching and throwing. We played this past weekend and both pitchers we saw in bracket play were hitting 48, 49, 50 regularly. But were only throwing 30-40% strikes. Our team had a lot of strikeouts but thanks to the walks had runners on when he got a hit or two. And when they missed is wasn't by an inch or two - more like a foot or four.

One point of emphasis with my daughter is the most important batter of the inning is the lead off batter. If you walk her, she will score 80% of the time in 10u. The next most important batter is the one in the box. Get the lead off batter out and you are ahead of the game. Walk her, and you are behind the curve.

That's the kind of stuff that makes my DD's job behind the plate a lot harder. Keep it close, and she's going to do a good job keeping strikes looking like strikes. Miss by a lot and her job quickly becomes just trying to keep the damage minimized. Walks and runs scoring on wild pitches are painful.

 

[MNDad]

I have two DD that are pitchers, one is 16u the other is a first year 12u this coming summer. The oldest has one full ride offer on the table from a mid-major, the youngest consistently throws mid50's+ as an 11 year old (she's also 5'6" and 160 lbs...my fault, not hers ) Both of them have always been taught throw as hard as you can with good mechanics. Trying to slow down to throw strikes changes everything...changes how hard they drive off the rubber, changes the arm circle speed, changes the release point. Learn to find the strike zone. I have two absolutes when pitching...throw with as hard as you can, throw with good mechanics. Practice enough, they will figure out how to throw strikes.

I agree with Snotbubbles, be more concerned with development than winning games.

This is how DD was taught as well. It drove me nuts hearing coaches or parents telling her to "just throw strikes". In my experience young girls who throw strikes give up more than enough hits to offset walks from a faster pitcher with less control. As they get into 16U and 18U walks will kill them so they'd better be accurate by then.

 

[vol]

This is how DD was taught as well. It drove me nuts hearing coaches or parents telling her to "just throw strikes". In my experience young girls who throw strikes give up more than enough hits to offset walks from a faster pitcher with less control. As they get into 16U and 18U walks will kill them so they'd better be accurate by then.

So is there a switch you can flip to turn them from wild with the occasional strike thrown here and there, to corner burners and racking up the K's? And when they get to 16u it magically all comes together???