Beginner pitcher?

[Dukhunt22]

Okay, my 10yo DD said she wanted to pitch, so I said we'll try. No lessons, me no experience. This is just Rec ball so not concerned about excellence. Just trying to get some help to have a decent rec season. Just would like some small adjustments to work on. Please be kind. LOL. Any Tips on what to work on or try to do to make a little better. She was asking how fast cause I was checking speed. She averaged about 38 mph.

BB291629-C0E3-4811-A9A0-F54C1FDF6DCF_zpsnkglo5yj.mp4 Video by dukhunt22 | Photobucket

Thanks
Chad

 

[Top_Notch]

I think overall it's pretty good. Certainly some great positives here. I think her leg drive can be more explosive and her back leg can drive into her front leg instead of dragging and stopping short. She opens up nicely, maybe a little too much. One thing you can also try to work on is her free hand glove being up at the end instead of down at her side. It almost looks like Hello Elbow at the end as she seems to be in a hurry to pull back. Just watch her follow thru.

 

[Amy in AZ.]

Please encourage her to not back up to the rubber. She has to stay out there and get the throw back from the catcher. Plus, she needs to learn to field the balls, that are hit out to her.

Have you looked at the pitching rules for your organization? Such as hands apart, when she steps on the rubber, etc.

 

[SoCalASABlue]

Okay, my 10yo DD said she wanted to pitch, so I said we'll try. No lessons, me no experience. This is just Rec ball so not concerned about excellence. Just trying to get some help to have a decent rec season. Just would like some small adjustments to work on. Please be kind. LOL. Any Tips on what to work on or try to do to make a little better. She was asking how fast cause I was checking speed. She averaged about 38 mph.

BB291629-C0E3-4811-A9A0-F54C1FDF6DCF_zpsnkglo5yj.mp4 Video by dukhunt22 | Photobucket

Thanks
Chad

Get rid of the radar gun. IMHO all practice needs to be focused on proper mechanics. Speed comes with proper mechanics. Our rec fields are haunted by the ghosts of girls who were told to focus on speed-speed-speed.

 

[Dukhunt22]

Have you looked at the pitching rules for your organization? Such as hands apart, when she steps on the rubber, etc.[/QUOTE]

Any , I don't even know the rules. LOL I'm learning a different rule everyday myself. I played baseball, but just in past couple of years started learning fastpitch. Totally different game.

Thanks for the tips. Keep them coming.

Chad

 

[JAD]

Get rid of the radar gun. IMHO all practice needs to be focused on proper mechanics. Speed comes with proper mechanics. Our rec fields are haunted by the ghosts of girls who were told to focus on speed-speed-speed.

I would go a step further and recommend throwing into a tarp @ 20' away instead of to a catcher. Do not focus on throwing strikes or pitch speed, focus on perfecting the mechanics, then work on throwing strikes, then worry about pitch speed. There are a lot of 10U flame throwing phenoms who are no longer playing softball. Learning to pitch is a marathon, not a sprint.

 

[Dukhunt22]

I would go a step further and recommend throwing into a tarp @ 20' away instead of to a catcher. Do not focus on throwing strikes or pitch speed, focus on perfecting the mechanics, then work on throwing strikes, then worry about pitch speed. There are a lot of 10U flame throwing phenoms who are no longer playing softball. Learning to pitch is a marathon, not a sprint.

Well it will be a crawl for us. For one I don't know the mechanics of pitching. Trying to read on here to do the best we can. So if we can just clean some stuff up a little it will be good.

Chad

 

[JAD]

Well it will be a crawl for us. For one I don't know the mechanics of pitching. Trying to read on here to do the best we can. So if we can just clean some stuff up a little it will be good.

Chad

Learning to pitch is like learning to play a guitar. The first 6 months are the hardest, but after you get through the initial learning curve it becomes more fun and easier to learn new things while you are playing.

 

[obbay]

At this point, learn the rules of pitching for the league she will be playing in. Don't overdo the work and details - keep it fun.

I know you probably just took it out of curiosity but forget the radar gun! that will have nothing to do with her success and will become a distraction from what is really important.

When starting/learning - keep it simple! don't get lost in the details or she will lose interest real quick.

Back to your original question- I suggest you ask a HS pitcher or coach for some help getting started. face -to-face instruction is better than the internet. Last week DD was attending a pre-season clinic (run by the HS Softball team) where they asked her to teach the younger kids how to pitch. She had never done that before and wasn't prepared but apparently she did a good job because the Kids all learned how to pitch, the coach was ecstatic and she amazed herself that she was able to teach kids how to pitch!

 

[sluggers]

Just based on my first glance at your DD, you might want to go "all in".

What jumps out at me is:

1) Her arm looks quick. She needs work (obviously) but she is getting some whip on the ball.
2) She is pretty intense when she throws.

I don't think your DD is the normal 10YOA rec ball pitcher. You need to think about her and pitching. Does she like to practice pitching? Does she like softball?

Most kids like to hit the ball, and it is pretty easy to get them to practice hitting. But, only a few like to throw the ball enough to practice pitching.

RADAR GUN

The radar gun is a tool. Like any tool, it can be misused. If you use it correctly, it is helpful. If a radar gun helps get the kid throwing, then use it.

Pitching is about 1) control, 2) speed and 3) movement. Right now, she should work on control and speed.

Your DD seems to want to throw the ball through the backstop. Therefore, you work on her control first, and then "reward" her with working on speed.

E.g., you tell her, "First, let's warm up and do your drills. After you throw X pitches on the corner of the strike zone, then, we'll check your speed. But, if you throw one away while we are working on speed, then we put the speed gun down and go back to control."