Confidence

[RICK]

This is a good post. I recently just went thru this same thing. My 10u pitchers moved up to 12u for the fall. Now my #1 pitcher must play 12u my #2 pitcher can still play 10u(but hoping to move her with rest of team). We were playing a fall ball game and my #1 was pitching ok not her best but just OK. Now my team behind her was NOT helping 1 bit. So after a 7 run 1st inning I pulled the #1 for the #2. After the games were over #1s Dad tells me Im destroying her confidence and that I was more concerned about winning then developing. First off its fall it means nothing in the 12u world. I know what the #1 pitcher has and I certainly dont need to see her on the field getting her brains beat in when she has no supporting cast behind her. Now on the other hand I need to see the #2 in those conditions. I need to know that at the older age level se can get out of it on her own. I need to see if she can make the pitches needed to get out of it on her own. So for him and his accusations it was rediculous. Sometimes parents have no clue as to what is going on. IT ALWAYS DADDY GLASSES ON and my princess can do no wrong.

On a side note last summer #1 was not the #1. She couldnt throw a strike if home plate was 3 ft wide. We did alot of work in the off season to get her straightened out. Also worked on her being tougher mentally. So by me pulling her was saving what we had fixed over the winter. This most recent summer she threw 38.1 innings for me and had 99ks and 46bb.

 

[CoachFP]

This is a good post. I recently just went thru this same thing. My 10u pitchers moved up to 12u for the fall. Now my #1 pitcher must play 12u my #2 pitcher can still play 10u(but hoping to move her with rest of team). We were playing a fall ball game and my #1 was pitching ok not her best but just OK. Now my team behind her was NOT helping 1 bit. So after a 7 run 1st inning I pulled the #1 for the #2. After the games were over #1s Dad tells me Im destroying her confidence and that I was more concerned about winning then developing. First off its fall it means nothing in the 12u world. I know what the #1 pitcher has and I certainly dont need to see her on the field getting her brains beat in when she has no supporting cast behind her. Now on the other hand I need to see the #2 in those conditions. I need to know that at the older age level se can get out of it on her own. I need to see if she can make the pitches needed to get out of it on her own. So for him and his accusations it was rediculous. Sometimes parents have no clue as to what is going on. IT ALWAYS DADDY GLASSES ON and my princess can do no wrong.

On a side note last summer #1 was not the #1. She couldnt throw a strike if home plate was 3 ft wide. We did alot of work in the off season to get her straightened out. Also worked on her being tougher mentally. So by me pulling her was saving what we had fixed over the winter. This most recent summer she threw 38.1 innings for me and had 99ks and 46bb.

Rick, don't worry, it's no different in college. The parents and kids will argue that the coach is hurting someone's confidence. Confidence is something that comes from within. Either you have it or you don't. Those that don't blame it on someone else.

 

[RICK]

Ironically enough same parents couldnt figure out why last summer #2 started every game and pitched 4 innings and #1 would come in to finish (usually costing us game) and this year it was reversed. These 2 girls this past summer in a semi final game took a perfect game into the bottom of the 6th inning. Lost game 1-0 on a 1 hitter

 

[RandomDad]

Thank you to everyone for the feedback.

 

[chinamigarden]

I can tell you what went on with my dd when she was 11. She had a couple of bad outings and her pace slowed to a crawl. Someone (who shall remain nameless, but for the sake of this we will call chiina) told her to take extra time to clear her head if she needed it. Well what really happened was she took the extra time to be mad at herself for throwing bad pitches. Long story short she caught a lot of games that year.

The next winter her HC and I decided to try to speed her up. Every time I practiced with her she was on a count where she had only so many seconds to pitch the ball after she got it back from me. Her HC, when she was working out in his barn, he wanted her to keep on that pace but to develop a consistent approach to each pitch. She developed a routine, and she has stuck with it. Now she gets the ball back, steps onto the pitchers plate and is looking in and is ready to go as soon as the batter is in the box, as soon as she is legally allowed she is in her motion. No extra time to dwell on the last pitch or play, and away she goes. She only has time to think about her routine and her next pitch. Her pitching improved 10 fold in that first year and she has maintained her routine and has had success.

 

[Perfect Circle]

I think the catching would have had a great role as well. Once she is ringside, and realizing, that the other pitchers are missing as much, if not more.

I do the oppisite... I slow mine way down, and have her put on the best impersonation of pitching by the rules. We focus on altering the 10 second rule....let it run down to last tick...

 

[redhotcoach]

We faced a pitcher that did what China's dd does once this year. Now my dd practices Brian's routines at the plate, and she takes probably as long as anyone between pitches. Facing this pitcher was the only time I say dd frustrated in the box all year. Late night game so it was obvious blue wanted it over, he sprinted out of there right at game end, so maybe he was being generous with pitcher starting early. Dd after 1 at bat said "My "Hold on" hand isn't even back on the bat before the ball is coming."
Good strategy or not, it messed up my batters.

 

[gophert]

Let me first say that 9/10 year old pitchers are sooooo impressionable. My DD just started pitching for our Fall rec league this fall. I AC'd this fall just because I thought it might be better on her if I did NOT HC. So the HC was a well qualified friend of mine. We agreed before the season started that he would exclusively handle my DD while on the mound and we would never let her completely struggle for a long period of time. First, let me preface this by saying that my DD is extremely competitive and hates to lose at anything, and that includes things like Ol Maid. (we are currently working on that mental part of the game). Well one game she was pitching fine, and we were tied. She pitched a few wild pitches and then missed 2 stealing plays at home. After the first one we could see she was upset (tears started) cause she missed the tag. We left her out there to see how she handled it. The next pitch again went high and she missed another play at home. Now she was crying pretty uncontrollable and our HC pulled her from the game. It really made my daughter mad and embarrassed. We have talked about this event and it still brings out emotion in her, but I think what she learned about holding it together and being positive next time will be worth it. I think leaving her out there for the complete inning would have killed her confidence as well. I constantly remind her that the success and failure of the team does not rest on her shoulders.

 

[sluggers]

She throws about 5-10mph faster in warmup and in practice with MUCH better control.

Whenever there is a "confidence" issue, the first place to start is make sure that, in fact, your DD can do what is being asked of her. Daddies are legendary for thinking their DD is the greatest athlete since Babe Didriksen.

The question I always ask: How do you know? What is your basis for this belief? Have you gunned her? Can she really hit spots?

My own experience is that Daddy's often are much more forgiving during practice with DD. If a kid throws a pitch two inches off the plate, Daddy will give it to her, while an umpire may not. And, Daddy will base his belief on how hard she throws on balls that are not even close to the strike zone.

 

[starsnuffer]

Confidence is something that comes from within. Either you have it or you don't. Those that don't blame it on someone else.

I had to make sure this was quoted for great justice.

-W