Help Aggressive pitching routine needed

[Sponge]

I need some advice on the best way to prepare my 15 Yr old DD for her 2nd year of high school pitching. She got the starting job last year as a freshman and was very successful. The problem is she is coming back from an injury and was in the process of changing from step to leap and has lost confidence. She did not play select ball this year due to
a hip injury she incurred when playing high school soccer. We have been tossing the ball for a few weeks and the pain is gone, we have been reviewing the posts in this forum And she is working on the arm circle and release and chaining backwards. I believe she looks good and she want a perfect that and set up a vigorous routine to get her sped and control in shape for high school in about a month. She is a very dedicated worker and I plan to put a clip of her in this forum for advice.

What advice can you give to a routine….how many days a week? # of pitches? Weight program express? Drills? Anything else …..We want to get her speed and control in line then work on movement She wants to lay out the workout and then go after it and as I said she is very motivated and wants to work as hard as it will take to get there by high school tryouts. She asked me to post here to get the best advice possible….. Thanks and sorry for the long post…

 

[Sponge]

More info

I will not...she has a finch windmill....light/heavy balls...a net in the basement to throw into...and a gym 1/2 block away. So tools are available...unsure of how much is too much and how much is too little.

 

[Ken Krause]

There are plenty of gimmicks and tools out there. Some work better than others.

Core conditioning is critical for strength and stability. You'll want to strengthen the big muscles in the shoulders, torso and legs. Again, Marc can help you with all that. Good old-fashioned conditioning helps.

 

[sluggers]

Did she go to the doctor for her injury? If not, why not? If so, what was the doctor's diagnosis?

When was the last time she threw?

 

[Sponge]

Thantks Ken Ill look into Marc..

Slugger - She has been in and out awhile...Had a close loss in high school that messed with her confidence alot. It was District finals, last inning and her team was up by one. She hit two batters. She was changing from step to leap and we got in the ol instructor vs high school coach routine. That messed with her form also. The first injury was back related, intermittant pain, went to doc and physical therapist twice, ended up I took her to a sports chiropractor and thats gone. WIth the hip.....it was where the muscles atach to the hip...Hypo(something) Iliac Crest. Same thing as Osgood Schloter of the knee but in the hip. It was diagnosed and rest was the answer. She was on crutches for 2 weeks then could do things until pain then stop and ice. She was out for maybe 2 months on that. The Doc gave her a green light...said there could be some pain and all would be fine once her growth plates closed up. So far....it has not bothered her at all, but she never finished gaining control and getting the form down pat. We have been focusing on the 12 oclock to finish phase, reading alot here and I think we have a very good understanding of that. I told her to think about questions she may have if she is unsure of anything and she gave me a few last night Im going to post on her for her. She is very athletic....She was throwing about 54-55 last year about this time as an 8 Grader/Freshman. Made starting Varsity pitcher. ALways had good accuracy. She is feeling good and wants to (as she says) work hard and blow them away on tryouts. So she has about a month....to get control, gain speed, get some movement pitches down.

 

[sluggers]

Had to ask about whether she went to the doctor--some yoyos never take their DD to the doctor, and then ask for help.

1) Get her in shape. So, that would include cardio, weight lifting and core work.
2) As to pitching, I would suggest 90 minutes 3 to 4 times a week. Do some speed work and some control work.

For speed, the best thing in the world is to get a speed gun and a display so that she can see how fast she is throwing.

For control, nothing beats quadrant work. I.e., divide the strike zone into 4 quadrants (high and inside, high and outside, low and inside, low and outside). Indicate the desired quadrant prior to the pitch. If she throws into the desired quadrant, then go to a different quadrant. If not, stay in quadrant.

If she still can't throw into quadrant, then tell her to exaggerate her throw. E.g., if you are asking for a low-inside pitch and she can't get it, then have her bounce one to you.

At this point, drills aren't going to be much help. If you have some drills she likes, use those for warmups. Practices should be focused on control and speed work.

If she has breaking pitches, then you want to work on those also. (Please, don't post that she has six breaking pitches...she doesn't. She has one if she is lucky.) Concentrate on making her ONE breaking pitch absolutely incredible. Is it a drop or rise?

If you are inclined to say she has a great curve or screw, then I'll say right now, "She doesn't throw either one well. Develop either a rise or drop."

As to confidence: She is the starting varsity HS pitcher. The time for patting her on the head and saying "poor, poor baby" is over. Pitching is for strong, tough people. It doesn't matter how good she is, she is going to get knocked around sooner or later. If she is going to sit around and whine about losing, then she should try band competition, where everyone gets a medal.