Help with accuracy against batters

[01mom]

We are almost at the 2yr mark since she started learning to pitch. She is 11 now and all she throws in games is a 4 seam fastball. She does great practicing without a batter, but in games her accuracy isn't the greatest. Looking for some feedback to see if you all see anything/have ideas to help get game accuracy better.

 

[marriard]

So...

I could go into a long list of things, but I think it best that you do the following first:

- Go out to Fastpitch TV Softball Network » Fastpitch TV Show and watch episode 196-199 (Bill Hilllhouse) and then search that site for Hilllhouse and watch anything else he has available. I'd say buy his DVD as well, but that isn't currently available.

- Read the sticky post Internal Rotation in this forum: http://www.discussfastpitch.com/softball-pitching/1348-internal-rotation.html

I consider this the best current pitching philosophy and technique for fastpitch pitching right now. On this board you wont get much argument about what Hillhouse teaches.

Some simple things:
- She goes WAY too far back with her arm when she starts her pitch. Once the pitch starts you don't need to go back so far. Most pitchers only go back to just behind their hip. Waste of energy and also does a lot of bad things in timing/arm circle/balance and so forth.
- Her follow through is inconsistent and not fluid. If she is only throwing one pitch it should look the same pretty much every time. Sometimes she is "Hello Elbowing" (which you will get about 15 posts following mine on why this is not a good thing) but other times she is snatching her arm back or doing something else. If she is throwing fastball she should be finishing across her body (just like she probably does when she throws overarm)
- There is no legs in the pitch. She is just basically stepping forward. She should be looking to explode off the rubber.

We also need some much closer videos. These make it hard to tell some of the things going on.

Good news: She looks athletic and she is managing to throw some strikes despite some major flaws in her technique. That is something she can work from. Also he best pitch in the videos she does follow through a little bit across the body so she I think she will take to how Hillhouse teaches follow through and be much happier for it.

 

[01mom]

I discourage the "hello elbow" too, and I noticed the lack of leap/drag when Screwball mentioned it. She has a pretty decent stride here at home, not sure why it's not transitioning into games. I have some closer video but it's shaky b/c my 3yr old kept playing lets go under mommy's arms, I'll see if you tube can stabilize it some and I'll post it too. Thanks and keep the info coming.

 

[01mom]

Well you tube helped some, not sure how much you will be able to tell from this video.

5-12-12-002.wmv - YouTube

 

[marriard]

Well you tube helped some, not sure how much you will be able to tell from this video.

5-12-12-002.wmv - YouTube

You can see clearly she is trying to guide the ball for a strike. There is no athletic explosion.

That is going to add of loss of control her mechanics are already contributing to. I agree with Screwy - needs to be more open. I'll repeat what you'll hear in the Hilllhouse clips on fastpith.tv- on the arm circle the bicep brushes your ear as you come up and the arm brushes by the bellybuton as you come down. That helps keep the arm circle nicely by the body and keeps you from coming around the body when you pitch (you'll hit yourself if you stay closed and do this).

Lastly your goal has to be to get someone out. Throw hard. Rely on your mechanics. Give me aggressive pitchers throwing aggressive pitches. You try to guide it in and the batter can easily let the bad ones go and they have lots of time to crack it hard when you finally get one over the plate.

We had a pitcher last week trying to guide it in last weekend. Pattern was generally ball, ball, (parent yelling out "throw them something they can hit", ball, fat pitch over the middle of the plate dispatched for a hit. Our players couldn't wait to get up to smack her round. There was a line at our dugout entrance.

 

[01mom]

This is kind of what I thought might be going on with her too (aiming). She pitches so much different at home and she looks like she really lets up a lot when it comes to games. She almost never pitches at team practice either so getting her adjusted with batters is extremely hard. Maybe I can get my son to video her practicing so I can show her and she can see the difference.

 

[01mom]

The pitchers must be integrated into practice.

None of the pitchers really get to pitch in practice, but the 1 or 2 times she got to it didn't last long b/c a lot of the girls couldn't hit it.

Along with working on what has already been mentioned, how can I get her to transition everything into games? Practicing she's pitching around 47 and in games she isn't anywhere near that. Could it be because during practice there's no batter and it's me catching so she's not afraid to give it her all? We got some time w/ her PC about 2 weeks ago and she would get her about her arm not being in and her not being open enough, but even then her stride was long just like at home, she was using her legs, and she was pitching fast & hard. Thank you for all of the input so far, she is a constant work in progress .

 

[marriard]

None of the pitchers really get to pitch in practice, but the 1 or 2 times she got to it didn't last long b/c a lot of the girls couldn't hit it.

I would have thought that all the more reason to pitch her in practice.

Along with working on what has already been mentioned, how can I get her to transition everything into games? Practicing she's pitching around 47 and in games she isn't anywhere near that. Could it be because during practice there's no batter and it's me catching so she's not afraid to give it her all? We got some time w/ her PC about 2 weeks ago and she would get her about her arm not being in and her not being open enough, but even then her stride was long just like at home, she was using her legs, and she was pitching fast & hard.

First I think you have to identify the reason that she is throwing slower in games:

- Is it experience? (How much has she pitched)
- Is she afraid of hitting batters? Has she hit a few batters hard? Did that bother her?
- Is the coach or someone else putting a lot of pressure on her to throw 'strikes' and thus is a lot of pressure to throw strikes
- How is her mental approach? Is she putting pressure on herself for throwing strikes instead of having a plan.
- Where is her target - does she have a plan on where this pitch is going. The target is not OVER THE PLATE it is a specific location inside/low, outside/high, down the middle, etc, etc.
- How is she thinking when she pitches? Is it about throwing strikes or does she have a plan on how she is going to pitch?

- Is it something else?

In practice put a fake batter in the batting box so she gets used to having something visually there. A garbage bin is a good substitute for a batter. In practice be mean about location. When you mean inside-low you mean that your glove doesn't move - not 'that was good enough'. I always use a plate in practice - even if I draw it in the dirt. Good practice habits will translate to games (over time anyway) and the confidence in being able to hit a spot will help.

It is a lot of fun once they get location and a second pitch (and working on others).

Thank you for all of the input so far, she is a constant work in progress .

Aren't we all

 

[PEPPERS]

On the mental side of pitching, kids don’t want to hit batters especially their friends. We had a team we played against when daughter was 11-12 that would stand with their toes on the black of the plate looking for walks. Instead of thinking about throwing strikes our pitchers would think don’t hit the batter.

I got some of the blow up bop it bags with sand in the bottom and placed in the batter’s box and had pitchers practice pitching with the bags as a batter and once they got comfortable with the bags they started thinking about throwing strikes instead of trying to not hit the batter.

 

[01mom]

First I think you have to identify the reason that she is throwing slower in games:

- Is it experience? (How much has she pitched)
- Is she afraid of hitting batters? Has she hit a few batters hard? Did that bother her?
- Is the coach or someone else putting a lot of pressure on her to throw 'strikes' and thus is a lot of pressure to throw strikes
- How is her mental approach? Is she putting pressure on herself for throwing strikes instead of having a plan.
- Where is her target - does she have a plan on where this pitch is going. The target is not OVER THE PLATE it is a specific location inside/low, outside/high, down the middle, etc, etc.
- How is she thinking when she pitches? Is it about throwing strikes or does she have a plan on how she is going to pitch?

- Is it something else?

In practice put a fake batter in the batting box so she gets used to having something visually there. A garbage bin is a good substitute for a batter. In practice be mean about location. When you mean inside-low you mean that your glove doesn't move - not 'that was good enough'. I always use a plate in practice - even if I draw it in the dirt. Good practice habits will translate to games (over time anyway) and the confidence in being able to hit a spot will help.

It is a lot of fun once they get location and a second pitch (and working on others).

There is no plan, no calling pitches. He wants them throwing over the plate, he doesn't care about speed or location just strikes and he doesn't want them even thinking about a 2nd or 3rd pitch. Today was the 1st time a catcher put on a mitt at the request of DD, and after that inning she said she didn't like it & wasn't ever using one again. Rec ball /sigh...she was pitching & playing so much better when she was playing travel but travel isn't an option for us right now. Don't get me wrong the coach is a super nice guy & good with the girls & a lot of them have improved this season. I guess I just wish we didn't have to go to the very basics of how to throw & catch every season with the rec league.

- She pitched some in travel last fall & did well, this season in rec she's getting about 2-3 innings a week b/c they have to "be fair" so all of the pitchers get to pitch each week (only 1 other girl takes lessons but they have 4 girls who can throw underhand)

- Hitting people doesn't bother her

- Yes, she has pressure to "throw it over the plate"

- I'm sure she is putting a lot of pressure on herself

- Over the plate is all the coach is going for, so there is no plan (I don't want to be "that parent" that calls their kids pitches from the stands) they only have a couple games left in the season so I guess I can work on getting her to think about & work on plans over the summer.

- With so much sitting on "put it over the plate" I think that's all she's trying to do which I'm guessing is resulting in more of a loss of her mechanics from practice to games.

I like the idea of using our garbage can as a fake batter, I'll be wheeling that to the back yard from now on.

Screwball her PC gives her more info/drills . Her PC is a former college pitcher that my sister & I grew up with. She is great with my DD & the other girls she has coached, unfortunately her current job doesn't allow her to spend as much time at the ballpark as her previous job did so we don't get to see her very often.