How much do pitchers pitch at practice?

[YOCOACH]

So a pitcher should never practice at actual softball practice? Just on her own time? I'm just trying to understand how travel softball works. I am clearly clueless, or made to feel that way by the responses. She knows what she needs to work on and we work on it all the time. When you bring someone on your team to pitch, don't you watch them pitch at practice since you don't see them otherwise? Or do you just forget it and put them in a game of you happen to need them?

On my teams, it is extremely rare that the pitchers will actually pitch in practice. During the off-season they might pitch BP once in every two months or so but that would be about it. I am trusting my pitchers and catchers to be practicing and improving on their own time. Team practice time is just too valuable IMO. That being said, since my DD is a catcher, we usually arrive at practice a half hour early so the pitchers who want to come and throw have some time with their catchers. We also stay a half hour later to work on catching skills.

So to answer your question, if I don't see them early at practices, then I see them when they all warm up for each game at the tournament. During pool play, I try to give each pitcher roughly the same circle time with few exceptions. During elimination play I will use my two to three best pitchers from pool play and that may change depending on who is pitching well that weekend.

 

[JJsqueeze]

A number 4 slot on a team is basically not going to get any circle time, especially with the circumstances you described about acc dd, and HC daughter's student. If you really want her to get time, Find a team that actually needs pitching.

 

[3bmama]

Thanks,YO COACH. That's what I was looking for. I am hoping she will get an inning this weekend. I am not expecting it. I was just wondering how it worked,at least in most instances. I wish the coaches would come to practice early, but they don't. I have 3 younger kids and a husband who works entirely too much so I am often dragging them around with me. Next weekend my mom is coming to stay with them so we won't sweat this weekend and will hope to work her in between games next week if she doesn't get a chance. Luckily one of the catchers on her team lives in our town and we have made arrangements to start working with her.

 

[chrispots]

You're not clueless...I was simply expressing how I run my team practices. IMO, at 10U, the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few when it comes to team practices because there is a ton to cover. I focus more on the team as a whole than 1 individual skill during these practices...that's why I work with my pitchers independently...

I think you just need to find out how this coach judges the pitchers. To me, it's a simple question to ask...even if you don;t get the answer you want you will at least have an idea of where you stand...CP

 

[Mumbly]

My DD has been on teams where they do Pitching during the practice, some that do it 30 mins prior and a couple that don't have them practice pitching at all during practice. If your trying to show the coaches your daughter is working on her pitching I would do as many stated, go early, enlist a catcher to show up with you and get the work in. When the coaches show up and see you doing this they will take notice. It has worked well for my DD..

 

[Amy in AZ.]

Can you find a rec team that will allow her to throw batting practice?

 

[marriard]

My take on this has always been that pitching and catching is a softball players 'second' sport. They are both specialty skills where you are dedicating as much time to it as you would any other sport - such as playing softball.

This is why we do extra time with pitchers and catchers once or twice a week before our scheduled practices (which then leads into some live pitching/live batting at the start of practice so they get to face live batters and batters face live pitching - see here for what we are doing - http://www.discussfastpitch.com/coaching-softball/18278-do-your-pitchers-pitch-teammates-practice.html#post233230. Plus of course they all have pitching coaches/throw practice as well if they want to continue to improve.

So our 'team' practices don't have a lot of specific pitcher/catcher drills separate as we want our pitchers/catchers to also be practicing the fielding/plays/batting as much as the other players since especially in the younger age groups your pitchers and catchers are also normally also your best hitters/fielders (this may change as they get older and specialize and become 'just' pitchers).

Edit: Our #3 & #4 pitchers play rec to get circle time they wont get playing just travel. You have to get real circle time. It is almost impossible to get past the #1 & #2 without additional experience because they are getting all the game time. We do the same for our girls who 'want' to be SS or 3rd base (or even in one case CF) - there is someone at that position currently better than you. Even when you get opportunities there you are not getting equal time with them so you have to find somewhere or somehow to get that time. We encourage our players to either guest play on teams on our weekends off or play rec specifically to play their desired position. Practice is great - but it is nothing like the real game situation.