Improving consistency

[tim_s]

one of the things i taught my pitchers, and while it is a minor thing, sort of, it helps......it's not a mechanical thing, per se, but it sets them up for consistency at least

develop a routine........if they already have one, make sure it is a conscience routine

whatever their routine is, do it the exact same every time......ie ball in glove, behind the rubber, get sign, step onto rubber with the same foot, make sure their breath is in the same spot, etc, etc

become a creature of habit, do the exact same thing every time......when things start going crazy train, either with their performance or when the game gets tough or teammates make errors or hitters hit or calls don't come their way, they have that routine to fall back on..it's an anchor, it's the one constant they can control

it won't solve all the issues, but it's a decent place to start/fall back on.....when in doubt, focus on the routine

 

[daywalkerdad]

One thing DD has taken to heart is just make the next pitch. You can’t go back in time.
The other thing is to make sure it is a team game. The W or L goes with the team. If they are facing good hitters with a tight zone, probably giving up some runs. Their team should also be able to score runs.

 

[tomorrow]

This is a great collection of advice. One thing I would suggest is checking how consistent she is while throwing underhand (not pitching). Can she throw underhand (not pitching) with the same constancy as throwing overhand?
Some other information I found on this site that I think might be helpful: Cornhole Experiment and the book "Inner game of Tennis"

 

[El Oso]

Have her pitch her way in and out of trouble in games. Not get pulled out from a bad inning, she needs to learn to work through it and all the troubles that pitchers face: bad umpires, bad field conditions, crappy ball, etc. etc.

Bill I agree 100% with this but have a question. For young pitchers, say 12-17, do you think it is good practice for a coach to visit the mound during one of these bad innings and let her know that you are not going to pull her but instead, you're going to let her pitch out of trouble? My thinking is this lets her know she has time to work on the issues that are causing the bad inning without fear of being pulled/making a mistake. Sometimes they start pressing for fear of being pulled and the snowball effect takes over. I feel like them knowing that you are allowing them to work out of it gives them the freedom to experiment on a fix.

Something along the lines of: "Hey Mary, just letting you know that I'm not pulling you regardless of what happens for the rest of the inning. I'm letting you get out of this on your own because this is how you grow as a pitcher. You have to adapt as you work through different issues during a game and you need to know that I am confident that you are capable of doing so. The 1st thing to do in these situations is recognize the issue. Then you fix it. For this one, I'm helping you with the first part. You are walking girls because you continue to miss inside. So Mary, what do you do to fix that? Ask yourself this question and then tweak your mechanics accordingly. You got this. I know you can fix it and get out of this inning. Let's do it!"

Or is it better to remain silent and let them work it out themselves, then talk to them after the inning? Thoughts?

 

[sluggers]

I have a 14 yo who has been pitching for a year and a half (so very inexperienced compared to most kids she pitches against). From day to day her consistency is not great. She threw a perfect game and pitched the championship game with 1 walk and 1 hit and they won the tournament one weekend and walked 8 kids the next with a significantly lower strike % overall.

Does this come with time? Other than just keep grinding is there anything she can do?

How well does she adjust to different umpires? Does she pout if the ump squeezes the zone? Can she adapt to different situations?

 

[Tango]

Always throw at a very small target (even drills). Consistent body position before the pitch. Consistent routine getting on the pitching plate and getting signals.

 

[Shawn]

Trust the force, trust the whip. At some point it’s all about concentration and focus, Right Bill HillHouse? You trust in the incredible creation God created. What we can express like art (or in this case physical/skill).

That’s all I do with the young ones now. Teaching them to not take over the whip. Every time they do it’s a ball,

Breath in , create energy and exhale (let it whip).

 

[Hillhouse]

Bill I agree 100% with this but have a question. For young pitchers, say 12-17, do you think it is good practice for a coach to visit the mound during one of these bad innings and let her know that you are not going to pull her but instead, you're going to let her pitch out of trouble? My thinking is this lets her know she has time to work on the issues that are causing the bad inning without fear of being pulled/making a mistake. Sometimes they start pressing for fear of being pulled and the snowball effect takes over. I feel like them knowing that you are allowing them to work out of it gives them the freedom to experiment on a fix.

Something along the lines of: "Hey Mary, just letting you know that I'm not pulling you regardless of what happens for the rest of the inning. I'm letting you get out of this on your own because this is how you grow as a pitcher. You have to adapt as you work through different issues during a game and you need to know that I am confident that you are capable of doing so. The 1st thing to do in these situations is recognize the issue. Then you fix it. For this one, I'm helping you with the first part. You are walking girls because you continue to miss inside. So Mary, what do you do to fix that? Ask yourself this question and then tweak your mechanics accordingly. You got this. I know you can fix it and get out of this inning. Let's do it!"

Or is it better to remain silent and let them work it out themselves, then talk to them after the inning? Thoughts?

In short I'd say yes, I wouldn't leave a pitcher out there hanging. Offering help between innings, and doing visits to the circle for time outs can be very helpful. Even if it's just breaking the rhythm of the game.

Now I should clarify, I'm not suggesting leaving someone out there to get absolutely destroyed. If the pitcher is overmatched by the offense, and the pitcher cannot record an out due to line drives, home runs, etc. then yes, pull her out of the game. That's not doing anyone any good. I think coaches need to use a judgement call on this. And there's a fine line a coach has to walk between helping the pitcher improve through adversity and not letting the team suffer because of this. This can be a tough line to see, especially if it's the coach's kid who's the pitcher.

 

[4Martini]

How well does she adjust to different umpires? Does she pout if the ump squeezes the zone? Can she adapt to different situations?

She tries. She doesn’t get mad at the umps but sure can get mad at herself.

She’s good at analyzing the zone the ump is calling - but just can’t always make it happen.

Some of it is just skill and experience- she was on a C team last year and is playing a mix of A and B tournaments this year. It’s a whole different speed of play and skill level. she’s having some success and wants more bad. And wanting it isn’t always the best for her staying loose and relaxed pitching.

 

[Tatonka]

How well does she adjust to different umpires? Does she pout if the ump squeezes the zone? Can she adapt to different situations?

It's not just different umpires with different zones, it's all too frequent that an ump will significantly change the strike zone during a game. Pitchers (and hitters) spend the first 2-3 innings figuring out what they're gonna call and then boom...not gonna get that call anymore. I'm talking obvious change. I'm not referring to occasion biased zone calling that, like it or not occurs and impacts everything. Yeah, yeah be flexible, adapt, figure it out.