Is that the right move??

[jnw96]

If she wants to pitch and get better she needs to be the #1 or #2 on her current team or find a team where she will be.

Time in the circle is compulsory for development. Otherwise she likley wont catch up to the players who are getting the time they need to develop.

That was my thinking.

 

[SoftSocDad]

On the other hand if she stays with the her current 03 10u team she will have to share mound time with another pitcher. I think playing with the 04 team will help her more and help the younger team. What are your thoughts?

If you really are thinking long-term, then it would be a mistake to have your DD on a team where she is the only pitcher. I'd suggest keeping her on the team where she's one of the team's two pitchers.

 

[Madsdad]

I would agree with Softsocdad, If she can get have the circle time she will be fine. We just came off a seven game weekend with temps near 90. Think ahead and make a good choice.

 

[ignition]

If it were me, I'd keep her with the '03 team if you know that the manager has an open mind about time in the circle. You can push her to earn the time. Being handed all the circle time by a younger team doesn't speak at all to the skill level, and won't put the fire in her to practice since it will be "guaranteed". Chances are that the offense and defense will also be better on the '03 team leading to more wins. If you face teams that can hit her pitches you want a team that can back her up with defense and runs.

 

[JJsqueeze]

I'm not going to get into the issues with the current team. But what you and others would call a no brainer doesn't seem to happen currently.

Then that's all you need to know. If she's on a team that does not play the best pitchers but plays the HC or AC daughters, or some other BS is going on then get her on another team. Just be sure you are being honest with yourself about her readiness and set appropriate expectations for her level of development. I've seen so many parents have completely distorted views of their kids readiness and talent (both overvaluing it and undervaluing it) that I think we constantly have to check ourselves and make sure we are being sober in our assessments of our kids. I am guilty of this as well as I tend to think my girls are underperforming even though all the data says they kick butt. Here are some general milestones for a pitcher who I think is ready for circle time at 10u. This assumes she is not abnormally tall or short but is somewhere around 4"9-5"

1) Good Mechanics are in place and don't vary a lot
2) Is emotionally stable and does not break down over hit batters, walks, errors etc.
3) Can throw a strike 1 out of every 2 or 3 pitches on average and does not miss wildly except on a rare occasion.
4) Throws 35+ at a minimum

This is not a very high bar. But is pretty appropriate for our rec league (which is small like yours). If she's at or above this level then get her a lot of circle time. if not then maybe she just isn't quite ready and she needs to focus on practice to get some basics set in stone and sharing the circle is better.

One of the things that happens with circle time is that it puts pressure on her to perform. this means that making adjustments gets harder during the season because she has more responsibility. Sometimes you have to break it to fix it! By reducing this responsibility, it makes it easier to work on form during the season. I just spent a few months waiting for the season to be over and then all stars to be over so I could work with my DD on leaping and whipping. She had some decent stuff going and I did not want to risk messing it up for the team since she was the starting pitcher. If she was #2 or #3 then we could have been working on development the whole time. I'd like to see what her motion looks like so post a video. You'll get some unvarnished assessments very quickly.

 

[jnw96]

Then that's all you need to know. If she's on a team that does not play the best pitchers but plays the HC or AC daughters, or some other BS is going on then get her on another team. Just be sure you are being honest with yourself about her readiness and set appropriate expectations for her level of development. I've seen so many parents have completely distorted views of their kids readiness and talent (both overvaluing it and undervaluing it) that I think we constantly have to check ourselves and make sure we are being sober in our assessments of our kids. I am guilty of this as well as I tend to think my girls are underperforming even though all the data says they kick butt. Here are some general milestones for a pitcher who I think is ready for circle time at 10u. This assumes she is not abnormally tall or short but is somewhere around 4"9-5"

1) Good Mechanics are in place and don't vary a lot -
2) Is emotionally stable and does not break down over hit batters, walks, errors etc.
3) Can throw a strike 1 out of every 2 or 3 pitches on average and does not miss wildly except on a rare occasion.
4) Throws 35+ at a minimum

This is not a very high bar. But is pretty appropriate for our rec league (which is small like yours). If she's at or above this level then get her a lot of circle time. if not then maybe she just isn't quite ready and she needs to focus on practice to get some basics set in stone and sharing the circle is better.

One of the things that happens with circle time is that it puts pressure on her to perform. this means that making adjustments gets harder during the season because she has more responsibility. Sometimes you have to break it to fix it! By reducing this responsibility, it makes it easier to work on form during the season. I just spent a few months waiting for the season to be over and then all stars to be over so I could work with my DD on leaping and whipping. She had some decent stuff going and I did not want to risk messing it up for the team since she was the starting pitcher. If she was #2 or #3 then we could have been working on development the whole time. I'd like to see what her motion looks like so post a video. You'll get some unvarnished assessments very quickly.

We are not a rec league. Her org. she plays with is 8u - 16u TB teams. She plays with the 03 10u TB. I undervalue her a lot but I want her to be the best she can be. But praise her a lot also even if she is having a hard time making a play/pitch. She turned 10 in May is almost 5' feet tall and weighs between 75-80lbs. Very long and lean. She will not be the only pitcher on the 04 team, just the older more experienced pitcher to pitch some pool and most the bracket/championship games(if we make there)lol...

1) Mech. vary some but getting better daily.
2) She has a very calm nature and doesn't let much get to her.
3) Yes
4) Yes, has hit 40 but not consistently.

 

[JJsqueeze]

Sound like she's ready to try to be an ace then. Nothing cooler than watching your DD learn how to take the responsibility and pressure of being #1 pitcher. Serious confidence booster for them when they show signs of success.

 

[starsnuffer]

What Sluggers said will ring true through your daughters entire softball experience.

-W

 

[cuzmail]

Put her on the best team she can play for and still receive plenty of time in the circle. It also helps to seek out quality coaching too.

 

[Westwind]

Sluggers-
40% of pitching time?

Hypothetical question: what if a young team had three very high quality pitchers? Your dd gets every third game?

Again, hypothetical but what do you think?