mechanical nightmare

[coach james]

16u Dd and I have spent almost two years now of converting into IR from her original HE mechanics. She's never been all that fast (tops out at 54/55mph) however, her spin and excellent change up has her considered by many as a top pitcher in the area. She's an animal in the summer TB team. Literally averaging 13 k's a game and batting over .500... High School ball has been a absolute nightmare. Her confidence, drive, intensity, and mechanics are GONE!
While pitching last night she...
1. Arm was 12" off her ear at 12 o'clock
2. Palm forward HE release/ no whip
3. No snap or spin
4. Chest was over a soft and bent front side
5. Stepped off rubber and not leaping
6. Max speed was prob. 42/43 mph
I was explicitly told to stay quiet by her and her mom in past games. I would see a problem and tell her to make an adjustment and she did with a decent amount of success. But mums the word from here out. I said to her "Here's your chance to self correct, I'll be quiet"
So as I watch her look like a first year rec player last night and I hear the snares of the other parents murmuring about why she's still in the circle I get madder and madder to the point of explosion. I somehow managed to stay quiet.
Her batting wasn't any better! She'd rock the U but never bring it back up or draw back, so when she'd throw the barrel her hands were a foot below the ball.... total nightmare!
Not sure if we'll be continuing this journey...

 

[abbygale]

A little video so that she can see what she is doing vs. what she thinks she is doing might go a long ways to getting her back on the correct track.

 

[knightsb]

CJ, I feel your pain. It has been a long journey for DD and I since a meltdown in the pitchers circle last year. It all started with a tight strike zone, not getting some boarder line strike calls and walking several (I think 5 or 6) batters in one inning. Under the mental pressure, I watched her mechanics breakdown before my eyes. She went from whipping against a firm front side to pushing/bowling the ball bending over at the waist, anything to guide the ball for a strike. Like sharks, the opposing team, normally free swingers, didn't swing at anything and my DD self destructed. It was a low of lows for us. Fastforward 11 months, she is twice the pitcher she was then. Both of us much better for having had that experience. After that game, we initiated a Mental reboot. We started with the mental side, because like you, she had already demonstrated the physical capabilities. We both read the Mind Gym and listened to Brian Cain's book on audio. She had to get to a point of almost "not caring" what the result was, her goal was to throw with the best mechanics possible and let whatever happened happen.

IMO, I think many get to this point and throw in the towel. It are those that own their mistakes, learn from them, and move forward that are able to emerge on the other side better and stronger than before.

My advice, do not neglect the mental training, and get back to basics with the goal to trust her mechanics, regardless of the outcome. Equip her with a pitch (for us it is a low fast ball), that she can fall back on when doubt creeps in. One of DD's pitching coaches/mentors is going to pitch for a top D1 next year. She told DD that sometimes you have one of those days where you just don't have it, on those days throw to contact and trust your defense to pick you up, after an inning or two, you will surprise yourself with your ability to bounce back.

Good luck, don't let your DD down by quitting on her. Be her rock, and her confidant allow her to share her feelings and help her realize she is not the only one who is going through or has gone through this type of regression.

 

[Stand an]

Ya, don't you dare quit on her. Was it over when the germans invaded pearl harbor?
Climb that mountain together, you will not regret it.

 

[corlay]

I get mom's warning not to interject during games.
It probably creates more stress for her to see her daughter struggle AND listen to you try and coach her from the stands or sidelines.

Someone on the forum recently said something in passing, that sort of stuck with me: try not to comment after every pitch, even in practice sessions. Throw a series and then maybe take a break and talk about it.

In games this season, w my own DD, I have really refrained from trying to actively coach her while shes out on the mound. Often times, she will look at me with pleading eyes for help, and then and only then will i give her a very sussinct prompt. (Its usually: "Legs")

Between innings is when well talk about what she can try to improve about her mechanics, for the next inning; and also talk some strategy for pitching to the batters shes just faced, next time they come up.

So, staying passive during actual game time i get, but why the defeatest attitude? Cant you work with her to right the ship on off-days? Perserverence is a huge part of pitching. Stay with it!

 

[corlay]

OILF - i do agree with your seniments.

In my example, I am an asst coach and in charge of our pitchers, for our little league team.

When she plays with her travel team, i am a spectator through and through.
DD doesnt engage me in the stands while in the circle or between innings from the dugout.

Occasionally, her coach will ask me to assist in her pre-game warm up, or to get her warm if he is inserting her into a game as a reliever; but thats about it.

I will make mental notes and review with her between games when necessary.

But your overall message i do agree with: while your kid is in a game, be a willful spectator - unless you are a named coach.

 

[SBmom8992]

DD pitched in the rain last night with mixed results. I knew her mechanics were off - she hasn't been able to see her PC in 4 weeks - but even at 10 I knew she needed to avoid relying on me during the game to tell her what she was doing wrong. One inning she walked a few runs in, the next she strikes out the side 1-2-3. The HC and I wound up pulling her in the middle of an inning because I saw she was really letting the rain affect her game. She needs to learn that when she's not on her game, she's going to be pulled. Lesson learned. We talked about it after the game and she understood that it was the right call.

Today we went to see her PC and I made a point of taking pics at each critical point in her pitch from the front and side so she could see what the right mechanics look like. It was more helpful than showing her a video of her pitching with good mechanics. She's too young to see the subtleties. Breaking it down also makes it easier for me to help diagnose what she's doing wrong and being able to talk to her about it between innings (Apparently she was having a weight transfer issue that I wasn't picking up).

To sum it up, I'm thankful for the learning opportunity for DD to have struggled and learn to how rise above it and not check out of the game.

 

[Jojo]

I had a student that had awesome potential, she left to go to a more "qualified" instructor at 13. She pitched well for the next couple of years, doing a fantastic job her first year in high school. Then something happened her sophomore year and the wheels started falling off. She was being recruited by a pretty decent University, and when she started lagging, they dropped her. That was kind of the last straw nd she gave it up, moved over to SS. I wish I was still involved with her (other than word of mouth), to find out what was going on, she really had high hopes and talent.

 

[NVfishing]

Nothing is harder than watching our DD's struggle. I feel your pain and hope you find the fix to help her out.

 

[coach james]

Talked to dd today after I finally cooled off. She is claiming to have been extremely nervous and frustrated. Quick sand effect in full force. Thanks for your responses....