I've seen this before. She is stressing out. Stress is caused by fear. She doesn't like the fear so she wants to get away from it and not deal with it. So, she starts walking batters, knowing that you'll eventually have to come in and take her off the mound. Do it after 2 batters and she is secretly relieved even sooner. I like the suggestion of having her face a tough lineup in practice, seeing how she reacts once runners get on and she knows she's not getting pulled. Just my opinion.
Mental Game
- Thread starter Coach Lou
- Start date
Welcome to Discuss Fastpitch
Your FREE Account is waiting to the Best Softball Community on the Web.
Practice like you play.... Design competition drills in practice. This takes the focus off of the mechanical aspects, and shifts it into game like scenarios. I believe CVSOFTBALL has nailed it in saying its a fear of failure. Bottom line is, Her desire to win must be greater than Her fear of failure.
I understand that every pitcher is different. I will tell you the two things that work for my DD.
1.) Have her concentrate on one aspect of her form. Like make sure you step straight at the target or something similar that she does really well but don't tell her she does it well. That way she is concentrating on one thing instead of 20. This helps my daughter to clear everything but one aspect.
2.) Find her favorite pitch and location. My daughter when she is struggling, I know that if I call a fast ball inside low it is like a reset button for her. When things are going wrong this one pitch tends to get her back on track.
1.) Have her concentrate on one aspect of her form. Like make sure you step straight at the target or something similar that she does really well but don't tell her she does it well. That way she is concentrating on one thing instead of 20. This helps my daughter to clear everything but one aspect.
2.) Find her favorite pitch and location. My daughter when she is struggling, I know that if I call a fast ball inside low it is like a reset button for her. When things are going wrong this one pitch tends to get her back on track.
Not sure it will help, but when my DD was young she was fortunate to have a head coach who emphasized "what was the least important pitch of this game....the last one.....what is the most important pitch.....the next one"! Pitching is very mental and I have seen a lot of talented pitcher wash out of pitching because they would "melt" in the circle if things did not go their way.
- Jul 17, 2012
- 1,091
- 38
Pitching is a tough gig for kids that put too much pressure on themselves. Some take ownership of the failures of the team when they are in the circle, and the fear of failure can at times be paralyzing. Sounds like this may be the case. Take a look at your team culture. That can play a big part in it. Is it common practice for you and your coaches to "OVER GLORIFY" the pitcher when you win? Do you call out their performance in post game huddle after every win? Common practice for some teams. You can create the mentality among your pitchers that wins and losses rest solely on their shoulders. Some kids have a little thicker skin than others and don't melt under the pressure you create. The pressure can be coming from "Home" as well, meaning the family. See if she looks over at mom or dad after a bad pitch, or after walking a batter..... or, if she intentionally avoids looking over at that area. The reason you're seeing it get worse for this young lady is because every time it happens it reinforces to her that that first base runner is the beginning of the end.
Your catcher needs to be her best friend here. She needs to slow her down. If she's rushing her pitches, have your catcher slow the pace. Have her go out and talk to her. Like another said, talk about boyfriends.... or what they are doing after the game. She needs to work through a few of these situations to get over that fear. Once she realizes that a base runner, or a few bad pitches on her part are not the end of the world... she'll be more inclined to be able to stay focused.
I also like the idea coach james threw out there....try to create similar pressure in practice.
Your catcher needs to be her best friend here. She needs to slow her down. If she's rushing her pitches, have your catcher slow the pace. Have her go out and talk to her. Like another said, talk about boyfriends.... or what they are doing after the game. She needs to work through a few of these situations to get over that fear. Once she realizes that a base runner, or a few bad pitches on her part are not the end of the world... she'll be more inclined to be able to stay focused.
I also like the idea coach james threw out there....try to create similar pressure in practice.
Anyway you could make a video of her from the back? I've got a feeling she doesn't have any brush resistance.
