without seeing her play it's hard to say... concerns would be - you say a competitive team... you say the coach say will be sitting the bench to grow... as a pitcher how many older girls are there that pitch? How do they compare to her? Is the coach only in it to win games or develop young ladies in learning the game....The parents of the other pitchers that are older can the coach deal with them because I can assure you the older girls mom and dad are going to be watching if there daughter is not pitching and younger girl is getting a little time .... I agree with frozenrope circle time is precious and she needs game time in the circle.. Now she may be able to get that tim we don't know because we don't know the coach the team and your daughter. You have to decide that. May I suggest you go about it with a open mind. Don't get hung up with her playing up. Go about it without being her dad and really look at is she ready. Honestly is she ready. It's ok if she isn't and need to play another year at 10.... are you able to take that your daughter is sitting the bench and not playing even when it gets later in the season, which she might be. If you have any doubt go buy your gut... don't go by your pride (my daughter is on a 12u team)
Moving up from 10u to 12u
- Thread starter CRAZYFPDAD
- Start date
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Most teams move up and play in the fall in the age group they will play next Spring. Going from an 11" ball at 35ft to a 12" ball at 40ft is a BIG adjustment for a pitcher and it is easier to make the transition in the fall. You DO NOT want your DD going through this transition in the spring if you can avoid it. Fall is more developmental and less pressure.
I think if you are already hesitant then you already know what you should do. every girl is different. Some are ready, some do it anyway. i don't see us playing up anytime soon. Did ask dd's coach(who is moving to 12u) if late next summer she could play a few games as a sub. My dd is trying to learn a lot of new things this year(only been pitching 1 year so gotta work on that change up, hitting from left side, and learning to catch). She has some big goals and the only way I think she will reach them is by playing,not by watching. But I see how some people would want to do this.
Plus, at some point you get stuck playing 3 or 4 yrs in the same age group and how don't see how that facilitates growth.
Plus, at some point you get stuck playing 3 or 4 yrs in the same age group and how don't see how that facilitates growth.
Carly
Pitching Coach
There's no general right answer to this question; you have to assess your daughter. Asking her what she wants to do is important.
Also, how is her hand size? If she's small, she may struggle with the bigger ball, and would benefit from practicing with it off the field before being thrown into a game situation. If the gets good spin on it with no problem, it may be beneficial for her to get an intro to the 12U changes in the fall so she has a leg up on her next summer season.
Also, how is her hand size? If she's small, she may struggle with the bigger ball, and would benefit from practicing with it off the field before being thrown into a game situation. If the gets good spin on it with no problem, it may be beneficial for her to get an intro to the 12U changes in the fall so she has a leg up on her next summer season.
- Apr 25, 2010
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In my area, it's not considered playing up to play with the age you will be playing in the Spring. Most consider any time after August tryouts to be "the next season", so you frequently have kids in your situation. As a previous poster said, just play with the 12u. You don't want her struggling with the ball size adjustment when it's time to play tournaments. Get it out of the way in the fall.
- May 21, 2012
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I did not have my DD play fallball from 10u TB. We wanted to get her back to clinics and lessons so she could start working with the 12" ball. They move from 35 feet to 40 feet with a bigger ball. This was HUGE for my DD. She went from pitching 40mph down to 37mph. By the end of clinics, she was pitching 45mph. She tried out for 12U TB in February and made the team even though she still qualified for 10U. We also noticed huge changes in her mechanics which we wanted to fix right away without any interruptions. But that was my DD. Each child is different.
I have heard that fallball is great with less stress put on a child. All the kids start moving up in fall and they have the same learning curve as others. Playing down may just be a boost to her ego because she will be more experienced. Playing up may give her the challenge, experience, and confidence she needs to move up in the spring. Tough call!!!
Please keep us posted as to what you decided and how she progresses...
) Good luck!!
I have heard that fallball is great with less stress put on a child. All the kids start moving up in fall and they have the same learning curve as others. Playing down may just be a boost to her ego because she will be more experienced. Playing up may give her the challenge, experience, and confidence she needs to move up in the spring. Tough call!!!
Please keep us posted as to what you decided and how she progresses...
) Good luck!!
