DD's season has ended and I am looking for a good practice plan to use outside before the snow flies. She will be second year 14u, 5'7" and 110 lbs. She throws a peel drop, off speed drop, change up and a curve. She was taught using the information from this board so everything is IR. What I'd like to accomplish is fine tuning the current pitches she has with an emphasis on velocity. I found good information on velocity training when doing a search on the forum. How should I structure the practice sessions and any specific drills she should be doing? Thanks.
Off season practice
- Thread starter MK37
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It is great you've got a goal in mind--increasing speed.
So, you kind of look at when she has to be ready to pitch in the spring, allocate time for getting her "game ready", and then make a general pitching schedule.
E.g., if your DD is going to start pitching in games on April 1, then team practices will likely start March 1. Therefore, you have to start focusing on control/breaking pitches on February 1. (You shouldn't exclusively just work on speed. But, probably put about 70% of the practice time working on speed.)
Speed comes from IR, the whip, push off, brush resistance and fluidity.
The drills that worked best with my DD:
1) Long toss. Funny thing, but speed is directly proportional to how far you can throw a ball. Get some softballs and have her try to beat her best mark from the day before.
2) Speed tossing. This is really a great drill for fluidity. She is at pitching distance. You are standing up. She throws the ball to you underhanded. As soon as you catch the ball, you immediately throw it back to her. She immediately pitches...no windup, nothing...she catches the ball, raises is to 12 and throws. Do this as fast as you can for as long as she can keep it up.
3) Radar gun. The best approach is to simply have her throw. You (the father/coach) *SHUT UP*. Someone simply tells her how fast she throws, preferably not you...perhaps someone standing next to her. So, it is up to her to figure how to throw the ball faster.
4) Do full frames.
So, you kind of look at when she has to be ready to pitch in the spring, allocate time for getting her "game ready", and then make a general pitching schedule.
E.g., if your DD is going to start pitching in games on April 1, then team practices will likely start March 1. Therefore, you have to start focusing on control/breaking pitches on February 1. (You shouldn't exclusively just work on speed. But, probably put about 70% of the practice time working on speed.)
Speed comes from IR, the whip, push off, brush resistance and fluidity.
The drills that worked best with my DD:
1) Long toss. Funny thing, but speed is directly proportional to how far you can throw a ball. Get some softballs and have her try to beat her best mark from the day before.
2) Speed tossing. This is really a great drill for fluidity. She is at pitching distance. You are standing up. She throws the ball to you underhanded. As soon as you catch the ball, you immediately throw it back to her. She immediately pitches...no windup, nothing...she catches the ball, raises is to 12 and throws. Do this as fast as you can for as long as she can keep it up.
3) Radar gun. The best approach is to simply have her throw. You (the father/coach) *SHUT UP*. Someone simply tells her how fast she throws, preferably not you...perhaps someone standing next to her. So, it is up to her to figure how to throw the ball faster.
4) Do full frames.
