pitching slump...what to do

[pitchmom]

MY DD U14 is playing for 2 teams. Tournament and travel/league play(playing 4-5 nights a week). She started the season off real good. Threw a no hitter and had 10 K's in the next game. But, the past 2 games....she has been in a slump. I mean, to the point of throwing balls in the dirt repeatedly.

Since she is playing so much, the only throwing that she is doing is in games. We havent had time to practice. Any ideas how I can get her through this. It is starting to get to her confidence.

Has anyone experienced a pitching slump. Will it pass on it's own or should I worry. Unfortunately, her pitching coach is out of town for the next week....so a lesson is not an option.

 

[SoCalASABlue]

Seriously - she pitches poorly for 2 games and you call it a slump?

OK - a couple of questions need to be answered...is your DD the ONLY pitcher on both teams? Is your DD even slightly injured but doesn't say anything for fear of disappointing you or losing playing time? Which pitches are working and which are not? Does she have the same catcher for both teams (believe me, it makes a difference)?

 

[sluggers]

During a season, a pitcher picks up bad habits. That is why she has to understand the "why" behind pitching.

We havent had time to practice.

She will not miraculously improve without practice. You don't need to do a full blown 2 hour practice session. You need to get her out in the backyard, have her toss a few to get loose, and them immediately start working on the problem.

Generally, a pitcher starts throwing pitches in the dirt because she either is leaning forward at release or she has shortened her stride. My bet is that she has shortened her stride. Stand up and and have her pitch a few to you at your arm pits. Tell her to feel what she has has to do to get the ball to go up.

Then, get down in the crouch (or sit on the bucket), and have her practice throwing one pitch low and the next pitch high. Again, have her focus on her body and what she is doing to make the location of the ball change.

 

[PA SB Dad]

I would also wonder if she is being overused being on 2 teams? Is she pitching 4-5 nights per week? How many innings? Does each coach know how she is being used on the other team?

 

[Amy in AZ.]

What other position is she playing?

 

[pitchmom]

Seriously - she pitches poorly for 2 games and you call it a slump?

OK - a couple of questions need to be answered...is your DD the ONLY pitcher on both teams? Is your DD even slightly injured but doesn't say anything for fear of disappointing you or losing playing time? Which pitches are working and which are not? Does she have the same catcher for both teams (believe me, it makes a difference)?

Why so negative. Maybe "slump" wasn't the right wording...but really?

No....she is not afraid of disappointing me. I'm never disappointed in her. I think the strides she has made is amazing considering she was a late starter into pitching. But, I see her face when she comes off the field. I know nothing about pitching and this is all new to me, so I didn't know if I should be worried. THAT is why I posted it on here.


No, she does not have the same catcher. She is playing on two teams, so she has two catchers. She did sleep on her neck wrong a few nights before the trouble began, but she said that it didn't hurt anymore (this would be 2 days afterthe bad sleep). She also pitched 1 inning last night (a full week after the bad sleep) and was still off.

I just want ideas and if I say something wrong...I don't mean too. Just looking to more experienced parents

 

[pitchmom]

During a season, a pitcher picks up bad habits. That is why she has to understand the "why" behind pitching.



She will not miraculously improve without practice. You don't need to do a full blown 2 hour practice session. You need to get her out in the backyard, have her toss a few to get loose, and them immediately start working on the problem.

Generally, a pitcher starts throwing pitches in the dirt because she either is leaning forward at release or she has shortened her stride. My bet is that she has shortened her stride. Stand up and and have her pitch a few to you at your arm pits. Tell her to feel what she has has to do to get the ball to go up.

Then, get down in the crouch (or sit on the bucket), and have her practice throwing one pitch low and the next pitch high. Again, have her focus on her body and what she is doing to make the location of the ball change.

Good idea.....thanks for that. We did get out and practice tonight. I was really watching her stride and arm speed (thinking maybe she is slowing that down). She did do better tonight, but still not as accurate as normal.

She pitches tomorrow so I'm hoping that tonights workout will help. Of course, the more she throws bad, the more it gets to her confidence. Now she is nervous about throwing tomorrow and she is never nervous

 

[pitchmom]

What other position is she playing?

She plays 1st and somethimes 2nd.

 

[Amy in AZ.]

Sometimes, a person will just have a bad day. When it happens at practice, I tell them to forget about it. When it happens in a game, I would say very little about it. "You OK? Anything wrong?"

If she continues to have problems post a video of her pitching in a game.

 

[pitchmom]

Sometimes, a person will just have a bad day. When it happens at practice, I tell them to forget about it. When it happens in a game, I would say very little about it. "You OK? Anything wrong?"

If she continues to have problems post a video of her pitching in a game.

Well,, she pitched in this weekend's tournament and she did much better. She's still not back 100%...but she wasn't throwing a bunch of balls in the dirt. We'll keep working on it