Ready for 3rd pitch

[stv]

How old is she? Peel drop, off speed. She can learn 2 more. See my last post under Rise ball young pitcher.

 

[tward1993]

My DD learned the screwball as her third pitch, seemed like a natural move for her from the way she tended to throw FB. PC had her work on curve and drop spins for a week to see which was more natural, we went with drop fourth......she hasn't mastered it yet, but she loves the pitch.

 

[Coach JV]

peel drop

My dd works on 6 pitches. She throws 3 in games FB, Rise, Change up.
If she throws a dropcurve at practice for a few sessions she will use it
instead of rise. She never has been able to use more than 3 effectively

 

[pitchmom]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I will definately bring this up with her pitching coach. When we talked about advancing to a 3rd pitch a few months ago, I thought she said that we would learn the drop. Maybe she sees something in my DD that makes her think the curve would be better for her.

all I know is...so far...my DD is struggling to learn how to get it to spin. She is U14, but new into pitching (just about 2 yrs experience). I know nothing about pitching...so I have no clue on what she should or shouldn't be learning.

I have had people tell me to just forget about a 3rd pitch and concentrate on becoming deadly accurate on hitting spots. They say she will be better off in the long run.

 

[shockcoach]

Put me in the drop ball category.

 

[Lozza]

I have had people tell me to just forget about a 3rd pitch and concentrate on becoming deadly accurate on hitting spots. They say she will be better off in the long run.

So she's not accurate on hitting her spots at this point in time? Or they're more hit then miss, or more hit than miss?

What is her change up like? Is it consistent? Does she miss it a lot?

If the answer to that is yes, then why is the pitching coach pushing her to learn a third pitch?

 

[CoachFP]

It is virtually impossible for a pitcher to "master" more than 4 pitches. Most have trouble getting to 3. The norm in my experience is 2. So when you encounter these "know nothing" pitching coaches who want to teach a kid more pitches before they are good at the ones they have, run away.

 

[SoCalSoftballdad]

It is virtually impossible for a pitcher to "master" more than 4 pitches. Most have trouble getting to 3. The norm in my experience is 2. So when you encounter these "know nothing" pitching coaches who want to teach a kid more pitches before they are good at the ones they have, run away.

I understand the argument that some pitchers claim to have 6 pitches by the time they are 10YO but do not have command of any of them. But I can see some value in experimenting with different pitches even if she will never master all of them. As you know, it can get very boring and repetitious to only throw 4-seam fastballs and change-ups for 4 - 5 years. What I do like about introducing new pitches is a) its keeps a young pitcher excited for a new challenge and b) maybe she discovers that the curve ball, for example, is her "go to" pitch? How do you know if you don't attempt to learn it? Learning is about trial and error, and we need to strike a balance between mastering something and trying new things.

Remember, your DD will be working on all of her pitches not just the latest one that is introduced. So she will (should) continue to improve on all of her pitches.

 

[starsnuffer]

I don't think there is anything wrong with learning 6 pitches (or even more) but as stated, mastering them is much different. I mean, if these girls go on to play D1 ball, and find themselves unable to get a job with an "early childhood development" degree, how are they going to support themselves if they can't give pitching lessons? They need to know how to teach 6 pitches to get a job as a PC.

-W

 

[EP Dad]

Good post SoCalSoftballdad. And for the record my daughter only knows 3 pitches. But, she learned the drop before she mastered the change or the fastball and it really helped elevate her motivation learning the new pitch.