12u Pitching Dilemma

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May 24, 2013
12,461
113
So Cal
"we'll get 6-run ruled often due to walks" Ouch....So let's see. Three walks to load the bases. Fourth walk scores the first run. So we are talking about 10 walks an inning if I did that correctly. REC league is there to teach people how to play. This is not teaching anyone anything, other than how to be bored.

Not just walks, but SBs, and D3Ks, too, according to the OP. All of these are (I would imagine) largely due to the P's struggles with control.

brewfanks - The point of all of this is that putting more focus on your DD's control will be the most effective way to help her be more successful - now, and in the future.
 
Sep 29, 2014
2,421
113
We have a pretty poor 12u rec team with 3 fairly new [1 year experience) pitchers, and several players that have played very little softball. Pitcher 1 (P1) has good form and velocity, but struggles with control. Hitters rarely can put a ball in play off P1. P2 and P3 have poor form, often worse command issues but are hittable because they have little velocity.

When P1 [my DD] pitches, we'll get 6-run ruled often due to walks, stolen bases (stealing home), HBP, or dropped 3rd strikes...Our catcher is not the greatest at covering balls in the dirt and isn't the best at hustling to get WP. She'll have to throw 3k's to get out of the inning (which happens only about 50% of innings she pitches). Very rarely will a pitch of hers get hit in fair territory. She needs to get 3 strikes before 4 balls to get an out.

When P2/P3 pitch, there is a much greater chance of their strikes getting hit (assuming the other team swings their bats), which means they may only need 1 strike before 4 balls to get a chance at an out. They can put us in a better chance some-times and make the game a little more fun to watch because there actually is the potential of seeing a hit ball.

IMO, P1 is our best pitcher and I want to keep giving her chances, but I fear some parents may be getting restless with the long innings of nothing but the pitcher and catcher doing anything.

Most of the teams we've faced so far have slower more accurate pitchers... I've tried talking to P1 about taking something off speed-wise to "get the strike" but I think 11 year old brains [at least hers] apparently can't comprehend what that means because that usually turns into even more of a disaster control-wise.

Slow-mo video of P1 from a practice earlier this year for reference. https://goo.gl/photos/dmwuRS6X9hzF41VJ6

Advice?

I think it would be OK to keep giving her one inning so she does get practice and can keep working on things but other than that WALK FESTS are no fun for anyone.

I could not see photos on my computer if you can upload video I'd be happy to help.

My guess is she does not have a consistent release point among other things.
 
May 6, 2015
2,397
113
The issue here is there is an inherent conflict between the development of the pitchers, and what the rest of the team(s) (includes opposition) needs/wants.

Developing Pitchers need to throw hard/fast, concentrating on their mechanics. If they slow down to find the zone, their mechanics will be off, and when they try and speed up, they will get wild again. They need to learn how to control throwing fast (not completely wild, basically their fasted they can throw with good mechanics). My own DD reaches for the zone (releases way out in front of her, trying to push the ball into the zone almost), trying to tell her I just want her throw hard, eventually she will be consistently hitting a spot (whereever that may be), once she consistently is hitting a spot hard, we can adjust to bring it in the zone.

Coaches/Teams/Rest of Parents need/want someone who will throw strikes, regardless of speed. this keeps game moving, makes opposition swing the bat, and makes game interesting for fielders (ie balls in play).

solution, at least at rec level, is to have rules limiting walks. our 10u LL division, only one steal home per inning, three total, advancing on PB/WP is considered a steal, and coach pitches on 4 ball count with bases loaded. basically, to score more than one per inning, teams must put the ball in play (and to limit teams to less than run limit, defense has to make outs).
 
Aug 29, 2011
2,581
83
NorCal
Well for reference we are currently playing rec on 12U team like the OP (soon to be 12U B -Allstar team from the rec league) and our game game Tuesday night featured 5 different girls pitching for the 2 teams (we have innings restrictions) and combined between the two teams and 5 pitchers there was: 1 HBP, 1 BB, zero batters reach on D3K. Game was finished in 1 hour 15 minutes. 7-3 final, over half the rund unearned on stellar rec league defense.

If you're allowing run limit on walks in a single inning, you've got some development to do.
 
May 4, 2016
70
18
East Coast
We have a pretty poor 12u rec team with 3 fairly new [1 year experience) pitchers...

Advice?

You're getting a lot of comments from folks that are probably many years into travel ball. At the level of your team, give 'em all equal innings. Anyone who wants to pitch, is willing to take some lessons, should get a chance to pitch in rec ball. Winning is irrelevant. The ones who put in the time outside of your practices and games (on their own) will quickly rise to the top and start earning a bit more circle time... And if the bug truly bites them, they'll self convert into All Stars and Travel Ball players.

These are first year pitchers and first year pitchers suck. Badly. Just keep telling them how proud you are that they are willing to do work outside of practice to improve and pray that it sinks in. :)

It's particularly bad because by 12U, even in rec ball, there are probably other teams with 1-4 girls in their third or fourth year of pitching that are smoking your team. Every league battles the "keep the friends together" or "spread the talent in the name of parity". Stay positive, drink lots of beer after the games, and never say anything negative about anybody to anybody...
 
May 4, 2016
70
18
East Coast
Well for reference we are currently playing rec on 12U team like the OP (soon to be 12U B -Allstar team from the rec league) and our game game Tuesday night featured 5 different girls pitching for the 2 teams (we have innings restrictions) and combined between the two teams and 5 pitchers there was: 1 HBP, 1 BB, zero batters reach on D3K. Game was finished in 1 hour 15 minutes. 7-3 final, over half the rund unearned on stellar rec league defense.

With all due respect, your squad is light years ahead of what the OP describes. The OP has first year pitchers and girls playing softball for the first time. Turn back the clock to when your girls were nine years old and it was the first year of kid pitch. Do you remember the horrific 90 minute 3 inning games? I know most of us have blocked that memory from our minds, but that's where the OP is at, only he's facing squads like yours probably with nine year olds. :)
 
May 6, 2016
3
1
Great feedback so far. A couple of clarifications:

1. P1's command is better than P2 and P3. She'll throw more strikes, the issue is her strikes aren't hittable. P2 & P3 may have their 1 strike per AB hit which gives the team a chance for an out in the field at least. If it was a choice between someone who could throw more strikes and P1, then obviously the pitcher who can throw more strikes will give our team a better chance to win.
2. Typically the batter walks or is hit or d3k. They'll steal 2nd on the next pitch without a throw, and then can steal 3rd and home on passed balls... Our catcher is a bit slow and our league plays on BB fields with HUGE gaps to the Backstop.

At home we absolutely work mechanics, preach consistency with delivery and release, trying to keep the motion as simple as possible. We also have her pitch at 90% to stay relaxed as opposed to going full-throttle. She only throws about 40-42 but for this rec league it's as fast as anybody out there.

Again I appreciate the tips and feedback so far.
 
Aug 29, 2011
2,581
83
NorCal
With all due respect, your squad is light years ahead of what the OP describes. The OP has first year pitchers and girls playing softball for the first time. Turn back the clock to when your girls were nine years old and it was the first year of kid pitch. Do you remember the horrific 90 minute 3 inning games? I know most of us have blocked that memory from our minds, but that's where the OP is at, only he's facing squads like yours probably with nine year olds. :)
True. I did see many of those games at 8U and 10U for sure. Even the occasional walk fest at 12U.

But to the OP - there is hope, they do get better.

We have a girl in the league who is quite good. Unfortunately she had the misfortune to be on a team with no real catcher. She had many batters reach on D3K through no fault of her own. If that's the case with OPs P1. Just smile and work on finding a girl who can catch to catch for P1.
 
Last edited:
Feb 22, 2013
206
18
My college sports psychology class that I took 30+ years ago would state that you should teach velocity 1st. Control would be taught 2nd, through brush resistance and repetition. Movement would be taught last, through many years of learning to spin the softball.

Looking at the video of your dd, she would be my number one pitcher, because I can't believe that there are two other pitchers on your REC team that have the pitching fundamentals that she has. I like the drive off of the pitching rubber and the second push that is created off of the front side resistance of the stride foot. I like the brush resistance that I am seeing with the pitcher.

When my dd played REC ball at your dd's age, my dd would give up 6 run rule innings due to dropped 3rd strikes, wild pitches, passed balls, dropped balls by catcher, catchers that couldn't throw out any base runners, fielders that couldn't catch a thrown ball, etc... It wasn't unusual at the REC level for my dd to have more than 5 strike outs per inning.

REC softball is a developmental softball experience. Skilled position players are almost non-existent at the 10U and 12U divisions. My dd was lucky if we had a girl that would put on the catchers gear when she would pitch. At 10U and 12U my dd was pitching to locations, inside, outside, high, low and was throwing a fastball and a changeup. All the other REC pitchers were trying to throw it straight down the middle of the plate or just throw strikes. A REC championship wasn't my goal. My goal in REC was to develop players and to have fun. I measured success in REC by how many girls signed up for softball the following year after playing on a team that I coached.

I encouraged effort and praised failures. I told girls that they had to get in front of a ball before the could field it. I told them they had to stop and pick up a ball, before they could throw it. I told them they had to swing at a pitch before the could hit it.

At the end of the day, as a REC coach, I called the practices, dealt with parents, prepped the fields, worked at the snack bar, organized team snacks, encouraged the players to give more effort, umpired games and then had to find time to sit on a bucket and catch my dd 4 to 5 times a week. I also would teach girls to catch and pitch during times away from team practice.

As a coach, I used to have to listen to many knuckleheads in the crowd and after games that would come up to me and ask why my dd tried to pitch to locations instead of throwing meatballs down the middle of the plate because the hitting was so weak in REC ball. I would tell them that I was trying to develop a softball pitcher. If I wanted the other REC teams to hit the ball to work on fielding, my dd would throw 10 changeups in a row.
 

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