Coach pitch for 10u

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Apr 28, 2017
13
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I coach a 10u rec team. In the next few months we'll revisit rules for the 2018 season. Historically we do a "modified coach pitch" which means pitchers cannot walk batters. If the pitcher throws four balls before the batter strikes out or puts the ball in play, then the coach comes in (count stays the same) to pitch to his own player.

I've seen mention of similar pitching rules in this forum so I know it's not unheard of. But I also get the sense other 10u leagues are 100% player pitch.

Going into next season we're considering removing the coach pitch element. I'm torn. In our league, 10u is the first level of ANY form of player pitch. If we want to develop new pitchers then modified coach pitch can be good. I think coaches will be much less likely to put in a novice pitcher if the game is just going to become a walk-fest.

On the other hand, on the baseball side of our league the boys are 100% player pitch at 10u. That has always kind of annoyed me, like we have to 'baby' our girls until they get to 12u. I've never had it explained to me. Perhaps baseball pitching comes easier since kids start throwing baseballs overhand from a young age vs. girls who may not be introduced to fastpitch pitching until 8 or 9 years old.

So my question for you all is: for rec 10u, what is your preference for pitching? 100% player pitch or some element of coach pitch?

Thank you!
 
May 24, 2013
12,461
113
So Cal
Our rec league...
8U - Modified coach pitch for first half of season. Player pitch for second half (prep for All-Stars).
10U and up - All player pitch

This is pretty typical in CA. 8U league games can be a little rough to watch sometimes, but pitchers do get better. 8U All-Stars often includes some pretty darn amazing little players.

Some people have posted on this forum that they still have machine pitch in 10U, which saddens me.
 
Oct 11, 2010
8,337
113
Chicago, IL
Lot of things going on here.

DD has pitched since 8U because she had backup and could field, she threw a strike 1 game. Umpire was supprised, Strike?

She got a little better and hated 10U, 1 year was too much.

Our leaque I would be OK playing slow pitch through 10 or 12, I do think tough they can pitch if some help or asked for help.
 
Jun 8, 2016
16,118
113
I vote for all kid pitch.Here in OK 10U is kid pitch for both rec and TB. 8u is either coach or machine for rec and either machine,coach or kid for TB tournaments with most of those being machine pitch. Best pitcher on my 8 YO DD's 10U TB team is 7..won't be 8 till end of this month. She throws a good amount of strikes and has steadily improved since the beginning of Fall. If you make 10U coach/kid pitch you are just kicking the can down the road IMO. When I was kid many moons ago, 9-12 YO kids all played together in LL baseball and the better 9 and 10 year olds would often be pitchers on these teams. No reason 9 or 10 year old boys and girls cannot throw strikes in games if they put in the necessary practice time.
 
Last edited:
Aug 12, 2014
644
43
For rec, I love the modified coach pitch at that age. Unless it's a really good league, there aren't nearly enough good pitchers to go around at that age. As you said, it allows pitchers to develop without games becoming walk-fests.

As for baseball, I think 10U is too young for full-on player pitch in rec because it's the same as softball - there aren't enough good pitchers to go around. My experience with coaching baseball is they push the rules too fast as far as full leading and stealing and such. So just because baseball is doing player pitch at 10U doesn't make it right, IMO.
 
Jan 22, 2011
1,610
113
My DD's old rec league does for 10u- Player pitches and can walk players unless bases are loaded, then coach comes in and pitches if there is a walk with bases loaded.
 
Jun 12, 2015
3,848
83
DD's old rec league is the same as yours, no walking. They also can't steal home. From watching a few 10U rec games a friend of DD's was playing in, if your league is like ours I would keep it as is for the sake of not dying of boredom. Rec league pitching in 10U = walk-fests. Not very exciting for anyone.
 
Feb 17, 2014
7,152
113
Orlando, FL
The harsh reality is that very little before 14U makes a bit of difference in the long term development of pitchers. IMO developing pitchers at 8U-10U is simply not necessary and a waste of time for all but those in the circle. You are developing players at one position at the expense of the other 8 players on the field. 8U-10U players would be much better served if they learned to hit, field, and throw properly. Skills that are sorely lacking at all ages and all locations all the way through 18U. This is painfully evident even in the alleged softball center of the universe in Southern California. If it were up to me it would be machine pitch up to 12U and then start developing pitchers. The end result would be significantly better overall hitting, fielding, throwing, and pitching at 14U-18U. Instead of developing 8U and 10U pitchers with crap mechanics just to indulge the few it is better to defer these activities until they are a bit older and better suited to learn proper mechanics. You know that skippie HS pitcher that never gets called for an IP? Most if not all picked up those poor mechanics learning to throw screwballs at 8U-10U.

But in baseball... Any discussion relating what happens in softball to baseball beyond the fact that it is played outside with a ball and a stick is irrelevant. They are two different sports. If a kid can throw chuck a baseball overhand they can learn to pitch a baseball in short order. Likewise any kid that can throw underhand can learn to pitch a softball just as quickly. However, most softball coaches especially at the younger ages are males that played baseball and never set foot on a softball field other than a slow pitch beer league. They know how to throw overhand and most have an acceptable level of competence teaching the skill. Conversely softball coaches with the ability to properly throw underhand are akin to unicorns and even more rare are those that can teach the skill. So what you are left with is coaches with zero knowledge or ability on the subject developing softball pitchers. They teach 8U-10U players how to pitch based on how they have seen it taught, which is of course is the bane of high level pitchers - Hello Elbow. Fast forward to 16U and these same kids still do not know how to throw a softball underhand and have little prospect of ever pitching at a high level.
 

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