List of Basic Pitching Signals

[ddtnalt39208]

Our 11 year old daugher is one of 2 main pitchers for our Newly formed team. Our coaches don't know much about the pitching and is leaving it up to me and my husband as for as pitching signs and calls. Our daugher and the other pitcher both take lessons from the same place. We have a few other girls that show alot of potential. We want to develope a good pitching signal program for them to learn. I know that we are only talking about 12U, and that in all honesty most 12U's don't know alot of different pitches. I know ours knows about 3 maybe 4 well enought and has been shown and working on others. What I want to know is the proper signs/calls for different pitches so as she can be learning them. Any suggestions?? Please send our way!! Thanks!! DDTNALT

 

[JAD]

You can use the old finger system until your DD has more than 5 pitches, or I have seen coaches going to a 'face touch' system.

 

[coach james]

Assuming the pitchers have the control to hit corners...
I have a 3 number system.
First number is the pitch. 1= fb, 2= cu, 3= drop curve etc.
Second number is 2 for inside and 3 for outside location.
Third number is height. 1 is high and 4 is low.
Example... a 1-2-1 would be a fb, inside, high
Example... a 2-2-4 would be a cu, inside, low
Example... a 3-3-4 would be a dc, outside, low
You are able to be creative and develop your own system or use mine. Pitching signs should resemble snow flakes...everyone is different. No different than base coach signs. Try to keep it simple and easy to understand for the kids.

 

[Carly]

Since you're talking 12U, your pitchers and catchers are both learning to deal with signals for the first time. I would keep it very simple: 1 for a fastball, 2 for a change-up, 3-4-5 for whatever else your pitchers throw. Then the catcher taps the location: right or left knee for regular inside/outside, shoulders or corners of the plate for high/low inside/outside.

Yes, everyone can figure out that system, but the point is not to fool the opposing coach (who hopefully won't be a jerk about stealing signs and realize that 12U is a learning experience); it's to help the kids learn this skill. It can be a lot to process at first, so think of this as training wheels. Once they feel 100% comfortable with it, you can add some levels of complexity.

 

[CoachFP]

You can use the old finger system until your DD has more than 5 pitches, or I have seen coaches going to a 'face touch' system.

More than 5 pitches? Ok, if you say so.

 

[starsnuffer]

More than 5 pitches? Ok, if you say so.

We like to keep our signs consistent across all our pitchers across multiple age groups, so yes, collectively you want signs for more then 5 pitches. It's unlikely that a single pitcher has all of the pitches, but you don't want to have different sets of signs for different pitchers.

You can use things like a pinky or a thumb, or a pinky and a thumb for particular pitches and pitchouts, wiggling a finger, ect. You also want a way for the catcher to communicate if a pitch needs to be more off the plate or more over the plate for a given location.

-W

 

[USC 4]

The system described by Carly is the one we used for both years of 12U. KISS works.

The catchers need to get accustomed to calling the locations even if the pitcher isn't there yet. As the girls get older location becomes more important. For example you have a pitcher who can throw a curve. She can get it on the outside corner, but can't control high or low. Even in 12U have your catcher signal high or low.

 

[halskinner]

The system described by Carly is the one we used for both years of 12U. KISS works.

The catchers need to get accustomed to calling the locations even if the pitcher isn't there yet. As the girls get older location becomes more important. For example you have a pitcher who can throw a curve. She can get it on the outside corner, but can't control high or low. Even in 12U have your catcher signal high or low.

Oh, do you have that one in a thousand team coaches that will let a pitcher and catcher call their owb game?? Wow! Not too many of those around.

 

[ddose]

Another option is make up something that rhymes to make is easy to remember, DD likes Fast-Slow-High-Low:
1. Fast (fastball) - 2. Slow (change) - 3. High (rise) - 4. Low (drop)

DD's team also used 1-4 for the four corners. So 1-1 is a low inside fastball, 1-2 would be a high inside fastball and so on.

 

[T.J.]

Since you're talking 12U, your pitchers and catchers are both learning to deal with signals for the first time.

I agree with Carly that this ALSO a great time to teach your catchers on how to properly position themselves for giving signals. Teach them both about location too and have them call the game themselves. Fastballs inside or outside or change-up is a perfect way to start.