Pitching Strategy against good hitters

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Sep 29, 2020
13
3
If this is your own DD, then they need to learn every grip/pitch from the start. Only coaches want you to learn only the fastball. Don't listen to that stuff.

Learn 5/6 pitches, and throw the 2 that work that day. The success of those 5 or 6 will wax and wane as you progress.

It's critical they learn (early) the strategy of where and when to throw each pitch, and which pitch to follow depending on result. This is the most exciting part of pitching.
Thanks!
It is my own DD, we will continue to work on the other pitches....
 
Nov 26, 2010
4,784
113
Michigan
Thanks! I agree with you on the mechanics!
I meant throw slower as in an Arc pitch.
I have seen some opposing teams who have poorly developed pitchers throw in a somewhat slow arc and it throws off our batters who will not hit it as far as them hitting a typical fastball.
They are already working with a pitching coach to develop other pitches.
I work with my DD on hitting corners when we practice pitching on off days.
At 12u is your goal to win more games, or develop your players? It sounds like a trick question but it isn’t.
Hopefully your answer is developing your players. Teach them change ups, encourage them to hit spots, in out up down... begin to teach them drop balls... don’t encourage them to be slow pitch pitchers. You aren’t helping them
 
May 23, 2018
93
18
If this is your own DD, then they need to learn every grip/pitch from the start. Only coaches want you to learn only the fastball. Don't listen to that stuff.

Learn 5/6 pitches, and throw the 2 that work that day. The success of those 5 or 6 will wax and wane as you progress.

It's critical they learn (early) the strategy of where and when to throw each pitch, and which pitch to follow depending on result. This is the most exciting part of pitching.
At 12u they don’t need 5 or 6 pitches. In fact, to throw a real rise ball you need a minimum speed of 56 mph to get it to hop and to overcome gravity. At 12u they need the fastball, drop, changeup. My philosophy has always been master the basic pitches before trying something more exotic. There’s nothing wrong with learning the curve or screw, but that shouldn’t be learned at the expense of the basic pitches. In addition to being a former pitcher and pitching coach, I’m also an umpire. I see firsthand what trying to learn too many pitches at once does. I find it very difficult to teach a girl with shaky mechanics the turn over drop. It involves shortening the stride and putting your head over the ball and putting more weight on the front foot.
On another note I did see one 12u that was able to vary the spin and speed of the turnover drop. That was all she threw, but it was incredible to see the variation of speed,spin and angle of the ball. It acted as her fastball,!change, drop, and drop curve. Best I’ve ever seen. Her speeds were from a high of 46 mph to a low of 31. On the slower pitches it would break almost 2 feet
 
Apr 2, 2015
1,198
113
Woodstock, man
At 12u they don’t need 5 or 6 pitches. In fact, to throw a real rise ball you need a minimum speed of 56 mph to get it to hop and to overcome gravity. At 12u they need the fastball, drop, changeup. My philosophy has always been master the basic pitches before trying something more exotic. There’s nothing wrong with learning the curve or screw, but that shouldn’t be learned at the expense of the basic pitches.

The problem with this approach is that your changeup may not get outs at 12, or 18 or for two months at 14U. The curve you worked on at 12U may not be a curve but it will work as a replacement for the change that season. The drop that works for you at 16U may not work for a year or a series of games, etc.

Starting at 11, my son threw 3-4 pitches of every grip 3 times a week. There's nothing exotic about pitch grips.
 

radness

Possibilities & Opportunities!
Dec 13, 2019
7,270
113
edit *
LOOK FOR THE RESOURCES THAT COME WITH ~ this approach! your changeup may not get outs at 12, or 18 or for two months at 14U. The curve you worked on at 12U may not be a curve but it will work as a replacement for the change that season. The drop that works for you at 16U may not work for a year or a series of games, etc.

Starting at 11, my son threw 3-4 pitches of every grip 3 times a week. There's nothing exotic about pitch grips.
 
Sep 29, 2020
13
3
At 12u they don’t need 5 or 6 pitches. In fact, to throw a real rise ball you need a minimum speed of 56 mph to get it to hop and to overcome gravity. At 12u they need the fastball, drop, changeup. My philosophy has always been master the basic pitches before trying something more exotic. There’s nothing wrong with learning the curve or screw, but that shouldn’t be learned at the expense of the basic pitches. In addition to being a former pitcher and pitching coach, I’m also an umpire. I see firsthand what trying to learn too many pitches at once does. I find it very difficult to teach a girl with shaky mechanics the turn over drop. It involves shortening the stride and putting your head over the ball and putting more weight on the front foot.
On another note I did see one 12u that was able to vary the spin and speed of the turnover drop. That was all she threw, but it was incredible to see the variation of speed,spin and angle of the ball. It acted as her fastball,!change, drop, and drop curve. Best I’ve ever seen. Her speeds were from a high of 46 mph to a low of 31. On the slower pitches it would break almost 2 feet
Thanks!
I thought get the change up down before moving onto the drop but we can work on them at the same time!
 
Sep 19, 2018
928
93
The problem with this approach is that your changeup may not get outs at 12, or 18 or for two months at 14U. The curve you worked on at 12U may not be a curve but it will work as a replacement for the change that season. The drop that works for you at 16U may not work for a year or a series of games, etc.

Starting at 11, my son threw 3-4 pitches of every grip 3 times a week. There's nothing exotic about pitch grips.

There is no doubt that different pitches work on different days. It is very handy to have choices on the days something is not working. We see it all the time at the professional level.

But at 12u, the likelihood that a change won't change and a drop wont drop goes up drastically when the pitcher is also trying to learn to throw a rise, screw, and curve at the same time they are still trying to learn the change and drop. The number of people that can learn that many pitches at the same time is really small.

Just to be clear, I am not suggesting a pitcher not learn multiple pitches. Just not learning at the same time.
 
Apr 2, 2015
1,198
113
Woodstock, man
Let me be more clear. My suggestion is to learn all pitches right away. Throw a few each day you practice. During games, only throw the two that work that day. Further, if you start out throwing a few curves on a certain day, and they get hammered, throw something else.

Don't be married to any pitch grip.

My son did this all the way through youth, high school, and college.
 
Last edited:
Oct 4, 2018
4,612
113
Thanks!
I thought get the change up down before moving onto the drop but we can work on them at the same time!

Better to perfect (or at least get good) with one before moving to the next. I'd rather have a girl that can locate a fastball than a girl who can't locate her fastball and has a crappy change-up.

I'm in the camp of get good with a pitch before moving to the next.
 

radness

Possibilities & Opportunities!
Dec 13, 2019
7,270
113
Learning the difference between pitches can help identify the technical particulars of each.

Example
Drop and curve have separate particular requirements.
The brain/body figuring out how to move body for each helps executive brain 'indentify differences' then to connecting the brain to the body to develop the functions.

Using a fork, a spoon or a knife are three different functions. We learn to use all at an early age!
 
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