DD first started pitching as a second-year 10U in Rec. She was HE all the way, but threw a ton of strikes. She had like 80 Ks in 40 innings, less than 10 walks. She decided that being a pitcher was her thing and thanks to DFP, I learned about the wonders of IR.
Her first fall of 12U, bigger ball, 40 feet, new pitching style — it was a disaster. She walked everyone. Couldn’t buy a strike. She saw almost no circle time the following year, but she kept working on her own.
Fast forward to spring of second-year 12U, and she found her groove. She’s been between 65-69% strike percentage since then (thanks GameChanger).
So the moral is, kids go through different patches where the strike zone comes and goes. DD is working on some mechanics right now that are meant to increase her velocity, but she’s lost some accuracy as a result. It’s a process, there’s no timetable.
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By 12u, there is such a thing as too many strikes. The pitcher needs to work the corners and generally keep the ball low. If you look at Gamechanger, pitchers with too high a strike percentage are often giving up a lot of hits.
Depends on who you are facing. Nibbling makes no sense if the kid you are facing is overmatched. Of course as you advance in age/skill level, that occurs less oftenI've heard 67% is about right. Yes, nibble the corners. Some called, some not. We have a pitcher that throws 80% strikes. It's an impressive feat, but she gets lit up most games.
Depends on who you are facing. Nibbling makes no sense if the kid you are facing is overmatched. Of course as you advance in age/skill level, that occurs less often