I didn't say it was simple. I didn't say anything about a pitching machine either.It’s not that simple. You are coaching a team. You must have a pitcher. It’s time for problem solving. Your assignment is to develop pitchers so you can play a game. You can’t just drag the old blue pitching machine out to the mound and call it Suzy Pitcher.
I offered a suggestion IF you had a pitcher or two already. And way to help get MORE girls on the field of play pitching with a goal of showing some level of ability or improvement to the coach. You don't have to run your number 1/2 all season in rec. Find a way to get 3/4/5 to improve and reward them with the playing time. That's what they are after and what their parents are after. Help them fall in love with the game.
I am a coach. I have coached teams. I have had lots of girls who wanted to pitch. We actually used what I suggested to help girls find an attainable goal and then reward them with the opportunity to pitch in the game-which is what they were after. Some girls did work outside of practice so they could get into the circle. They were more confident knowing they had done work and that they had a chance to prove that work/ability before the game. When struggles occur, and they do, it also allowed us to refer them back to that time when they pitched to the coach. It gave them a frame of reference and a reminder they can do the job.
If my assignment is solely to develop pitchers.....then the rec league needs to provide a winter clinics and a weekly P/C night during the season to do that development. The reality is in Rec league, for the most part with most coaches, they aren't going to get what they need to be effective or successful and then they walk away from the position and/or the sport. And that was the point of the article, correct?
Talk to any "successful" pitcher, pitcher parent, and coach and the success of the pitcher came from working many many long hours outside of practice. And that was what Ken was talking about...those kids who end up eating up innings because they are doing more work.
So how do you get 3/4/5 skills and subsequent experience so you have more pitchers?