Live pitching at practice...good or bad?

[starsnuffer]

Do you do indoor cage work? Replace the batting machines with your pitchers and catchers. Problem solved. The distance is the same, the bat is the same, and the ball is the same. You can use a screen, or not, the pitchers need to know how to field, and they need to focus on making the batters unsuccessful, IE striking them out or forcing pop-ups, ground balls, fouls, ect. Have the catcher keep a ball/strike count, switch batters after they either strike out, or get 3 hits, whichever comes first. Watch the pitch counts and pitcher fatigue.

Your pitchers should never pitch batting practice, but they should pitch HITTING practice. Two totally different things.

-W

 

[nanotech14]

That isn't MY idea it is an idea I have "stolen" from D1 coaches at clinics. But I guess they are wrong too.

No just youWhy is it that everybody has to throw out "well D1 coaches do or say" it is not like they are working with little kids.I would have to think that their players have played a few softball games here and there.

 

[JBG]

Do you do indoor cage work? Replace the batting machines with your pitchers and catchers. Problem solved. The distance is the same, the bat is the same, and the ball is the same. You can use a screen, or not, the pitchers need to know how to field, and they need to focus on making the batters unsuccessful, IE striking them out or forcing pop-ups, ground balls, fouls, ect. Have the catcher keep a ball/strike count, switch batters after they either strike out, or get 3 hits, whichever comes first. Watch the pitch counts and pitcher fatigue.

Your pitchers should never pitch batting practice, but they should pitch HITTING practice. Two totally different things.

-W

Amen!! Couldnt have said it better!!

Our HS coaches do not at present do live hitting at practice and our team as a general rule is not a very good hitting team.

They wonder why they don't hit the ball well during games. My position all along has been "How can you get better at something (hitting) when you only see live pitching in a game"??? The answer is...you cant!
There solution is to have the head coach throw 30mph pitches underhand 2/3 the way from the rubber to the plate??? and soft toss.

IMHO you are never going to be GOOD doing this. You have to practice live pitching/hitting if you want to be excellent hitters!!

 

[quincy]

Our practice slows down way to much when our Pitchers have tried to pitch. Maybe if we stuck with it for a little while the pace would pick up but to date it has never gone well for us. Do not plan on letting them pitch during practice again this year.

 

[quincy]

A little thing like needing a C slows things down quite a bit.

I agree with batters seeing live pitching, just do not agree we can run an effective practice with our Players pitching.

 

[Cannonball]

"Effective" is relative. I think that for a practice to be "effective," you have to have practice plans that do include some live arm for both pitcher and catcher. It might only be two or three hitters but still, even at that, both benefit. I think that one needs to understand that when a pitcher throws to hitters, they don't need 8 people standing around shagging. For instance, you could have a SS and 2B on the infield. You might have a LF and RF. Now, you have 2 players hitting but rotating in "at bats." You have the C being the ump. You have a screen protecting you as a coach somewhere in the area of the plate and between you and the hitter. The hitter on deck is on your side of the screen protected. You have a bucket of balls. The pitcher has a bucket of better balls. On the pitch, if the hitter doesn't make contact, you as the coach hit a ball to the SS and they turn two with the 2B. You don't need a 1B there to catch it. If you have a spare net there, then good. Put it up to be 1B. If the ball is hit, depending upon where it is hit, you play it. 2B and SS turn 2. OFs throw to 2. Now, if the hitter doesn't hit the next pitch, you hit a ball to one of the OFs. They throw to 2. Other players are off to the side either hitting into nets, hitting in a cage, fielding with one on one instruction from another coach, ... You should never leave that pitcher out there throwing. They work to 2 hitters and then the hitters swap. Infielder and OFs swap. Everyone is on the move. Once the pitcher has done her work, rotate your next pitcher in. Rotate your catchers. It isn't that hard to run a great practice that is never the same. JMHO!

 

[softballphreak]

A little thing like needing a C slows things down quite a bit.

I agree with batters seeing live pitching, just do not agree we can run an effective practice with our Players pitching.

Only thing worse is not having a P.

When doing live pitching observe more than instruct. Save the instruction for the next stations or practice. Good time for video.

Use infielders only, no outfield. Limit each batter to 2-3 at bats maybe. Put some value on the result. A strike out = 1 lap on batter; a hit = 1 lap for the pitcher/catcher (ball outfield is a hit); successful bunt takes away a lap for the batter; pickoff takes away a lap for P/C; or whatever you choose.

Expect disappointed batters, pitchers, etc. Disappointment is an opportunity to motivate. Don't pamper the batters or pitchers; EXPECT (demand) them to do well, whether they do or not.

 

[Momo'sDad]

Our practice slows down way to much when our Pitchers have tried to pitch. Maybe if we stuck with it for a little while the pace would pick up but to date it has never gone well for us. Do not plan on letting them pitch during practice again this year.

This is one of those threads where some posters act like everyone has access to similar resources or is working with similar talent.

There's no shortage of reasons why this concept won't work for every team, but by the same token, there's no need to write it off completely as not even worth trying. If you're going into year #2, it makes sense that your pitchers would be better in 2012 than they were in 2011, meaning a higher percentage of hittable pitches for your batters.

We were able to do this in a few of our fall practices during the 2nd half of the season, but there was no improvement in our team's hitting.

 

[starsnuffer]

Dedicated hitting practice is an option even if you do not have cages to do it in. Stagger your practice schedule so you have 4-6 kids at a time in 30 minute blocks. Make sure you have a pitcher for each block, and either a catcher or a coach who isn't too insecure to wear a facemask to catch (foul balls hurt and we're ugly enough already). Your practice will still be 2-3 hours but your kids will only be there for 30 minutes each (1 hour for pitchers and catchers, they need to hit too, so they do one group pitching, another group hitting).

Kids arrive 15 minutes early to warm up (you can write the warmup routine on paper and pin it somewhere, they should be able to do this on their own). Then, have one or two stations (depending on how many coaches you have) doing T work, and then a live hitting station. Rotate every 10 minutes. Keep things moving and no one gets bored.

This is, of course, and "extra" practice day added to what you already have. But because it's only a half hour for most players, its easier to swallow.

-W

 

[Quake Softball]

This is one of those threads where some posters act like everyone has access to similar resources or is working with similar talent.

There's no shortage of reasons why this concept won't work for every team, but by the same token, there's no need to write it off completely as not even worth trying. If you're going into year #2, it makes sense that your pitchers would be better in 2012 than they were in 2011, meaning a higher percentage of hittable pitches for your batters.

We were able to do this in a few of our fall practices during the 2nd half of the season, but there was no improvement in our team's hitting.

Thanks for being reasonable. That was my point. I don't have screens or a way to transport them back and forth to practice. Also, we don't have top-tier pitching and our hitters are still learning too. If it works for your team...great. Just don't be a softball snob. Not every team is at the same place in the journey.