Tee vs front toss

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Oct 2, 2017
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If I can make a suggestion... stop using the tee. ONLY do front toss. Not trying to mix her up and trick her, just simple, meatball BP. Focus on mechanics there. Use video, lots. Then go back and review it with her, showing her what she missed, or succeeded with. When she sees it with her own eyes, I found with my own DD, it really started to click. For me and my DD, 95% of all practice is front toss. Stop worrying about the tee swing and worry only about what she does with a live ball in the air. Also let her know you're not concerned with where the ball goes and how hard she hits it. That will come.

Thanks for the suggestion. I was doing that for a while, pretty much the entire season. To be quite honest not to sure why I went to the tee again. The game plan I came up with is along what Eric F suggested. Place a object out in front were the pitcher would be and have her go through gather separation etc. while focusing on that object instead of a ball sitting on a tee right in front of her. Transition from that to having her go through the gather separation etc. to the launch position with a front toss. Then strictly front toss.
 
Sep 17, 2009
1,637
83
If I can make a suggestion... stop using the tee. ONLY do front toss. Not trying to mix her up and trick her, just simple, meatball BP. Focus on mechanics there. Use video, lots. Then go back and review it with her, showing her what she missed, or succeeded with. When she sees it with her own eyes, I found with my own DD, it really started to click. For me and my DD, 95% of all practice is front toss. Stop worrying about the tee swing and worry only about what she does with a live ball in the air. Also let her know you're not concerned with where the ball goes and how hard she hits it. That will come.
This is great advice, in particular the 'meatball' part. I don't think you need to be tricking or overly challenging hitters when developing. It's hard to hit even a meatball pitch consistently but training to do so can really advance the swing.
 
Oct 2, 2017
2,283
113
Just a update over weekend session. Wanted to thank you all for the suggestions on practice not using the tee and doing front toss etc. only. Had a productive and I feel successful session. I used the game plan on post #21. I think the biggest thing I noticed is that my DD was getting into a better position for launch. It also helped reinforce the idea that we have to get both feet on the ground before we launch, which I think is a big light bulb moment for her. Its still going to require repetition, but I think she understands that concept more now.
 
We do 95% full speed practice and live if possible. I don’t care if she can hit off a tee or soft toss she will never use that skill in a game. practice game skills. I only use a tee if I see a breakdown in mechanics. Then back to full speed. Focus on mechanics at full speed. Muscle memory at soft toss is different from muscle memory full speed.
 
Oct 2, 2017
2,283
113
We do 95% full speed practice and live if possible. I don’t care if she can hit off a tee or soft toss she will never use that skill in a game. practice game skills. I only use a tee if I see a breakdown in mechanics. Then back to full speed. Focus on mechanics at full speed. Muscle memory at soft toss is different from muscle memory full speed.

I agree about doing practice at full speed and live. But there is a place for the others. If you cant apply what you learn during tee and front toss properly how are you going to properly perform the same action at game speed. Do the pros use the skills they work on doing front toss in the game? If not, are they wasting their time? When learning new skills, do you learn at full speed right out of the gate or do you work up to game speed? I'm a musician your never ever start at full tempo of something you are learning. You gradually each session push the current limits of where you are at until you can perform properly at full tempo.
 
I agree about doing practice at full speed and live. But there is a place for the others. If you cant apply what you learn during tee and front toss properly how are you going to properly perform the same action at game speed. Do the pros use the skills they work on doing front toss in the game? If not, are they wasting their time? When learning new skills, do you learn at full speed right out of the gate or do you work up to game speed? I'm a musician your never ever start at full tempo of something you are learning. You gradually each session push the current limits of where you are at until you can perform properly at full tempo.
If your going to compare hitting to learning to play music it should be the same song every performance. We learn where we are making mechanical flaws by giving instructions at tee then get back to full speed. I don’t believe it’s helpful to practice timing at half distance. It makes kids when they see live pitch start early trying to hit over their front foot. All mechanics thrown out the window. I’m referring to full speed pitch for timing you can have the batter use correct mechanics and use a 50% speed swing which means they have to start earlier. Then bump up to 75% swing speed. Dd has best hits in games when she is attempting 75% swing speed she sees the ball better and makes more solid contact (squares it up) with correct mechanics the ball will go.
 
Jan 21, 2019
12
3
I’m referring to full speed pitch for timing you can have the batter use correct mechanics and use a 50% speed swing which means they have to start earlier. Then bump up to 75% swing speed. Dd has best hits in games when she is attempting 75% swing speed she sees the ball better and makes more solid contact (squares it up) with correct mechanics the ball will go.

How do you get in reps at full speed? I definitely can't pitch at game speed and that has to be true of 99% of us. Are you using a machine? If so I guess that means your DD feels like it translates to timing a live pitcher pretty well? I've always heard kids say its very different so I've avoided it.
 
How do you get in reps at full speed? I definitely can't pitch at game speed and that has to be true of 99% of us. Are you using a machine? If so I guess that means your DD feels like it translates to timing a live pitcher pretty well? I've always heard kids say its very different so I've avoided it.
When using a machine I demonstrate the windup and pitch while feeding the machine its not perfect but sufficient for timing. As for finding live pitchers DD is a pitcher and loves to have her pitching practice against live batters. “Practice game situations “ ask around if you can come hit at a practice. It’s not unusual for 3-4 players show up to hit at our practice if 1 of them pitches DD gets to bat also.
 
Apr 16, 2013
1,113
83
How do you get in reps at full speed? I definitely can't pitch at game speed and that has to be true of 99% of us. Are you using a machine? If so I guess that means your DD feels like it translates to timing a live pitcher pretty well? I've always heard kids say its very different so I've avoided it.
Unless you're lucky to have a father/mother that's a former fastpitch pitcher, I don't believe it's possible. I don't know how anyone truly does it for softball at 12u plus, unless they have a 3-wheeled machine. My DD plays 18u, pretty competitive team, and I just use front toss around 3-4x per week. She's batted around 500 since she started playing fastpitch. I throw from around 20ish feet at maybe 25mph. I'll mix it up between a meatball session, and a session of trying to throw harder and move it around along with some changeups. I've got a little over 30 softballs in my bag that's "per session", so maybe around 75 hits total.

That being said, one of my DD's friends little sister is on a team ('06) that has a coach that learned how to pitch fastpitch. He pitches to them a lot. Needless to say, they hit the ball pretty well!
 

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