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Feb 26, 2010
27
3
West Chicago Il
I just read some comments about coaches learning how to pitch later on in life. I get the feeling some think that this is easy. It is not. First, if you have a coach learning how to throw underhanded during your BP sessions, you will end up with sloppy BP that takes additional time where the hitter is not getting in the quality work that they need. Also, if you wait until later, you had better make sure that you know how to get behind that screen. Many don't have the correct nets and so, if you mess up and leave one over the middle, you might be missing some work. In the last 3 years, I have been hit in the face, in the right ear, in the chest and several times in the arm. I am throwing from about 30 feet. I have the correct screens at our diamond but when we go on the road, I have to throw before games. I don't recommend throwing full BP for those who want to learn on the run if you have a job where you can't miss once in a while after getting tagged.
Right u never want someone learning to throw BP to your hitters. A good BP pitcher has to throw a lot of strikes with decent speed be able to mix in some different speeds & be able to fall to the side to be protected by the net. I practiced this a lot for my teams to hit. All this at a shorter distance, u have to hit to score. When I played Men’s Major Fastpitch we took live batting practice before every game, this was the part I saw was lacking in girls softball
 
Jun 8, 2016
16,118
113
I practiced this a lot for my teams to hit. All this at a shorter distance..
I was under the impression you were talking about full windmill from regulation distance. I throw "windmill" (form is garbage) to my DD from 20 feet or so and mix in CU but I wouldn't consider that live BP
 
Aug 2, 2019
343
63
The

Hitting is the hardest part of the game so those high reps in practice help, in an actual game you’re lucky to get 8 swings. That’s not going to help u become a better hitter.
Hitting is the hardest part of the game?

Not by a long shot for my DD. The hardest part for her is remembering that there is a game going on when she’s in LF, and she is actually playing in it.
And I hate single wheel machines for BP. Especially at 12u. The machine is turned up to 45-50, so now that backspin is really keeping that ball up. In the games they’ll see bullet spin or drop spin fastballs. Single wheel machines can turn a whole line up into ground ball manufacturing line.
 
Feb 26, 2010
27
3
West Chicago Il
Hitting is the hardest part of the game?

Not by a long shot for my DD. The hardest part for her is remembering that there is a game going on when she’s in LF, and she is actually playing in it.
And I hate single wheel machines for BP. Especially at 12u. The machine is turned up to 45-50, so now that backspin is really keeping that ball up. In the games they’ll see bullet spin or drop spin fastballs. Single wheel machines can turn a whole line up into ground ball manufacturing line.
Then use a two wheel or 3 wheel machine
 
Sep 17, 2009
1,637
83
I played around (again this is at 18U) with using a single wheel jugs at about 30 feet throwing relatively slowly. The idea was to see a ball coming at them with VERY consistent strikes but not to overwhelm them with speed. It worked ok, I think I needed to instruct better. It basically turned into a command drill. You had to be at least a little pre-loaded to do well. Some hitters (usually better hitters) figured it out right away and blasted line drive after line drive and got some good work in. Others would swing and miss literally every time because they had to see the ball and then execute a load and a swing and there simply wasn't time. I think there's something in what I was doing that could work but I didn't execute it, set it up or explain it quite right.
 
Sep 17, 2009
1,637
83
I was under the impression you were talking about full windmill from regulation distance. I throw "windmill" (form is garbage) to my DD from 20 feet or so and mix in CU but I wouldn't consider that live BP
Right. I can do this too. It's awful tiring to do for a full team hitting practice. In those scenarios, I move a little closer, plant myself on a bucket and mix in regular speed with some higher-arcing change ups. No spins.
 
Feb 15, 2017
391
43
Hitting is the hardest part of the game?

Not by a long shot for my DD. The hardest part for her is remembering that there is a game going on when she’s in LF, and she is actually playing in it.
And I hate single wheel machines for BP. Especially at 12u. The machine is turned up to 45-50, so now that backspin is really keeping that ball up. In the games they’ll see bullet spin or drop spin fastballs. Single wheel machines can turn a whole line up into ground ball manufacturing line.

I’m glad to see there is someone else in the world that sees this too. I absolutely despise 1 wheelers. You can clearly see it creates a riseball type affect especially the faster the speed. DD went to a tryout several years ago where they fed 25 balls each to about 30 kids at 10u probably 45mph. If my memory is correct there was about 6-8 fouled off and 3 balls hit in play. And some of these were good hitters. What in the world they were trying to accomplish is beyond me. I instructed DD to hit the top of the ball anytime she sees a machine in a situation like that. Sure enough we ran into one at a tryout and like clockwork she was the only one hitting the ball - tomahawking them into the ground....exactly as you described.

This is definitely a conundrum any good coach/parent has considered. Best solution I have come up with is 25-30 ft full windmill and after several thousand balls you eventually learn to control it and move it. I can effectively throw a bullet spin FB with good location, a palm change and a decent drop curve. Same premise as what we are trying to teach our kids - it takes practice. Ive spent many hours throwing into the side of a cage/tarp. Alot of times before/after practice and sometimes between games when the team was resting. I figure the better I get at it the more I can help my kid/team. No free lunch, gotta put the work in.
 
Jul 29, 2013
1,199
63
Wow Bobby B.....It's as though you want to be good at hitting game pitching (distance and speed) so you practice hitting game pitching (distance and speed) instead of hitting off a tee, side, or front toss, or slower pitches coming from shorter distances ;)
What is ridiculous is that almost nobody does it!
I like the idea of practicing hitting nothing but fastballs. In most games, if a pitcher gets behind, what do you think is coming next for a strike???? And if you can't hit a fastball, how are you going to hit anything else?
 
Jul 29, 2013
1,199
63
Do people have the same issue with a hack attack they have with a jugs re: lack of timing mechanism, etc? I've never used a machine that pitched with movement, at least on purpose lol :)
We regularly hit off a Sports Tutor, Home plate machine. It has a red, yellow, green light sequence so you can time the pitch release. Does the Hack Attack have something like this?
 

Cannonball

Ex "Expert"
Feb 25, 2009
4,854
113
I guess we did it wrong. For the older veterans of these sites, you can see the dd hitting off of a one wheel machine from 10U to her recruitment video for college. LOL Next, someone will tell me she should not have hit with wood.
 

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