How to motivate?

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Jun 19, 2014
846
43
Raleigh,NC
My daughter loves to play softball. The problem is she doesn't enjoy batting practice and prefers to work on pitching and fielding. She is a strong batter that has great potential if she only practices. She can move batters, get on base and have good stats. Also can bunt,slap on both right and left side with decent speed. She has been working on getting even faster this off season.
What are some fun ways to maybe spark some interest? All she wants to do is pitch and often times knocking on our bedroom door asking to go pitch.
 
Jun 18, 2012
3,183
48
Utah
My daughter loves to play softball. The problem is she doesn't enjoy batting practice and prefers to work on pitching and fielding. She is a strong batter that has great potential if she only practices. She can move batters, get on base and have good stats. Also can bunt,slap on both right and left side with decent speed. She has been working on getting even faster this off season.
What are some fun ways to maybe spark some interest? All she wants to do is pitch and often times knocking on our bedroom door asking to go pitch.

I think it is a very tall order (a lot to ask) for a pitcher who is taking pitching very serious, to put the same, or similar, time into much of anything else to do with softball. I think that's why we rarely see the pitcher as being the best hitter on the team, or even in the top 5-6.

You sort of have to pick your battles if you want her to stay motivated in her pitching (and letting her also have a life outside of softball). Of course, that doesn't mean she should completely bail on practicing hitting.
 
Last edited:
Jun 12, 2015
3,848
83
Mine loves hitting practice but not tee work. I'll bribe her, a bucket off the tee then we'll do a bucket soft toss. It's not exactly motivation but it gets her doing the tee work anyway. I don't think we can make them love something, hopefully we can just inspire them to do it anyway. It is hard for pitchers, they already do way more work than average with all the pitching practice. We expect a lot of them.
 
Jun 19, 2014
846
43
Raleigh,NC
This summer dd attended camp to the division 1 school she was interested in. They didn't even look at her for pitching but show interest in her for outfield and batting. They had batting lead off or 2nd in batting lineup the entire time. The coaches notes were praising her for speed and batting. I know if she wants to attend that school, she may have to chance paths. Not to give up pitching because that is her passion?

Sent from my LG-H810 using Tapatalk
 
Oct 11, 2010
8,337
113
Chicago, IL
So many Teams do batting practice wrong, eveyone standing around watching 1 player hits.

DD and I go out and hit occasionally, we normally invite 1 or 2 other players.

She gets more reps in 1 morning then she will get all of her Team practices.

Who does not like to Hit?

Make sure she is getting to hit and not standing around or just shaging balls for the other 10 players waiting for her turn.
 
Oct 11, 2010
8,337
113
Chicago, IL
By the way it is no fun hitting when you can not hit the ball. Not saying that is your case but have seen it.

Need to build thier confidence up and let them have fun.

1 thing I do with DD is to ask her to hit to specify part of field. Right side, left side, OF, on ground, etc.
 
Oct 11, 2010
8,337
113
Chicago, IL
It is annoying I can not strike her out any more, if I annoy her my head appears to be target.

Can not believe how good she is at aiming at my head if she wants too.
 
Oct 4, 2011
92
0
quincy, so how do you approach batting practice? Thanks in advance.

So many Teams do batting practice wrong, eveyone standing around watching 1 player hits.

DD and I go out and hit occasionally, we normally invite 1 or 2 other players.

She gets more reps in 1 morning then she will get all of her Team practices.

Who does not like to Hit?

Make sure she is getting to hit and not standing around or just shaging balls for the other 10 players waiting for her turn.
 

sluggers

Super Moderator
Staff member
May 26, 2008
7,133
113
Dallas, Texas
Crystal, I like you a lot, but you are wrong about this. God has given your DD a gift for pitching, and your DD who wants to work hard at pitching.

There are kids all over the place who love pitching, but have no talent. And there are kids who have the talent, but don't love pitching. Your DD has both...so, you need to stand back and enjoy the journey.

Let your DD do what she wants...she is the one doing the work. She is the one investing herself in softball. She is the one juggling school work, friends, and coaches.

Why does she like pitching and not hitting? I don't know...but I've seen several kids like that.

Pitching is a different game than everyone else on the field is playing. Pitching is much more like pool than hitting. Every pitch is a setup for the next pitch.

A pitcher has to be perfect about 95% of the time. If a batter get two hits out of every nine swings, she'll be playing at Alabama.

And, the pitcher gets to be "the center" of the whole game...the focal point. Not everyone can do that or even wants to do that. It takes a certain kind of "crazy" to get out there, knowing that you will get unfairly blamed for losing and unfairly glorified for winning.

But, your DD wants it. So, help her achieve it.

If all she wants to do is work her a** off pitching, and be so-so at hitting, then let her.
 
Oct 11, 2010
8,337
113
Chicago, IL
I will do it by myself if I need to but ideally 3 or 4 players.

1 player hitting and hitting some more, other 2 players taking thier time to shake balls and throw them in. No pressure, they need to stay back in OF.

Enough helpers hit off tee and or soft toss before live hitting.
 

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