training question

I get what your sayin...and I agree. However, there is no denying that the warm weather kids did get alot more on field time growing up and that experience will show. Now thats not to say there are exceptions... but the numbers favor the warm weather kids.
As far as the identical pitchers... thats a great problem to have...flip a coin on who starts...

Hard to say which one I prefer, I live in Arkansas and we practice (team) Starting 1st week of Jan weather permitting. Spring TB season runs from 1st weekend in March till end of July every weekend we have tourneys. Fall practice starts 2nd week of August with games Sept and Oct. every weekend. Most girls then play volleyball/basketball. My DD is a pitcher and she throws 4-5 days a week during the off season and usually 6 days a week during seasons. Sometimes working on actual pitching but lots of drills to fix whatever is the issue for that week. I know with the amount of mound time mine has got in the last year it REALLY helped her get much better.

Pitchers have to learn to read batters and umpires and adapt to the game. The more a kid pitches in games, the better she can read batters and umpires (assuming the coach isn't trying to make her an automaton). So, yes, warm weather pitchers play more games, and are almost always better than the other kids.

You also have to factor in the dependability of the weather. Softball/baseball are about the only outdoor sports that are cancelled for inclement weather. Rain outs are unheard of in Az or SoCal. In northern Illinois one year, 50% of the summer tournaments we signed up for were rained out.

this year we took a short break and then an off season. but she still did lessons and then some strength training and drills for off season training. but some kids kept playing games? this year it was an easy descision because of an injury,but going forward i wasn't sure what's best? i'm sure right now there are girls that may spot the ball better? and be more accustomed to facing live batters? but this year i told my dd,it's not about being the best pitcher in december. it's about being the best pitcher in july... but i really don't know if that's the right way to go about things??? that's why i asked the question.

You have to play the hand dealt you. In poor weather states like we are in you have to head indoors and make the most of it. I started counting it up and my DD got in over 125 events, meaning games, team practices (rec and TB) and useful one on one's practices with dad. Yet she still had time to be on soccer and basketball teams. Even at 6 we had a CA player on a top D1 team in the area really advising her to play/practice all year round. Do the best you can other than moving or doing what a couple of D1 bound High School players in the area did in that they traveled south every weekend to play.

I don't think the weather is as big an issue to most club teams as it was 10-15 years ago. There are so many places(at least in our area) that have rental time available. Some have full dirt infields, some just some turf. Many of the orgs. have their own indoor facilities that would put many DI's to shame. So the gap in time spent on the field is not as wide as it used to be. March to mid Nov. is usually our ball season, including school ball.

The girls that are DI bound are not pushed to play year round and travel every other weekend for the sake of playing(at least not by most college coaches). DI programs have time off for recovery, strength and conditioning training, and things of that nature. Playing year round takes it's toll on the body and top on the diet of most pre college kids have, there possibility of injury sky rockets. There is a balance between softball skills, fitness, and nutrition. Playing alone is not always the answer. Just my opinion.

GVM, there's no question that SOME time off is important for pitchers. You need some total time off for recovery, and some off-season "time off" that you spend working on things you can't work on in a game. I suppose it really doesn't matter if that time is the whole winter, or if it's divided up and sprinkled throughout the year. Which one is more beneficial probably depends on the individual pitcher.

Even year-round play is typically divided into seasons. Does your daughter's year-round playing opportunity offer some downtime between seasons? Does SHE feel she'll be able to manage her workouts if she adds in those extra games? (I should have mentioned, her opinion in this is the most important thing). If yes, and if never trying year-round play is going to keep nagging at you, it probably can't hurt to do it for a year and see what happens. If it's terrible, just don't do it again.

Greenmonsters said:

That aside, here's one to think about. You have 2 college pitchers on the same team who have identical speed, movement, control, mechanics, and effectiveness (,.e., same ERA, WHIP, W-L), the only difference is that pre-HS one lived and played in a warm southern climate and the other grew up and played in a cold northern climate. With respect to: a) over-use injury; and, b) potential for greater achievement, which pitcher do you favor and why?

Click to expand...

My answer: All else equal, I'd make the case that the cold, northern climate kid because, having thrown fewer pitches over their lifetime, probably are less likely to suffer an over-use injury and, because they have played less, may not yet have reached their potential.

No doubt that you get better by playing and that a warm climate is more amenable to being able to play more.

chinamigarden said:

Year round? Never. Every time my dd takes a break from pitching she comes back stronger. You have to let them try other things and give their muscles a rest.

Click to expand...

I agree whole-heartedly with this. We did not take a break one year and that was not good for DD. Like China says here EVERY time a break was had, a month for my DD, she came back noticeably stronger. I think it's the brain recharging too.

A stat I would LOVE to know is : per each "warm state" what is the number of A-level TB pitchers that come out of that state per each year group? I would submit that you see more CA/TX/FL pitchers as a result of their sheer numbers from those states.

Make it fun, do it correctly, and you won't need any brakes, or worry about injuries. The only brakes we take from our normal routine is Two weeks before Tryouts in the summer. Then we do two a days, going over everything they will do in tryouts, fielding and all. DD loves to shag flies, and hardy ever gets to except then.