Advice for developing a pitcher

OK Maybe I missed something here. You said she was inconsistent with her accuracy. Did any of the advice offered here ask how she is gripping the ball?


After my students would warm up, I set up the tee and they did that for 20 pitches or so. That was how I could tell if they had practiced since my last session with them. My student were extremely accurate and that drill was one of the reasons why. Any instructor that thinks it is not, does not know what tyhey are talking about.

Describe her grip to me.



One other question. Was the first instructor giving one-on-one lessons? Small group lessons? Clinic lessons?

As a bucket dad, my advice for developing a pitcher would be to turn her into a field instead.

Ha ha! I did a little internal happy dance when my younger son said he didn't want to be a pitcher

It sounds like the OP is on the right track with a coach who is stressing proper mechanics and really nailing the fastball and change-up. I've seen many extremely successful 12U teams with pitchers who can accurately place the FB and CU - nothing more. Younger pitchers who try to master a 1/2 dozen pitches often end up being the jack of all trades, master of none. As such, they tend to walk a lot of batters. Coaches can't defend against walks, it makes them crazy. As a result, that pitcher will see less circle time, which as stated, is a real detriment to their development.

As long as proper mechanics are being stressed with the proper coaching, the movement pitches will come. There may be some bumps in the road as the pitcher grows in time to the batter's ability. 14U and especially HS varsity is a big step as the pitcher moves back to 43 feet. Suddenly the batter has the advantage. Now the pitcher needs to perfect the movent pitch that works best for her, and gain strength over the batters once again. I've seen it with my DD - the fastball starts to get hit hard, and the pitcher has a bit of a freak out. Stay calm, deep breaths, and resist the urge to throw yourself into the arms of your DD's excellent pitching coach when those movement pitches come and calm is restored to your household.

I really appreciate all the advice. This week I talked to her about having a "short memory". We worked on throwing to the specific spots with her fastball high inside, low inside, high outside, and low outside. The last PC typically had up to 5 girls at one time with two coaches total. Now we do one on one with her new PC. I can see improvement in her accuracy with the changes in her mechanics. Initially, her speed fell off, but it is picking back up. We did put a ball on the tee and try to knock it off for about 10 throws which was the last thing we did at the end of her practice with me. Thanks again and I will keep the questions coming!

Rocketech1 said:

First of all, good for you that you recognized her old PC was teaching questionable mechanics and having your DD learn too many pitches. At 12u having a good fastball and c/u is all you really need. I would not worry too much about throwing games like placing a ball on a tee to hit etc. until she becomes more accurate with locating her fastball to all four corners of the strike zone consistently. Instead, at the end if each pitching sessions do a game where you pretend there is a batter in the box and go through a real pitch sequence calling balls and strikes and you don't finish practice until she strikes out 6 batters. My DD has done this drill at almost everyone of the sessions I have caught for her the past 3+ years and its a great way to keep her focused on game type situations and how to deal being behind in the pitch count.

You mentioned that you were worried about your daughter giving up too many hits and affecting her mentally. Pitchers need to be mentally tough, have a desire to get better, and have a short memory for past 'failures'. I also give credit to her coach for letting her pitch even if she is still new to the position. Pitchers need as much time in the circle as possible. It's the only way they can get better. Good luck.

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Rt1, i do the same exact thing with my dd. 6 outs, game type concentration. I actually built a cutout of a batter out of plywood to make it more realistic.

My pitchers use the knock the ball off the tee as a game of horse or pig like in basketball... but its only a friendly game between them. Not to be confused with a drill. This just keep the competitive spirit alive during practices, with some focus on accuracy.

KenB said:

The knocking a ball off a T game. As sluggers stated, the game should not be used as the foundation for building accuracy. Follow his advice for developing control once you are confident that her form is solid. The T and other games, like Bunny on a Bucket, are for fun and motivation. They are great for end of practice competitions alone or with multiple players. They do not substitute for hard work.

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It is in the eye of the beholder IMHO as to whether it's fun or hard work, if it's labled as hard work the fun spirit may go away.

I would not categorize any thing that is in the zone to be a non essential drill for accuracy, any thing that improves muscle memory, if you use an adjustable 5 station tee, you are not isolated to one location. I may try the 5 station i have for my 2GD'S , i have other targets on a net, that are the strike zone.

I agree and well said. Fun and hard work hopefully go hand in hand. Fun helps one work harder, and hard work is hopefully fun!