New to board and my 10U daughter is trying to learn how to pitch

[Makenzie's 10U dad]

I'm talking about pitching without a rubber

I was saying we have just been pitching with no rubber. I know in baseball, it's key to have that to push off with, I was wondering how muh faster she would throw if she #! pushed off a rubber, and #2 if she did actually pushed. What is your playing/coaching history?

 

[Makenzie's 10U dad]

Pitching without a rubber

I was saying we have just been pitching with no rubber. I know in baseball, it's key to have that to push off with, I was wondering how muh faster she would throw if she #! pushed off a rubber, and #2 if she did actually pushed. What is your playing/coaching history?

 

[Makenzie's 10U dad]

not sure, what is walk throughs, do havd a link or are there drills on youtube for them

 

[Amy in AZ.]

Here is a discussion on Walk Throughs. http://www.discussfastpitch.com/softball-pitching/1706-carolina-walk-thrus.html

I am Amy at www.TucsonSoftballLessons.com

 

[Rocketech1]

You say that your DD (darling daughter) could be phenomenal but she has only been pitching a short while and has accuracy issues. I agree with a previous poster that you need to put away the radar gun and only use it occasionally to measure progress and once she has a change up to make sure it has about 25% less velocity than her fast ball. Plus speed means nothing without the ability to hit locations consistently. She needs to have fundamentally solid pitching mechanics before she will be a good pitcher, let alone a phenom. I have on rare occassion seen truly exceptional 10u pitchers and what separates them from the rest of their very good peers is impeccable mechanics, ability to hit their locations, a great change up, fiercely competitive, a top notch pitching coach, and they have been facing the very best competition in their region for several years.

 

[Makenzie's 10U dad]

@rockettech1

I didnt mean a phenom like, a sure fire Finch, all I was saying to Amy was she is very gifted athletically, and WHEN she learns proper mechancis. We've been throwing every day and I changed all that extra movement and she has become much more consistant, we just started working on the change up Friday, and to my suprise, she threw for strikes. So no I'm not one of those dads who is claiming my kid is the next best thing, if she put down the softball tomorrow it would be her choice, because I don't make here go throw. I want her to have fun and learn the game, period. She has terrible mechanics, getting better everyday, and still shows promise to be AN OK PITCHER. As I said earlier, I gun her for progress, but mainly because she enjoys it, it makes her concentrate more because I only tell her how fast if it is indeed a strike. Kayla Jackson , who was an All-American at (I know, I know) division 2, University of Arkansas at Monticello, who threw 68 mph, with nasty change, and riseball, worked with her only twice when she was 9, and she told me voluntarily, "she is gonna be special", I'll be sure to post another video for ya when she's spotting up, changing speeds, and nailing her mechanics, while the GUN is telling me how fast it is. I'm looking for advice not some man/woman taking the word phenom out of context. Thanks, but no thanks

 

[Rocketech1]

I didnt mean a phenom like, a sure fire Finch, all I was saying to Amy was she is very gifted athletically, and WHEN she learns proper mechancis. We've been throwing every day ..... I'm looking for advice not some man/woman taking the word phenom out of context. Thanks, but no thanks

From one crazy daddy to another, I was just trying to bring you back to reality a little bit. I didn't take your words out of context, you said them, go reread your post. I see lots of kids who are athletic and throw hard but not surprisingly are very wild. While i can appreciate your enthusiasm for your DDs potential, with only 6 innings of pitching under her belt, it's very difficult to determine how good a pitcher she might become, pitching is so much more than athletic ability I am finding out. . Sorry if I offended you. I have been there and done that with my own DD and just wanted to give you some perspective.

So you are looking for advice. Have your daughter always pitch from a pitching plate whether you are outside or in a gym. Find a reputable pitching coach (preferably one that teaches internal rotation or at least knows where the hand and ball should be facing during the arm circle) and work with him/her as often as you can. "Master" the fast ball first with solid mechanics then the change up. Fight the urge to have her learn five different pitches by the time she is 12yo. Teach her the strategy side of pitching e.g. what pitch to throw on what count, if batter shows bunt where should she throw the pitch, etc. Watch Amanda Scarboroughs slo-mo video clip from the powerdrive product over and over again to see excellent arm whip. There is something called the Hanson Principle which states that you should verify advice on pitching mechanics by watching what the best players in the world actually do. Lastly, your daughter has to want to be the best pitcher she can be, no one else can do it for her. Good luck.

 

[Makenzie's 10U dad]

Thanks man, I just kinda took it as smart you know what, lol, I may have typed the words phenom, but that's not what those words REALLY meant. I shouldve said she COULD have a lot of potential. I apologize my self. Yes, I've watched not only the power drive video but the other ones she does on youtube. She has unbelievable explosion. My DD, lol just recently became mentally serious about becoming a better pitcher. Like I said earlier, I didnt and dont MAKE her go out and throw, because like you said she has to want to go and get better to be the best. I agree about being the best athlete can only take you so far. If I made her go out and throw when she didnt want to it would do more harm than good. I've been giving private pitching, and all aspects of the game to kids in my hometown. I've found that confidence is the NUMBER one key and then they can start learning when they have the confidence to think they can do it, escpecially the youner group I work with, I have some that arent very athletic at all, one in particular, when I first got him he played deep roving right and wouldnt swing the bat. With in a year he was throwng strikes on the black good change, and throwing about 55 mph at 10, and he's not really that athletic either. I also was my high school teams pitching coach for the last two seasons, and I can tell ya, that coaching my DD and my step-DD and all their friends is so much more fun. I stay on the internet watching the good ones pitch on youtube, trying to learn everything possible about pitching. She said last week she wanted to throw every day. I showed her Scarborough's videos tonight, and I asked her does that not want to make you go out and pitch right now, and she said yes and started smiling. I dont if you watched DD's video but she doesnt push, her stride leg doesnt get high, combine that without pushing she isnt striding out very far, but she says she is dedicated now and I ready to she her grow into what ever player she is gonna be. Natural 3rd baseman, 1st baseman, and can play anywhere, she has a hose, and I made her catch at practice the other day and she hated it but she is gonna have to if she doesnt get her control down because another girl on our team can throw strikes not a lot of velo, but STRIKES and I told Makenzie, if you dont throw strikes you wont pitch, and I think thats what has her finally ready to take it serious. She been getting by on God given ability but the older she gets the more that goes out the wndow in this sport. Again, I apologize for being a jerk. God Bless

 

[Amy in AZ.]

One hint of something that my new girls tend to do, is "use their shoulder." As the catcher, you might see the ball disappear, behind her right shoulder and back. It should not do this. The balls path needs to remain out on the "hula hoop" and not get off of the plane, it is on. Everything needs to stay above the toes.

The shoulder does shrug or contract. It should be loose and drop lower than the other shoulder, on release off the ball.

 

[YOCOACH]

I would strongly suggest that you get Bill Hillhouse's videos. You already said you have her starting off in his manner so this is an inexpensive way to continue his teachings until you and your DD have decided that she wants to continue pitching. It will also give you the beginning knowledge to teach her correct mechanics from the beginning. As I'm sure you know, once a bad habit creeps in and is practiced over and over, it becomes a very hard habit to break. You can find them on his website Houseofpitchiing.com and click on the "store" tab.