This is how my 11u DD's story goes. Semi to long-ish, sorry.
She's been pitching on and off for about a year now, usually as a secondary because she hasn't wanted to devote enough time practicing. I've been her (youtube) pitching coach so far and think I've done a pretty nice job. Big props to Java, BM and the rest of you bucket parents here at DFP.
3 steps forward: New love for the game, better catchers, better batting/fielding practices
She's on a new (better) team now and with it has come a new drive. So she's been throwing a lot more with me, and more importantly, with the higher caliber catchers on the new team. I don't think this gets said enough, but its amazing how much better a pitcher is with a good catcher. I always wondered why she blazed frozen ropes to me in warm ups then would throw rainbows during the game. It's hard to throw confidently when you're fairly certain the "its-your-turn-to-catch" catcher is going to let routine pitches get by. I see now why my DD used to throw so tentatively. Good catcher=good pitcher. Rainbows are mostly gone except for the occasional late release or hanging change.
2 steps back: New coaches confusing her.
With the new team comes the new organization, with the new organization comes organization-wide practices, with organization-wide practices comes all the different age group coaches & assistants stopping by to give (wrong) advice on how to pitch.
I really like the organization-wide practices because they pair older girls with younger girls for hitting and fielding and this mentor/mentoree training really works well, but...
When we move off to pitching practice that's when the trouble starts. My DD knows that we live in an area where only HE mechanics is taught, we have tried multiple times to find that IR mechanics coach in the area, but they just don't seem exist. So me and the rest of DFP has taken over. She is has become well versed in nodding and smiling (and ignoring) when given the "push the ball thru the zone" talk. But it still creeps back in. She'll be clicking right along throwing how I like and some coach wandering by will watch her and then drop the usual "ball-down-at-9oclock, snap-your-wrist-at-the-hip, elbow up finish" stuff. When she hears it once, she's good at ignoring it, but when its over and over, from different people, it chisels away what I've taught her. After last Sunday's practice, we had to stay longer because she lost a better portion of her whip again.
It's so frustrating to have some coach watch her throw using IR mechanics and comment: "That was an awesome pitch!" but then the conversation that follows goes like this:
Coach (to DD): You're really good, who's your coach?
DD: points to me
Coach (to me): You've done a great job, she have an mother/older sister that pitches?
Me: nope
Coach: (with confused look) oh, you've coached before?
Me: nope, not really
Coach: (more confused) How? So this is all from reading stuff on the internet and youtube videos?
Me: yeah, pretty much.
Coach: (rolling eyes) oh, ok. Well I've (been coaching for xx years/used to pitch in college) and here's a better way....(and goes into another parroted HE lesson)
We have to keep backing up to fix things that weren't broken in the first place, and I'm running out of new and inventive ways to politely shoo away meddling coaches, but we're getting there. Slowly.
She's been pitching on and off for about a year now, usually as a secondary because she hasn't wanted to devote enough time practicing. I've been her (youtube) pitching coach so far and think I've done a pretty nice job. Big props to Java, BM and the rest of you bucket parents here at DFP.
3 steps forward: New love for the game, better catchers, better batting/fielding practices
She's on a new (better) team now and with it has come a new drive. So she's been throwing a lot more with me, and more importantly, with the higher caliber catchers on the new team. I don't think this gets said enough, but its amazing how much better a pitcher is with a good catcher. I always wondered why she blazed frozen ropes to me in warm ups then would throw rainbows during the game. It's hard to throw confidently when you're fairly certain the "its-your-turn-to-catch" catcher is going to let routine pitches get by. I see now why my DD used to throw so tentatively. Good catcher=good pitcher. Rainbows are mostly gone except for the occasional late release or hanging change.
2 steps back: New coaches confusing her.
With the new team comes the new organization, with the new organization comes organization-wide practices, with organization-wide practices comes all the different age group coaches & assistants stopping by to give (wrong) advice on how to pitch.
I really like the organization-wide practices because they pair older girls with younger girls for hitting and fielding and this mentor/mentoree training really works well, but...
When we move off to pitching practice that's when the trouble starts. My DD knows that we live in an area where only HE mechanics is taught, we have tried multiple times to find that IR mechanics coach in the area, but they just don't seem exist. So me and the rest of DFP has taken over. She is has become well versed in nodding and smiling (and ignoring) when given the "push the ball thru the zone" talk. But it still creeps back in. She'll be clicking right along throwing how I like and some coach wandering by will watch her and then drop the usual "ball-down-at-9oclock, snap-your-wrist-at-the-hip, elbow up finish" stuff. When she hears it once, she's good at ignoring it, but when its over and over, from different people, it chisels away what I've taught her. After last Sunday's practice, we had to stay longer because she lost a better portion of her whip again.
It's so frustrating to have some coach watch her throw using IR mechanics and comment: "That was an awesome pitch!" but then the conversation that follows goes like this:
Coach (to DD): You're really good, who's your coach?
DD: points to me
Coach (to me): You've done a great job, she have an mother/older sister that pitches?
Me: nope
Coach: (with confused look) oh, you've coached before?
Me: nope, not really
Coach: (more confused) How? So this is all from reading stuff on the internet and youtube videos?
Me: yeah, pretty much.
Coach: (rolling eyes) oh, ok. Well I've (been coaching for xx years/used to pitch in college) and here's a better way....(and goes into another parroted HE lesson)
We have to keep backing up to fix things that weren't broken in the first place, and I'm running out of new and inventive ways to politely shoo away meddling coaches, but we're getting there. Slowly.