When to change from Hello Elbow to IR

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Feb 15, 2017
920
63
Hi all,
First post. My DD is in her first year of pitching of 10U ball. She started taking lessons about two months ago with a local high school standout pitcher who has signed to pitch major college ball. The coach has taught her the Hello Elbow school of pitching. She can consistently throw strikes (75% of the time; I have focused on her getting it over the plate; not worried about her trying to strike someone out) but her velocity is lower and not as consistent as the other two pitchers on her team that use the IR method of pitching. Long term, the HE method is a dead end, but she is about to begin the season. Do we start working on changing her motion now or wait until the end of the season? It is Rec ball but she is very competitive.
 
May 9, 2015
263
18
West Virginia
We started making the transition two weeks before the regional game her freshman year. I'm a pull the band aid off quick kinda guy. No time like the present but I'm no expert. So that may be the worst advice you've ever received. Hopefully someone more knowledgeable will chime in.
 

JAD

Feb 20, 2012
8,231
38
Georgia
I would start the conversion as soon as the light bulb goes off, and you realize that IR is better than HE.
 
Feb 15, 2017
920
63
Already realize it is better; it is the reason I signed up for this group. I am not much of an online person but I know when I am out of my element and there are folks out there with a lot more experience and have been down the same road. She already practices some IR by herself without the ball. We have season tickets to the local university softball games and the first game she mentioned that she didn't pitch the same way as the other girls. My only concern is that her rec team is pitching limited and she is afraid of letting her team down if she doesn't pitch well.
 
Oct 3, 2011
3,478
113
Right Here For Now
Simple answer is the sooner the better. Long answer is a little more complicated. When my DD started pitching years ago, we started with a PC whose DD was a Phenom. His DD was throwing in the 70's and she was recruited and played for a perennial D1 top 10 college. He taught HE although his DD threw I/R. After a year or so, we found out that Bill Hillhouse gave lessons within a reasonable driving distance to us and we started going to him. As a side note, whenever his DD had problems he couldn't fix, he took his DD to BH. My DD went to BH for several years and the improvement in speed was immediate. The loss of control was also. That said, after 6 months or so of practicing an hour a day, 3 times a week, she regained it. I'm not saying that your DD will have the same results or not recover more quickly than mine did, but I am saying that there will be some loss of control and confidence in her pitching. Ultimately, that's one of the reasons my DD became a catcher (lack of confidence IMO as well as another reason you're soon to learn) although she will once again be pitching this season after a 5 year hiatus due to a series of injuries.

Again, the sooner the better. Keep building her up as far as self confidence goes. I don't mean make her a Diva by any stretch of the imagination. However, A lack of confidence in her abilities while changing mechanics as well as her performances will be a challenge. Let her know what to expect while going through the process ahead of time. keep encouraging her throughout the process. Add fun drills every other practice to help her forget what a struggle it is. Most importantly, no matter how frustrated YOU are with her lack of progress in your opinion, NEVER LET YOUR DD KNOW!!! She will feel the negativity and feed off of it. She will lack confidence in her abilities even if she could be a top P5 D1 pick because you were being negative. Trust me. I know, because I was that guy. That's why DD is now a catcher even though she now has to pitch for my TB team.

The only reason my DD's as good as she is now as far as pitching goes, and she's pretty damn good for not throwing in a game for 5 years (in the mid to upper 50's with good movement and decent control), is because she went out on her own, practiced by herself ( with the help of a catcher friend), threw batting practices for her HS team without telling anyone ( I found this out this year ) and mostly just had fun doing it. Don't be the A-hole pitching dad that I was.
 
Last edited:
Dec 10, 2015
845
63
Chautauqua County
I don't know about your league but in our 10U LL league, once a pitcher throws four balls, it's coach pitch. So, your DD has little to lose and a whole lot to gain, if it's the same for you.
 
Feb 15, 2017
920
63
It is the same, but she is very competitive; the other pitchers on her team are almost two years older and she wants to be better than they are and "throw like the college girls do."
 
Jul 2, 2013
381
43
“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” – Chinese Proverb

The same is true for making the switch to IR.
 

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