- Nov 29, 2009
- 2,975
- 83
Sluggers, my DD's schedule was pretty close to what yours did.
DD played for a couple of high level travel programs in the area while 16 - 18. The fall ball/showcase phenomenon was just starting when she played.
a) Aug - Sept She would work 3-4 times a week. Occasionally they did live hitting at team practices. The pitchers were expected to work on their own.
b) Oct or Nov would be taken off depending on the fall ball/winter team schedule.
c) Once Dec hit it would be a couple of times a week to keep the mechanics sharp.
d) Jan - Feb the workouts were ramped up to 4-5 time a week getting ready for the HS season.
e) Mar - June during the HS season it would be maybe a couple of times a week to be sure nothing bad crept into the mechanics.
f) June - July would usually be 2-3 times a week during the travel ball season. Sometimes less depending on how much they traveled in a week and how much she pitched during a weekend.
The HS conference my DD's played in was pretty much the equivalent of playing travel ball. At least one of the teams from the conference ended up in the State Tournament finals almost every year. There were multiple players who ended up playing in the DI WCWS with one of them being a champion and MVP. Other players ended up winning the DII WCWS. 90% of the kids who played in the HS conference played on travel teams. The only blowout games were against non-conference schools.
DD played DII college ball.
a) After a college season ended she would take 6 - 8 weeks off to give her body a chance to recover.
b) She would work up to practice 3-4 times a week to get ready for the college fall season.
c) Once she was at school she was working with the team. The coach gave the pitchers time to work during the practices.
d) When she came home for mid-term break she would work 2-3 times a week making sure any bugs in the mechanics were removed.
e) Once the college season starts you're nothing but a spectator.
f) After she threw the final pitch in her college career it was a lot of tears knowing she was done.
Her practice routine was similar to Slugger's DD.
USUAL PRACTICE:
a) Overhand throwing
b) Underhand pitch and catch. (I would be standing, not sitting on a bucket.) After that, we went to full motion pitching.
c) Drills (walk throughs, stork, etc.)
d) Control work, speed work, or movement work, depending upon what she needed to work on.
d1) What we used to do was to break to practices up. One day would be almost nothing but speed work; distance, run-thru's and fastballs.
d2) The other days she would work on 2 different pitches at a time and her change up, alternating practices between the 4 pitches. If something needed more attention we worked on it.
e) End with game situation pitching. Depending on the day.
f) Underhand pitch and catch cool down.
Like Slugger's DD, she would work a minimum of 60 minutes. Usually it would be 90 minutes. At the end of 90 she was still throwing as hard as at the start of the session. I see too many pitchers run out of gas late in a game because they only go for 30 minute lessons and will only practice for 30 minutes. They do not have the pitching stamina to finish a 7 inning game; which is different from overall conditioning. The other thing I see girls struggle with is weather. I tell the girls I work with they need to go out in the cold, rain, heat, wind and whatever crappy conditions you can find. The girls need to learn how to handle a ball without ideal weather conditions. Especially in the cold weather states.
Never used a bucket, mask or pads. I knelt on a pad. Wore the knees out of a lot of jeans. Never got one in the face and the jewels survived unharmed. Got some other bruises along the way though.
DD had a unique situation in HS and college. She had the same catcher from her travel program for 3 years of HS and 3 years of college. They were both taught the same things and worked really well together. The catcher would call the games and I can't remember seeing my DD shake her off. My DD told me she would want to throw a certain pitch to a hitter and the catcher would call it without them talking, they were that in sync on the field. Off the field they had different groups of friends they would hang with. They were friendly, but not friends.
It's been 9 years since my DD tossed her last pitch in college. Still miss it.
DD played for a couple of high level travel programs in the area while 16 - 18. The fall ball/showcase phenomenon was just starting when she played.
a) Aug - Sept She would work 3-4 times a week. Occasionally they did live hitting at team practices. The pitchers were expected to work on their own.
b) Oct or Nov would be taken off depending on the fall ball/winter team schedule.
c) Once Dec hit it would be a couple of times a week to keep the mechanics sharp.
d) Jan - Feb the workouts were ramped up to 4-5 time a week getting ready for the HS season.
e) Mar - June during the HS season it would be maybe a couple of times a week to be sure nothing bad crept into the mechanics.
f) June - July would usually be 2-3 times a week during the travel ball season. Sometimes less depending on how much they traveled in a week and how much she pitched during a weekend.
The HS conference my DD's played in was pretty much the equivalent of playing travel ball. At least one of the teams from the conference ended up in the State Tournament finals almost every year. There were multiple players who ended up playing in the DI WCWS with one of them being a champion and MVP. Other players ended up winning the DII WCWS. 90% of the kids who played in the HS conference played on travel teams. The only blowout games were against non-conference schools.
DD played DII college ball.
a) After a college season ended she would take 6 - 8 weeks off to give her body a chance to recover.
b) She would work up to practice 3-4 times a week to get ready for the college fall season.
c) Once she was at school she was working with the team. The coach gave the pitchers time to work during the practices.
d) When she came home for mid-term break she would work 2-3 times a week making sure any bugs in the mechanics were removed.
e) Once the college season starts you're nothing but a spectator.
f) After she threw the final pitch in her college career it was a lot of tears knowing she was done.
Her practice routine was similar to Slugger's DD.
USUAL PRACTICE:
a) Overhand throwing
b) Underhand pitch and catch. (I would be standing, not sitting on a bucket.) After that, we went to full motion pitching.
c) Drills (walk throughs, stork, etc.)
d) Control work, speed work, or movement work, depending upon what she needed to work on.
d1) What we used to do was to break to practices up. One day would be almost nothing but speed work; distance, run-thru's and fastballs.
d2) The other days she would work on 2 different pitches at a time and her change up, alternating practices between the 4 pitches. If something needed more attention we worked on it.
e) End with game situation pitching. Depending on the day.
f) Underhand pitch and catch cool down.
Like Slugger's DD, she would work a minimum of 60 minutes. Usually it would be 90 minutes. At the end of 90 she was still throwing as hard as at the start of the session. I see too many pitchers run out of gas late in a game because they only go for 30 minute lessons and will only practice for 30 minutes. They do not have the pitching stamina to finish a 7 inning game; which is different from overall conditioning. The other thing I see girls struggle with is weather. I tell the girls I work with they need to go out in the cold, rain, heat, wind and whatever crappy conditions you can find. The girls need to learn how to handle a ball without ideal weather conditions. Especially in the cold weather states.
Never used a bucket, mask or pads. I knelt on a pad. Wore the knees out of a lot of jeans. Never got one in the face and the jewels survived unharmed. Got some other bruises along the way though.
DD had a unique situation in HS and college. She had the same catcher from her travel program for 3 years of HS and 3 years of college. They were both taught the same things and worked really well together. The catcher would call the games and I can't remember seeing my DD shake her off. My DD told me she would want to throw a certain pitch to a hitter and the catcher would call it without them talking, they were that in sync on the field. Off the field they had different groups of friends they would hang with. They were friendly, but not friends.
It's been 9 years since my DD tossed her last pitch in college. Still miss it.
