I am avoiding the radar gun like the plague.

Bob516 said:

And that is how she became an SEC pitcher. And I say that with the utmost respect, I hope you took it that way.

My DD doesn't even know if she wants to play college ball, she says she does want to pitch through high school.

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Does not matter if she does or does not want to play college ball. Encourage her to be the best that she can be at the level where she competes. Then when she is move her up to the next level and challenge.

Charting pitches and the analysis was just a small of her development. Throughout her career she gained knowledge from numerous sources and was really driven to improve. Like I have said, she does not love the game, she loves to compete. She just happens to be pretty good at chuckin a softball. All the way through her softball career from TB to her Senior year at SC she got better and able to play a higher level of ball with every passing season She learned and improved more as a pitcher in college than she did in any of the years prior. A big part of this I attribute to the resources and opportunities afforded her at Chipola and then SC. If you do your part and play 2 years for Mr. and Mrs. at Chipola, you will leave with an advanced degree in the game of fast pitch softball.

A radar gun can be a useful tool to measure progress, but I would avoid using it on a regular basis. When pitcher try to "muscle" pitches to get a couple of extra MPH on their fastball their mechanics usually break down and injuries can occur. Speed is also only one component of a pitch - location and spin are just as important. Newton's Third Law dictates that the fast a pitch comes in, the faster it goes out if a batter squares it up.

riseball said:

Encourage her to be the best that she can be at the level where she competes.

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Luckily, I do not have to do much, or any encouraging, she drags me out to the field to practice almost every free day. I happily go. She pushes herself in most of what she does, and now she is determined to be the #1 pitcher on her team. With the little I know about pitching, I think she has a good chance of becoming #1. She also cannot wait until middle school ball, we start in April, to surprise her coach with her new found talent. She is thinking her MS team will be very solid this spring.

riseball said:

Charting pitches and the analysis was just a small of her development. Throughout her career she gained knowledge from numerous sources and was really driven to improve.

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What are the things you think I should be charting on a brand new pitcher? What kind of sources should I be looking for? Right now she only throws a fastball and a changeup.

riseball said:

play 2 years for Mr. and Mrs. at Chipola

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What does Mr. and Mrs. mean?

Bob516 said:

Luckily, I do not have to do much, or any encouraging, she drags me out to the field to practice almost every free day. I happily go. She pushes herself in most of what she does, and now she is determined to be the #1 pitcher on her team. With the little I know about pitching, I think she has a good chance of becoming #1. She also cannot wait until middle school ball, we start in April, to surprise her coach with her new found talent. She is thinking her MS team will be very solid this spring.



What are the things you think I should be charting on a brand new pitcher? What kind of sources should I be looking for? Right now she only throws a fastball and a changeup.


What does Mr. and Mrs. mean?

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Start with charting just balls and strikes. Encourage her to work ahead in the count and increase her first strike ratio to something in the 65-75% range. In middle school ball if she can keep the ball down and not walk anyobody she will do very well.

Chipola is coached by a wife and husband team known as Mr. Coach and Mrs. Coach. Or just Mr. and Mrs.

This is a really great conversation. I think both Riseball and Javasource make excellent, thoughtful points....As for Bob516 I think you are having a very good internal conversation about how hard to push and pressure your daughter. Your comment about her not knowing if she wants to be a college pitcher is telling. What I mean is: regardless of her goals, your DD is going to spend a LOT of time working (and she seems like she loves it). I'd say take these guys advice and have her use the very BEST practice/discovery methods she can to get better. Don't hold back anything or protect her from anything. She's going to put in the SAME amount of work either way so have her practice with the absolute best approach you and her coaches can create.

IMO this point is so often missed. The difference between good and great players isn't always about quantity of time put in but quality and the willingness to take and respond to criticism (ie, good coaching).

Good luck to you and your DD.

riseball said:

Start with charting just balls and strikes. Encourage her to work ahead in the count and increase her first strike ratio to something in the 65-75% range. In middle school ball if she can keep the ball down and not walk anyobody she will do very well.

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I wish I could chart, because of a disability it is too painful for me to hold a pen or pencil. Luckily I can hold, and throw, a softball, but most things smaller are a problem. I can't hold an iPhone, I mention that because people tell me to find apps. I am able to keep track of what happens to each batter she faces on my old style cell phone.

Up to now she has only been thinking about throwing strikes. Yesterday she discovered that she can pitch outside and some batters will chase. No one told her that, she just paid attention to what the batters were doing.

Her strikeout-to-walk ratio is definitely over 1, so I think she has a good chance of being dominant in middle school.

Bob516 said:

Thanks. How would I know the spin rate?

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RevFire machine. Might be hard to find now but if you can get your hands on one, highly recommend it if DD is working on increasing spin rates.