Improving location

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May 15, 2016
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DD2 started pitching 11 weeks ago. She has been working on location with me. She asks me to call a corner for her fastball. She will get the ball within the general area I am calling, her high and outside pitch looks high and outside, and not any other corner, though she is not consistently hitting the strike zone. No surprise there. She will probably not get her next pitching lesson for two weeks. Is there any skill or drill I can suggest for her to do to improve her accuracy, other than just keep on practicing?
 

bmd

Jan 9, 2015
301
28
One corner at a time. Like down the middle then one corner for awhile. When that is consistent move to down the middle and two spots. Within a couple of weeks in I won't over whelm her as she may compromise her form to hit a spot in order to please you.
 
Oct 11, 2010
8,337
113
Chicago, IL
Some people dislike this but put a toilet plunger upside down on a tee.

Put a big ball on tee, beach ball if you need to. If she hits it off 3 out of 4 times, change beach ball for slightly smaller ball. Misses 2 out of 4 move up a ball size. You get the idea, you can make your own rules up. If she is successful move down a ball size, unsuccessfully move up a ball size.

DD's old pitching coach could hit the 12" ball at will from 43'.
 
May 15, 2016
926
18
One corner at a time. Like down the middle then one corner for awhile. When that is consistent move to down the middle and two spots. Within a couple of weeks in I won't over whelm her as she may compromise her form to hit a spot in order to please you.

Interesting, I understand your thinking. Her 1st PC from the summer, then went back to college, had her first alternating inside and outside, eventually getting to the point of alternating the corners, with a change up mixed in. Her thinking was DD should learn to make the adjustments to the different locations as she is working on her control.

I will have to talk to her about it. She might surprise me and be open to taking a new approach.
 
Jun 12, 2015
3,848
83
We did a kind of around the world thing. Start low and outside and she pitches til she gets it. Then move up to mid-height outside. Then high outside. Then move over to inside and start high and go down (or vice versa, it doesn't matter). When DD first started pitching we did a LOT of this.
 
Jun 12, 2015
3,848
83
How did you defined "gets it"? How accurate did she have to be? How many times did she have to be accurate before she started another corner?
Depends on if her dad or I was catching for her. He's the strict one. But she really kept herself accountable because she otherwise felt like she was cheating.

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May 15, 2016
926
18
Depends on if her dad or I was catching for her.

I understand. I am thinking about using the large ball on tee method suggested by quincy. I figure if she is hitting a beach ball consistently, that is pretty good for a new pitcher. Would you switch to another location after the first time she "gets it"?
 
Jun 12, 2015
3,848
83
I understand. I am thinking about using the large ball on tee method suggested by quincy. I figure if she is hitting a beach ball consistently, that is pretty good for a new pitcher. Would you switch to another location after the first time she "gets it"?
Yes, we'd move on to the next one and go all the way around. In the beginning it took a pretty long time. Now she can hit them all in a pitch or 2. I think it just takes time and practice.

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