Pitching in the cold

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Jun 19, 2014
846
43
Raleigh,NC
1st tournament dd played in with this much cold. I know she has been spoiled....what are some tips and ideas for pitchers(in between games...innings...etc)? 1st pool game, spins were off. I shouldn't complain since she did record 6 ks in 3 innings....but I know it will only get colder. Plus; she has 3 more tournaments this year.

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ez_softball

Life at the diamond...
Apr 14, 2017
158
28
My daughter HATES playing and especially pitching in the cold. She does fine with her pitch location and selection but her velocity comes down pretty significantly in the cold. She just doesn't have the same burst in her lower half for her usually powerful drive.

I invested in small hand warmers that she uses in between innings and games. They help but she still hates it. I also, try to get her to move around between innings and not sit down on a cold dug-out bench. That's easier siad than done though.
 
May 15, 2016
926
18
The only thing I can offer is for pitching practice my DD hates pitching when the bucket has been left in the trunk overnight. She says she has a difficult time gripping the ball when it is so cold. When I remember, I bring the bucket in after each practice.
 
Jun 19, 2014
846
43
Raleigh,NC
Under armour shirt done came off and no sweatshirt. She says she cannot pitch with anything on her arms.

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ez_softball

Life at the diamond...
Apr 14, 2017
158
28
Under armour shirt done came off and no sweatshirt. She says she cannot pitch with anything on her arms.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk


My daughter won't pitch with any full sleeves but will wear 3/4 sleeve raglan baseball shirts under her jerseys.
 
Nov 29, 2009
2,975
83
The only way to learn how to pitch in the cold is to go out and practice in it before hand. A pitcher has to learn what SHE needs to do to get the job done so they are not struggling with it during a game. And when I say practice I mean go out for an hour on multiple occasions. Don't quit because it's cold. Learn how to pitch with underarmor on. She needs to learn how to keep her hand warm. Learn how to pitch with a cold ball. They do not warm them up during the games. Most likely, they are sitting on a table by the TD in the cold. Prepare ahead of time. The same goes for learning how to pitch in the rain as well.

One of the things I tell my pitchers is they have a built-in hand warmer. The armpit of their glove hand. I tell them to stick their hand in there immediately after a pitch if they are not involved with the play, and keep it there until they have received the signal for the next pitch, are on the pitching plate and ready to begin the pitch. At first they go Ewww, but once they figure out it works they do it during games when they are in the circle.

I'm in a cold weather state and my DD pitched when it was snowing in the spring on more than one occasion over the years. Both in HS and college.
 

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