I believe what you're going to see is that the 10U HE pitchers are going to be more accurate than your DD and, therefore, they're the ones that are going to pitch. Especially since I am betting the HC is all about winning or pretty close to it. My thoughts to you, based on personal experience, is to have your DD work on hitting, fielding and throwing during practices (and at home) and work on pitching during personal time. This way she can get some good playing time and hone those skills. Then you two can work on IR together, which I can tell you, is a great learning experience for both of you. Hopefully, in a year or three, you can find a PI. Or, even better, she's just a natural at it and she pitches next year.
Advice needed
- Thread starter camibrian
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camibrian
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This video is from about a month ago. Since then, we have been working on trying to get her shoelaces straighter to the plate and pulling her knees together (adducting?). We have also been working hard on trying to be free with the arm after release. In this video, she looks like she is trying to pull the ball back like a string is attached. There are still plenty of things to work on, but I am proud of where we have gotten so far. We end each session with a game. She is required to get a set number of strikeouts, usually 6-9, and then we compare number of walks to number of strikeouts.
https://youtu.be/mY-gBEalPCM
Please ignore the pile of junk in the background
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She's better off learning correctly now than trying to unlearn the wrong mechanics later. Is it possible she could play on this team and pick-up for other teams on off weekends? There must be somewhere to play tournaments within driving distance for your current team, so I'd find out if there is a Facebook page or other posting for teams looking for pitchers on your off weekends, even it is only for one day of a tourney so you can still make practice with your team.
The next video I'm shooting this weekend is titled "Pushing, Pulling and Posture"
It will be very applicable to what your DD is doing.
She's very athletic...
This should help too:
CP
Chris Delorit
Member
Absolutely, keep working with her on pitching. She's athletic, has nice fluidity, natural rhythym and very good posture for her level of play.
Sure, she has 5 or 6 mechanical points to address, but most do at that level. In fact, I commend you, your daughter's pitching coach and your daughter on the solid foundation you've already achieved together.
You both can consider making practice a priority, keep working with a mentor and play in games where she will be able to apply the skills she is learning.
Roman Foore was just up semi-close to you at ASU. He recently left, but still may be able to help. If you look him up on Twitter, he may be able to suggest a good coach for you. Please feel free to use my name if you do.
By the way...happy hot dogs and roasted marshmellows!
Chris
My DD started with an HE instructor and we are still dealing with vestigal issues. Unfortunately I didnt know any better. Stick with your IR instruction. there is plenty material here to become knowledgable. Many who give SOLID advise from the videos you post. Then as she grows (gets stronger) you should begin to make the effort to find an instructor that you can visit occasionally or attend clinics with known IR instructors to hone the finer points. She has plenty of time to develop into a fine player.
The one thing I question is not allowing her to throw in practice with the other pitchers. Our teams always had pitchers/catchers do their thing right before practice twice a week so it was essentially on their own time. If they are doing it during full practice then just come early and do it on your own, but if its already before practice then you need to have a discussion with the coach to include her. If she doesn't relent on this point I would leave the team because she needs this consistent practice to improve, and you will have to get her to a field with her cleats on two more times a week to get this in. There just isn't enough available time and still have a life.
I would worry too much about the game time at this point. If she keeps working on IR she has an enormous competitive advantage over her teammates and hopefully by the end of the year she will surpass them to the point the coach has no choice but to pitch her. The rec team will provide circle time in the mean time.
I would worry too much about the game time at this point. If she keeps working on IR she has an enormous competitive advantage over her teammates and hopefully by the end of the year she will surpass them to the point the coach has no choice but to pitch her. The rec team will provide circle time in the mean time.
I do think it is important to pitch at this age but not critical.
Same age as your DD, DD was shutdown for the last 1/2 of season until payoffs when they needed her. It did not bother DD or me she was shutdown, still annoys me to this day that it was not communicated. They just stopped pitching her. Not end of the world but we would have done some things differently as far as outside practice goes.
I agree with previous posts that state just shut her down pitching for Team and work on hitting, fielding, ect. work on pitching on your own. If you want to annoy them get to practice early and let her show her stuff before practice starts.
All the above is junk if you do not have a plan for next year, you need to figure something out even if it means going over coaches head to board in the off-season which has its own risks.
Same age as your DD, DD was shutdown for the last 1/2 of season until payoffs when they needed her. It did not bother DD or me she was shutdown, still annoys me to this day that it was not communicated. They just stopped pitching her. Not end of the world but we would have done some things differently as far as outside practice goes.
I agree with previous posts that state just shut her down pitching for Team and work on hitting, fielding, ect. work on pitching on your own. If you want to annoy them get to practice early and let her show her stuff before practice starts.
All the above is junk if you do not have a plan for next year, you need to figure something out even if it means going over coaches head to board in the off-season which has its own risks.
Got to go with Ken on this.
There is a very simple coaching principle that even a marginal coach knows:
The only thing that matters is what a kid can do on the field. No one gets points for style.
To any coach with 50% of a brain, the test is what the kid can do on the field. Therefore, this coach has less than 50% of a brain.
My DD's pitching instructor was a college coach at one time. I asked him about what he would do on his college team when the girl pitched incorrectly.
He said (and I paraphrase):
"When a kid is on my team, the only I can evaluate is her performance. She either gets batters out or not. I don't care if the girl has the best form in the world, if she can't get batters out, she won't pitch. If a girl has the worst form in the world and gets the batters out, then she pitches."
There is a very simple coaching principle that even a marginal coach knows:
The only thing that matters is what a kid can do on the field. No one gets points for style.
To any coach with 50% of a brain, the test is what the kid can do on the field. Therefore, this coach has less than 50% of a brain.
My DD's pitching instructor was a college coach at one time. I asked him about what he would do on his college team when the girl pitched incorrectly.
He said (and I paraphrase):
"When a kid is on my team, the only I can evaluate is her performance. She either gets batters out or not. I don't care if the girl has the best form in the world, if she can't get batters out, she won't pitch. If a girl has the worst form in the world and gets the batters out, then she pitches."
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To explain this a little bit:
The coach teaches incorrect mechanics. HE and "slamming the door" are absolutely, unequivocally *WRONG*. This board has thousands of posts explaining this, along with hours and hours of video. This is not just my opinion. All the experts on the board, including the current pitching coach for Stanford, say the same thing.
The issue is what to do with a coach who teaches bad mechanics and is too bull-headed to learn the right way.
Similar situations occur for batting, catching, fielding, etc. It is rare to have a coach who is this stubborn.
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