I freaking hate pitching

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Nov 17, 2017
73
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UPDATE.....Gonna just put a note here - I whined a lot in this 1st post years ago......LOL. Part of it tongue in cheek.... But, I'm better now (as you can see a GREAT COACH is what helps) Now if she would only add another 50lbs....LMAO
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My 10yo has been pitching and going to lessons for 9 months now.......

It's KILLING ME......Literally.

I mean, unless your kid is some natural kid with size why go thru the motions... Lessons, Money, TIME.... SANITY????

She's fine so far and so far wants to do it but, to me she's out there so vulnerable and IMO is about to get SMASHED...

She did ok in Spring ball..... She was supposed to be maybe the 3rd pitcher "just learning" and due to no one else and the "Starting" pitcher throwing Heat with ZERO accuracy, she became the "Ace" and it ended "ok" - decent year - Bad Playoff loss....

Now we worked and worked more..... FOR WHAT??????

She's not going to Alabama.... Can she even be pretty good some day??? I'm not talking College at all - I'm talking decent.... I mean, if you keep "Playing Up" and playing Travel - Either you're just an OK team or you have one of the few TRUE pitchers in town and that team Wins....

She's on a Travel Team now - They hoped to get 2 good pitchers - those pitchers went elsewhere - so,. She's the "Starting pitcher #1" - it's a start up 10u Travel team..... I have to prepare my kid to understand that this Sunday, She is going to get her Rump kicked up and down the field like she's never seen before... Like 21-2 type stuff...

Is that Good for kids????? Sure She can grasp that for a game - how about next week's 4 game Weekend? How about the next 8 years..... Practicing, working, Busting your tail..... For such little rewards - Can that Damage a kid????? You tell them good things come to ppl who work hard... Well??????? What if it doesn't?????

I wish we never started pitching - seemed like fun.. "Daddy I want to pitch"... Oh Sureeeeeee.. Good Times...

I don't let her know my feelings but, It's not enjoyable at all.... I really don't know why anyone pitches other than some sick Mega Athlete... And I know kids experience "Failure" at other sports but, do you need to be THE ONE out there all alone with the entire Game / Season / Team on your back????

So, we're spending every other day of a kids life throwing a ball just to be the freaking Pinata????

I'm going along for the ride...... But, I seriously think My health is taking a hit.... I wish we could just have a catch, field grounders and work on a swing instead of trying with every ounce of time and energy to throw 27 MPH Bean Balls for strikes.....

Thanks for listening - I'll hang up
 
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Feb 28, 2015
307
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Heatbox
Dad of a pitcher here. DD2 started pitching when she was 6. Took lessons at 8. 1st pitching coach told her she needed to throw 10,000 pitches to get the mechanics down, etc. I figure 10,000 pitches were thrown by the time she was 11. Being a pitcher Dad is not easy especially at the younger age groups. You worry about things just like you mention. But if that what she wants to do then you should support her. DD2 was the 5th pitcher at 9 years old on a 10U team and learned from watching the older better girls. She also played in a rec league to get more pitching time. Today, DD2 is 15. I quit catching her 2 years ago because it wasn't safe for me. (eyesight and lack of quickness). Enjoy every minute because before you know it they will be in High School and then College and then........
 
Apr 28, 2014
2,316
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I think this is a great post. You are sharing what so many people feel and may not want to post. And you make some great points including the fact that without freakish size most likely your kid won't go on to pitch for Alabama.
I can share a little about my kids journey as I too have often felt the same way as you. My DD started showing interest in pitching at 8 or 9 years old. At the time we worked with her and she was starting to gain some accuracy. We had a few coaches on her team that told her to slow down and aim for strikes. And like the uneducated parents we were we said the same thing. As time went on she continued to work and was one of five kids on her 10U select team that were called pitcher. But her coach never would allow her to pitch in games. He would tell her "I'll get you in" but never trusted her to pitch. DD and I had many conversations, a lot of tears for both of us but she committed to continuing to work hard in spite of her reputation of not being someone who could throw strikes. The road was long and hard, required a ton of work and most importantly finding great pitching coaches to help along the way.
This very message board has been a godsend for us. When I wanted to quit working with DD, DW would take over and vice versa. The sport and mainly the position required us to leave our local area and branch out so DD could join a team that would trust her to pitch. Again meeting more people and having more good coaches surrounding DD.
Today DD is 15 and a sophomore and the starting Varsity pitcher for an amazing HS team and plays for an absolutely incredible travel program, one we would have never dreamed of her playing for back when she was 10 years old. And those other pitchers at 10U? Not one of them is still pitching. DD has grown into a confident and strong young woman and I will share that a great deal of that has come from her journey, albeit a checkered one, in learning how to be a dominate pitcher.
Here is a video after her first State Playoff start.

https://youtu.be/jeQxadZsz_k

If you would have told me when she was 10 years old that this meek, shy and fragile child would be where she is today I would have told you you're crazy.
And yes getting hit around at 10U sucks but it's a journey and I wouldn't change a thing about it.
Stay on track and Don't Give Up!
 
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Nov 17, 2017
73
18
If you would have told me when she was 10 years old that this meek, shy and fragile child would be where she is today I would have told you you're crazy.
And yes getting hit around at 10U sucks but it's a journey and I wouldn't change a thing about it.
Stay on track and Don't Give Up!


That's just it.... She's so Shy, Meek and fragile...... BUT, she loves wearing the uniform, she loves wearing her travel shirt to school...

But, can you even invite Friends and Family to a Travel Game where she's going to get her rear end handed to her?????

You can make 3 Errors at Short Stop and strike out every time and not come close to the feeling of standing on the mound not able to to throw a strike.... And not knowing which of the 40 Steps the Pitching coach told you is an 1/8 of an inch off.....

Tough for me to watch to and not be able to help her....
 
Apr 28, 2014
2,316
113
That's just it.... She's so Shy, Meek and fragile...... BUT, she loves wearing the uniform, she loves wearing her travel shirt to school...

But, can you even invite Friends and Family to a Travel Game where she's going to get her rear end handed to her?????

You can make 3 Errors at Short Stop and strike out every time and not come close to the feeling of standing on the mound not able to to throw a strike.... And not knowing which of the 40 Steps the Pitching coach told you is an 1/8 of an inch off.....

Tough for me to watch to and not be able to help her....

That's what growing up is. It's letting her fail and knowing full well that you can not do anything at all to protect her from the pain she is feeling. That pain she feels is what will propel her to put in countless hours to better herself. And even if she doesn't make it to LSU the learnings she picks up along the way are what will help her in every aspect of life.
One thing to keep in mind is that your friends and family are happy to see you and her happy. When she's playing they don't care about the score, it's her happiness and yours that they enjoy. And lastly, someone on here told me this and it made sense years later... All the things we think are so important at 10U, 12U 14U etc.. all become so unimportant as the kids get older. No one will remember that home run she gave up when she was 10. What they will remember is how she battled back after it.
Don't know you but I suspect that your DD is in great hands with your family. Keep working!
 
Aug 13, 2018
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*First Post Here*

My DD (10U, modified coach pitch) has her first game of Fall Ball today. And her first pitching start. We'll see how this goes :)

I plan on recording the game so that if 3 or 4 years from now she's still pitching, I can show her just where she started.
 
Jul 14, 2018
982
93
Being the parent of a pitcher is so tough. And that stage of 10U/12U is where the rubber really hits the road.

DD was a dominant 10U pitcher at the Rec level -- as a second-year 10 she had 90 strikeouts in 40 innings, threw four no-hitters. Playing in her first fall of 12U travel, an injury to the #1 pitcher put her on the front line. And she got crushed. Bigger ball, longer distance, bigger and better hitters -- she gave up double-digit runs in every game she pitched. My handy GameChanger app tells me her ERA was 18.63 for the fall season.

But that was a valuable experience. Despite her struggles, she still wanted to go to lessons, still wanted to practice, and still wanted the ball. Pitchers need to develop nerves of steel, and there's nothing like getting roughed up to get there. It's almost as important as practicing pitches. Those loooong innings where she can't get an out will help your DD (and you!) develop the thick skin you need to be a pitcher.

DD's last tournament game as a first-year 12 she threw a four-inning perfect game. It was a long way from where she started, and it wasn't easy to watch. But if your DD has the desire to get out there and pitch, it can be very rewarding to watch the progress she'll make. Hang in there.
 
Nov 17, 2017
73
18
*first post here*

my dd (10u, modified coach pitch) has her first game of fall ball today. And her first pitching start. We'll see how this goes :)

i plan on recording the game so that if 3 or 4 years from now she's still pitching, i can show her just where she started.


good luck !!!!!!
 

marriard

Not lost - just no idea where I am
Oct 2, 2011
4,312
113
Florida
I will echo every other response. If she wants to be out there - and she has the mentality for it, long term there is nothing better and more confident, driven and stubborn than a pitcher who wants it. It is her journey and if she wants to take it, so be it. You and your family get to stress out in the stands and provide whatever support she needs - even when she gets hit around. You can't worry about what others think - the true friends and family will support your kid no matter if she gives up no runs or ten. Take her for ice cream after the games either way. The future will hold what it holds - you can't predict it - just try to enjoy the ride.

Also - her softball performance is NOT a reflection on you. You haven't 'failed' if she has a bad game or season.


To give you the best long term view: Forget the 'big girls' of 10U and 12U - sure ONE of them may develop into the monster pitcher you see on TV - but by 14U most of them are gone. Either everyone catches up with their earlier physical maturity or they never learn how to do anything but trying to blow it by batters with speed which stops working against good batters once you get into the HS age groups.

16U, 18U and colleges of all levels are full of the girls who got hit around as pitchers when they were 10-12 years old but learned to pitch and think batters out because they couldn't rely on speed to do it for them. The ones willing to put the work in figure it out.

And while it may be a long way off, pitchers are in massive demand in college where there are WAY more teams than there is even adequate pitchers.
 
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Jul 29, 2013
6,782
113
North Carolina
Welcome to the wonderful world of being a pitchers dad! Man you're stressing way too hard, but I have too, I understand. I would bet your DD's blood pressure is wayyyyy lower than yours, she's fine! It took me awhile to understand it is what it is and once the ball leaves her hand.......it's out of her hands now! In the 12/14U years when infielders would blow routine ground balls I thought my head would explode, and you know what happens after a routine play is blown, you ALWAYS pay for it!! And don't worry, she'll let you know if she doesn't want to be in the circle anymore!

Relax Reaper, enjoy the priceless time with your DD, cause please know it'll be over way faster than you think! Right guys??
 

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