10u pitches

[ecnep03]

Are you trying to build a successful long term pitcher or a 10U pitcher? The two have relatively little in common.

10U will be dominated by pitchers that have either matured early or simply throw hard for whatever reason. 12U these start to fade and pitchers that can move the ball around the zone (not breaking pitches but location) and have developed a change up start to take over. At 14U and up, if a pitcher can't paint the corners, disrupt batter timing with a change up AND an off speed, and have one effective breaking pitch they are not going to last long as pitchers. Those flame throwing monsters from 10U? 99% of them will have washed out by now.

Can your DD hit her called spot 7 out of ten times at full speed? Can she deceive at least 70% of batters with her change up delivery? If not, continue working those things until she can. If so, than introduce a breaking pitch. Just be aware it is going to do absolutely nothing at 10U.

Great point. Yes, as long as she continues to love it, we are in it for the long haul. I’m a committed coach and love this forum to reference. I have an 8 year old who throws almost as hard, not quite as accurate. They have different skill sets. Just comes more natural to my younger DD.

Yes, she’s 70% accurate at her full speed. Not as accurate with the knuckle CU. When it hits though, its pretty neat. Maybe we continue to improve the CU but if she isn’t going to throw it in a few years, I prefer to start developing another pitch. I think long term she will need 3+ pitches to be successful. I’m probably getting ahead of myself.


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[Rolling Hard]

10u flame thrower are batting practice pitchers at 12u level! The jump up is huge. Introduce her to new pitches until she has 4 or 5 she can throw for strikes. It doesn't matter if they move now. Just get her comfortable with grips and throwing them. Look for situations in games to work them in when she way ahead on weaker batters. Keep the ball down.

 

[DNeeld]

I think long term she will need 3+ pitches to be successful. I’m probably getting ahead of myself.

3 to be exact.....Rise, drop and change. Plus the ability to make the rise and drop tail in or out a bit.

 

[Battle]

I would be careful on anything that torques the shoulder/elbow. She is still growing and at that age, can hurt her. Maybe experiment with the drop just to introduce her to spinning the ball. The jump from 10u to 12u will be enough of a shock for her IMO. I'm not preaching but be very careful and limited.

Good luck to you and your DD.
Newbie

 

[Beeg]

DD is 10U and can pitch FB, changeup, curveball, drop ball, and riser. She'll be learning the screw ball this week. When she first learned the drop ball and curveball, DD was able to spin the ball faster with FB. I think by learning something new, FB feels more like an old friend, plus, the other pitches helped her learn the feel of spinning the ball.

Her team coaches let her try all these pitches during games and even tournaments. With DD's last team, the coaches had no clue what pitch to call, so they only called FB. (Or maybe because all the coaches' DD's only knew FB and change ups? I never found out why they wouldn't try different pitches.) As soon as she joined her new team, she got to use different pitches in live games even before she perfected them. Her new coaches believe the best way to learn is just do it. (She even got to slap, bunt and run, bunt for a hit, and tried all the batting techniques she had been learning for years.) And in a short few months, she perfected her other pitches.

If your DD's coach wants only FB and change ups during games, you might as well have your DD work on her FB speed. If her coach is willing to let her try different pitches, I say go for it if you know your DD is up for the challenge.

 

[MNDad]

My 10 year old DD has gotten fairly accurate with her FB and is mixing in a few knuckle change ups. FB is consistently low 40s which the good hitters are sitting on. I’m tempted to work with her on a curve to help keep the batters off balance. Is this a bad idea at 10u? Knuckle change has been effective but predictable. I don’t think she’ll be able to develop an overpowering FB but command has been a plus. I’m curious if anyone has had success with other pitches at this level?


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You’re on the right path. Continue working on hitting spots, velocity and her CU. The first movement most pitchers learn is a drop. It’s safes because if it doesn’t move it’ll still be down in the zone. Some can get pitches to break a little in 12U, but most girls aren’t strong enough to get any real movement until 14U or 16U. When a 10U parent says their kid has more than three pitches, just nod and smile. It’s probably an innocent mistake. They might be trying different grips, but they’re confusing that with having the actual pitch. Don’t get caught up in needing multiple pitches. Control, the ability to change speeds and above average velocity can carry a girl through HS.

Mastering pitches is somewhat variable. At 10U if a girl can hit a specific quadrant with great mechanics and decent velocity I’d say she’s mastered it and is ready for more. As she moves up that target becomes smaller and smaller. Truly mastering a pitch and getting it break and hit spots the size of a tea cup takes years. Master just one movement pitch and she can make it in college. Master 2-3 and you’re talking All-American.

 

[_MIA_]

From what I have seen in 10U here in Oklahoma, at that age if you can locate your fastball and it is in the mid to upper 40's and have a decent changeup, you will be pretty successful.

 

[Fastpitch_Dad]

I would work on a CU that she can keep long term. If the knuckle CU is good enough then continue to use it this year as she gets her other one ready then dump it.

Don’t ever replace the time in practice spent on speed especially with 12U coming up!

You can spin and locate all you want but if you can’t throw fast enough to get ‘em on their heels at least a little you are in trouble.



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[Eric F]

IMO...Being in the process of learning a new pitch does not equal having a pitch. I can't count the amount of times I've been told that a young pitcher has a certain pitch, only to find out that they were just introduced to it at a recent pitching lesson. You do not "have" a pitch until you can throw it with reasonable accuracy, with reasonable reliability, in a game situation, AND the pitch does what it's supposed to do. A curve that doesn't curve is not a curve. A CU that is more often on the ground or making the catcher jump than it is in the strike zone means you do not (yet) "have" a CU.