10U practice expectations

[LilMountain]

My daughter has finally showed some desire/ambition after yesterday's game, commenting that she feels as good as some of the backup pitchers (she's not) and lamenting she doesn't get any in-game opportunities. So she has finally agreed to start actually practicing on her own so that (in theory) it will be undeniable to the coach, but I have no idea what sort of baseline is appropriate; how many pitches a day is too few/many and how many days a week is too few/many? I've seen some other threads which give me some ideas on what to do with her (and she knows a bit herself from her time with a private coach) but not how much to do it to maximize the benefit without risking injury.

 

[cnardone]

As long as it is fun and she is showing her desire. It is 10U. the most important thing is that she enjoys the game and wants to continue.

 

[LilMountain]

As long as it is fun and she is showing her desire. It is 10U. the most important thing is that she enjoys the game and wants to continue.

But how much it too much? I assume it will become not fun before she is in danger of risking injury, but I don't even have a baseline to be on the lookout for

 

[cnardone]

How much is too much? Every child is different. Find a pitching coach. If her form is good, there is less likelihood of injury. If you are paying for lessons then there does need to be an expectation of some sort of side work.

At 10u, 1 lesson and 2 - 45 minute side sessions per week is plenty. You may not get quite this much. Don't worry. You'll see when she starts to lose focus. then shut it down. Right now you want her to end with this being fun. You want her to look forward to the next time she gets to pitch with you. Not think it is a burden or work. That might come at a later time when she is older. Don't let it get to that point at 10U.

cmn

 

[CoachCeetar]

I favor "a little something every day" because repetition is so important at this age. And while she's into it, maximize the attention. My daughter worked hard until she started semi-regularly getting into games and it started feeling more natural, now she's a little harder to motivate to go outside and throw. (and life is busy so i can't get on her as much either) So take advantage of the current desire. Doesn't have to be intense. just go outside and throw 20 pitches. pitch 20 balled up socks into the couch while you're waiting for your sister to get out of the bathroom. _something_

 

[GunnerShotgun]

But how much it too much? I assume it will become not fun before she is in danger of risking injury, but I don't even have a baseline to be on the lookout for

If it's unstructured (her throwing into a net, practicing her form in socks around the house) then there isn't "too much" unless she does it for hours on end. I would let her do as much as she wanted every day.

If it's structured "throwing" from the mound I would try and take breaks every other day until she built up a foundation. Ask her if she is sore, how she feels that sort of thing.

I wouldn't be concerned about over-practicing. Life tends to get in the way unless you are diligent.

 

[uncdrew]

Get lessons ASAP. It's the quickest way to mound time. Practice means nothing if mechanics are wrong.

How much per day? Depends on the girl, depends on the day. Be very quick to stop if it's just not working that day. Perhaps come back out to try again 2 hours later. You'll be stunned how her performance (mental and physical) can change by the hour.

The number one lesson I learned (and wish I learned sooner) is to not push it when it's not going well. Making her do more reps when things are bad will not help. It won't fix the issue. It will damage your relationship. It will make her not like pitching. So if there's a day when 15 pitches in a row hit the ground and you're both getting frustrated, just stop. Laugh it off, do something non-softball. Come back to it tomorrow or later in the day.

Otherwise, keep it fun. Pitch to pretend batters (players on her team are fun). Keep a count. Call some pitches foul balls to keep her from walking every pretend batter.

 

[earlg3]

Getting good lessons by someone your DD likes and then practicing daily (if even for 10-15 minutes or a bucket of balls) will have incredible results over someone that practices once a week, in my experience. My DD has never had any pain or soreness practicing almost every day.

Uncdrew is spot on to not force it, and it really is wild how even an hour or two break can reset things back. Pitching is tough and resetting mentally can really help.

Another tough part is not slacking on practicing everything else because it gets so time consuming on pitching.

 

[Shawn]

3 times a week.

 

[CoachCeetar]

Uncdrew is spot on to not force it, and it really is wild how even an hour or two break can reset things back. Pitching is tough and resetting mentally can really help.

I wonder about this though. Sometimes you gotta feel what's going wrong to understand what's supposed to be right. Maybe not while you're still developing muscle memory, but being able to adjust and "find it" is important too.