12U pitchers throwing 58-60 mph

[Gambler Bob]

Yeah, my daughter got a small injury to her SI Joint (in the back). Comes from not being symmetrical in use and development. I'm a little surprised more softballers don't have/get it. PT and stretches seem to have relieved it. The off-season came just in time.

Hope your daughter can remain pain free.

In the last year I have heard about 3 different girls in a 1 hour radius that have had broken backs that were all pitchers. I do not know all the details of the injury. Not sure if it is some kind of fracture in the back. Sorry for such a vague description, wish i knew more details.

 

[uncdrew]

Hope your daughter can remain pain free.

In the last year I have heard about 3 different girls in a 1 hour radius that have had broken backs that were all pitchers. I do not know all the details of the injury. Not sure if it is some kind of fracture in the back. Sorry for such a vague description, wish i knew more details.

Thanks. And yikes.

As all of us parents know, when kids are 10 and younger they can basically fall off the roof with no injuries. Around 12 or so they are more like us parents and the injuries start racking up. And we've all seen injuries ruin seasons/careers. I hope everyone rests, stretches and sleeps a lot, doing what they can to prevent injuries.

 

[uncdrew]

Well that’s good that she’s doing that. IME, Throwers can lift upper body as long as they maintain flexibility while doing so. Continuing to throw while lifting helps that. The off season lifting is a whole ‘nother soap box for me. Lots of girls do it in the off-season and then as soon as season starts they stop completely until the next offseason. By April they have lost whatever they gained in Dec-Feb.

Exactly.

I've told my DD that it's awesome that she's lifting 4/5 days per week, but she really needs to do what she can to continue during the season or it's a bit pointless.

 

[PAFPDAD]

Totally unsolicited advice, but I would be careful of having her take all of August off if she is going to be ramping back up quickly for September tournaments. I would continue to throw in August, but with a lower intensity. Think of August as a deload instead of a total shutdown. Also, current research shows that weight training while completely shutdown from throwing is actually bad for the arm. Maybe mix in light plyoball work and bands in the off-season just to keep the arm moving.

Appreciate the feedback. In all honesty, August is when we take a vacation so she totally unplugs for at least the first two weeks, then she will start hitting and overhand throwing by the end. Her pitching coach is insistent on kids building in breaks. Her winter strength training is more core and legs than arms. She does a lot of band work but will look to incorporate more plyoball work as well. She was injury-free last season hoping to keep building good habits

 

[Towny9]

Exactly.

I've told my DD that it's awesome that she's lifting 4/5 days per week, but she really needs to do what she can to continue during the season or it's a bit pointless.

The best time to lift IMO is right after a game or practice. It doesn’t need to be any longer than 30-45 minutes. Lower rep count than out of season. Maybe 3-5 reps. Lifting after practice or games allows more time for recovery and still keeps the off days as off days.

 

[MaddieDad]

Speed Club - Rita Lynn Gilman's Softball Pitching Tools

The exclusive Speed Club represents pitchers instructed by Rita Lynn Gilman, Jackie Magill, and Brittany Blankenship, with speeds of at least 50 MPH (plus our top pitchers in 2nd and 3rd grades).

softballpitchingtools.com

In the Virginia area we have a famous pitching instructor. She has a number of students that are in the category this thread is discussing.

My daughter started going to her recently. I can vouch that the numbers are real. They are taken using 3 devices. One is pocket radar, one a hand held bushnell I think and the last a pitching target with radar.

Rita is the real deal. She presented to the NFCA this year on building speed in pitchers. She also has a bunch of P5 athletes. One is a local girl who was the VA Gatorade player of the year and OSU commit. The other local girl is Sandercock from FSU. Rita’s students are also the real deal!

If a girl started early I think the mechanics could be mastered yielding 60+ but doing that in game is another level!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[LEsoftballdad]

Speed Club - Rita Lynn Gilman's Softball Pitching Tools

The exclusive Speed Club represents pitchers instructed by Rita Lynn Gilman, Jackie Magill, and Brittany Blankenship, with speeds of at least 50 MPH (plus our top pitchers in 2nd and 3rd grades).

softballpitchingtools.com

In the Virginia area we have a famous pitching instructor. She has a number of students that are in the category this thread is discussing.

My daughter started going to her recently. I can vouch that the numbers are real. They are taken using 3 devices. One is pocket radar, one a hand held bushnell I think and the last a pitching target with radar.

Rita is the real deal. She presented to the NFCA this year on building speed in pitchers. She also has a bunch of P5 athletes. One is a local girl who was the VA Gatorade player of the year and OSU commit. The other local girl is Sandercock from FSU. Rita’s students are also the real deal!

If a girl started early I think the mechanics could be mastered yielding 60+ but doing that in game is another level!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Are these speeds Rita is posting in lessons or in games? I suspect it's practices. While Cagel is one of three pitchers I can remember consistently throwing 70+ in games, Sandercock was 63-65 for FSU last season. I just get skeptical when I see pitches that speed because they don't translate to games.

For example, there are two trainers who always post new personal records for their pitchers on a run-through. They make them get up to a full sprint and release the ball 20 feet from the Pocket Radar. Their facility record is 72 MPH on a run-through, which is really hard, but the girl throws 63-64 in games.

Rita does make a great pitcher's balance beam that I bought several years ago. Just another in a long line of toys I've purchased to further my daughter's pitching journey. Oh, and I sold it a few years ago.

 

[Towny9]

Speed Club - Rita Lynn Gilman's Softball Pitching Tools

The exclusive Speed Club represents pitchers instructed by Rita Lynn Gilman, Jackie Magill, and Brittany Blankenship, with speeds of at least 50 MPH (plus our top pitchers in 2nd and 3rd grades).

softballpitchingtools.com

In the Virginia area we have a famous pitching instructor. She has a number of students that are in the category this thread is discussing.

My daughter started going to her recently. I can vouch that the numbers are real. They are taken using 3 devices. One is pocket radar, one a hand held bushnell I think and the last a pitching target with radar.

Rita is the real deal. She presented to the NFCA this year on building speed in pitchers. She also has a bunch of P5 athletes. One is a local girl who was the VA Gatorade player of the year and OSU commit. The other local girl is Sandercock from FSU. Rita’s students are also the real deal!

If a girl started early I think the mechanics could be mastered yielding 60+ but doing that in game is another level!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

From VA also - we know a # of girls that go to Rita. Her list of former players is impressive. The radar gun I usually see in the pictures of hers is a jugs gun. I have the same one but it runs off black and decker batteries that are pretty impossible to find anymore sadly.

What are of VA are you from? I would probably take my DD to her but it’s a little over 2 hours from me.

 

[Towny9]

Are these speeds Rita is posting in lessons or in games? I suspect it's practices. While Cagel is one of three pitchers I can remember consistently throwing 70+ in games, Sandercock was 63-65 for FSU last season. I just get skeptical when I see pitches that speed because they don't translate to games.

For example, there are two trainers who always post new personal records for their pitchers on a run-through. They make them get up to a full sprint and release the ball 20 feet from the Pocket Radar. Their facility record is 72 MPH on a run-through, which is really hard, but the girl throws 63-64 in games.

Rita does make a great pitcher's balance beam that I bought several years ago. Just another in a long line of toys I've purchased to further my daughter's pitching journey. Oh, and I sold it a few years ago.

The jugs gun she uses is, in my experience, is about 1-2 mph faster than the stalker gun or pocket radar. I have no fist hand experience with her, but I believe most of those speeds are indoors. I’m not 100% sure of the context they were taken in (regular windup vs run n gun style). I can attest that a lot of the kids that go to her throw pretty darn hard. It seems like every central VA kid I meet at a tourney who throws hard goes to her.

 

[LEsoftballdad]

The jugs gun she uses is, in my experience, is about 1-2 mph faster than the stalker gun or pocket radar. I have no fist hand experience with her, but I believe most of those speeds are indoors. I’m not 100% sure of the context they were taken in (regular windup vs run n gun style). I can attest that a lot of the kids that go to her throw pretty darn hard. It seems like every central VA kid I meet at a tourney who throws hard goes to her.

I know who she is, and she seems to be well-respected. It wasn't a criticism of her training.

I know one 2024 girl on her sheet left when she changed organizations. I wonder if that was more an organization decision rather than a family one?