Bro, learn some tact
12u problems with high pitch-please help
- Thread starter Magicmariah
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- Apr 28, 2019
- 1,423
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Sport, mind your business.
- Sep 29, 2014
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I'm just back to the forums after a long while away but @Magicmariah please understand what we all really want is what's best for your DD and as the first reply stated unfortunately it involves being honest and different people have different approaches. Don't think you DD looks any different than most first year pitchers just trying to understand how to pitch.
1) Right now completely forget about speed it means absolutely nothing given her current mechanics, get the mechanics right speed will come
2) Work on basic drive mechanics which do include a longer straighter forward drive right now she is more of a big step, she opens way too early, standing taller she bends over forward and sideways
3) Work on IR delivery per the IR thread to get her arm circle right probably starting with lock it drill in the thread and going forward.
There is no instant tip that is going to fix this, if she was in a pitching clinic for weeks and doesn't have these mechanics going down the right path don't panic the vast majority are terrible and teach a bunch of things that have been handed down that to put it bluntly are just wrong.
Also study closely the Amanda Scarborough video (as mentioned please disregard her setup with the high back swing) focus on her drive mechanics what her legs and feet are doing as she pushes off, lands and throws then look at her arm circle where is the ball and how is it rotated at each position. One little thing you can look is ball position at 9 oclock; in your DD clinic she was probably taught to get her hand behind the ball (reenforced with wrist flip drills) and follow through upwards like you are blowing...,.THIS ISN'T BOWLING! You will notice Amanda at 9 o'clock is palm up now compare that with what you will see in the lock it drill video from the IR thread and you can see how everything fits together you will also see her arm never goes up with a high finish. Anyway way more too work on than we can cover in a single post but just some thoughts. PLEASE don't get discouraged this is a marathon not a sprint and while you might have some trouble find a pitching coach that will get her going in the right direction, it is important that you find someone, where are you located our network is pretty big. Also just from the looks of it C level is probably right for now but i would definelty use the late summer and fall to retool everything.
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Looks about 37ish to me. And like others say, that's just not fast for 12U.
But that's ok. She'll get there. Like many here, I've caught thousands of pitches from dozens of girls, and over time you get pretty good at knowing speeds. At 12U, a girl's fastball speed doesn't really range from high 30s to mid 40s with a high of 47. It's a much tighter range. I can clock my DD's fastball on 30 pitches in a row and we'll have a low of 40 and a high of 43, with about 80% of them being 42 on the nose.
The 47 in the pitching clinic might have been on a gun calibrated a bit off, or during a triple arm rotation drill or some such. Quoting that number will get you some looks - it's just not accurate.
As much as I love my DD and think she's awesome, pitching 42 as a 9 year old, all I have to do is look one field over to see girls doing much, much better. As you watch more and more 12U games (watch an A level game and you'll be really impressed) you'll see just how amazing some of these girls are.
Keep supporting her, get her lessons (not a clinic) and she'll go far.
- May 26, 2019
- 12
- 3
I checked her tryout information to get into the team she is on. All pitches were above 40 and that is with the high school gun. I know it is calibrated. She did that with poor (I now realize terrible) mechanics.
That being said, I think I have a pitching coach setup. If anyone else in Minnesota knows of one please let me know.
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Worrying or caring about speed at 12U is pointless. So many more important factors to focus on.
Don't feel the need to respond to questions about her speed or defend her speed. It really is so, so unimportant.
What is important is this: Is she better today than she was yesterday? Will she be better tomorrow than she is today?
I've seen so many "prodigy" pitchers at 10U and 12U become nothing more than batting practice at 14U. Why? Because they threw hard, overpowered inexperienced batters, and learned no true pitching.
Mechanics, mechanics, mechanics. Focus on that and don't worry about speed or accuracy now. Those will come with good mechanics.
Don't let harsh words discourage you. Everyone was a beginner at some point. It is the journey that is important, not the start.
Don't feel the need to respond to questions about her speed or defend her speed. It really is so, so unimportant.
What is important is this: Is she better today than she was yesterday? Will she be better tomorrow than she is today?
I've seen so many "prodigy" pitchers at 10U and 12U become nothing more than batting practice at 14U. Why? Because they threw hard, overpowered inexperienced batters, and learned no true pitching.
Mechanics, mechanics, mechanics. Focus on that and don't worry about speed or accuracy now. Those will come with good mechanics.
Don't let harsh words discourage you. Everyone was a beginner at some point. It is the journey that is important, not the start.
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Start a new thread for that. You will get more eyes on it that way.
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Excellent response, This is a wonderful example of a helpful answer.
Completely ignore the comments about her speed. Search up the "Lock it in" drill. Start there. It was the best starting point I found for my DD. Be patient but enjoy the journey and do your best to make sure that she is enjoying the journey as that is the most important part. From the video, we can see that she is definitely enjoying it now so you are doing the most important part right.
Understand that not everyone is going to be Rachel Garcia. There are plenty of very competent pitchers out there that don't throw gas. Never sacrifice good mechanics for speed. If the mechanics are solid, everything else will fall into place. Work on mechanics into a glove and then into a net as we don't need her worrying about results, only about mechanics at this point. 100 reps a day and it will happen.
- May 26, 2019
- 12
- 3
Sorry for getting defensive. Maybe it is a father’s response to protect his little girl.
I have a lot of hope for the kid. She is very intelligent, charismatic, and is extremely cool under pressure. Also, a decent hitter.
We worked a little on the arm release this week. Introducing things slowly because she is in the middle of a season. We were working at Making sure her elbow stays closer to her hip rather then going way up. Like the instruction said. It worked really well. She pitched a good game. She has a long tournament this weekend so it will be a true test.
We have a lot to go, but it is a start. Thanks guys.
I have a lot of hope for the kid. She is very intelligent, charismatic, and is extremely cool under pressure. Also, a decent hitter.
We worked a little on the arm release this week. Introducing things slowly because she is in the middle of a season. We were working at Making sure her elbow stays closer to her hip rather then going way up. Like the instruction said. It worked really well. She pitched a good game. She has a long tournament this weekend so it will be a true test.
We have a lot to go, but it is a start. Thanks guys.
