1st game mechanics go out the window 10U

[NJSwampdragons]

My 1st year 10-U DD pitched in her 1st travel game (lower level). While the results were terrific: 2 innings 6K, 0 walks, 1 hit, 0 runs, her mechanics totally disappeared. She had a heavy forward lean (hadn't seen that in like 6 months), was releasing palm up (like bowling), and had no drag. The 1st inning it looked like she was often throwing with a straight arm, although in the 2nd it looked like she was palm up leading with the elbow, but still leaned, and pushed the ball most of the time. They threw her out there with zero warm-up, so not sure if that had anything to do with it. She had warmed up the prior two games and in warm-ups looked mechanically similar to how she generally practices, but didn't get into the games.

Is this common at this level/early stage?
Do I review the tape with her or just great job?

Thanks.

 

[radness]

No warms ups befor game is Terrible!
Screems "i'm not ready"

10u will be a fun journey...but a trying one.
Suggest
Get into a routine that includes
training on her own, lessons if you want, and game day routine which should include warm ups befor
pitching in a game.

 

[NJSwampdragons]

No warms ups befor game is Terrible!
Screems "i'm not ready"

10u will be a fun journey...but a trying one.
Suggest
Get into a routine that includes
training on her own, lessons if you want, and game day routine which should include warm ups befor
pitching in a game.

Yes, I've already gotten yelled at for warming her up prior games she was supposed to get into, but eventually didn't as the time limit ran out.

 

[joe720]

Just "great job". You'll be dealing with this for many years to come. Make sure to keep it fun.

 

[clemenslee1]

My 1st year 10-U DD pitched in her 1st travel game (lower level). While the results were terrific: 2 innings 6K, 0 walks, 1 hit, 0 runs, her mechanics totally disappeared. She had a heavy forward lean (hadn't seen that in like 6 months), was releasing palm up (like bowling), and had no drag. The 1st inning it looked like she was often throwing with a straight arm, although in the 2nd it looked like she was palm up leading with the elbow, but still leaned, and pushed the ball most of the time. They threw her out there with zero warm-up, so not sure if that had anything to do with it. She had warmed up the prior two games and in warm-ups looked mechanically similar to how she generally practices, but didn't get into the games.

Is this common at this level/early stage?
Do I review the tape with her or just great job?

Thanks.

While my DD doesn't pitch, I think its completely normal at that age that mechanics whether pitching, hitting practiced often go out the window come game time! LOL

 

[jdint]

My DD still does it at 12u. You literally never know what she is going to do in a game. She's been fairly successful in spite of it. Sometimes I think batters are dumbfounded by what they are witnessing. I know I am.

 

[Eric F]

First of all, she was just in the most high-pressure situation she has (probably) been in to this point, and her brain was filled with a million things - including someone hollering "just throw strikes" (probably - LOL). You can expect that her body is going to default to her most basic muscle memory pattern. Props to her for having a great performance!

Also...She's 10. The road ahead is long. She will be fine. Keep up the work, but don't sweat it if what she's practicing doesn't show up in games for a while. It takes a lot of work to change muscle memory patterns and get them to a point where the "right" pattern is the default.

The best thing to do after a game - no matter the results - is tell her that you love watching her play, and go get ice cream.

Whether or not you review video is very much dependent on how she takes it. Up until about 12 (maybe older), my DD didn't like looking at video with me. It made her feel like I was just looking for things to criticize her about. I (eventually) learned to keep my mouth shut and let her analyze on her own.

 

[Dabears17]

Muscle memory and aiming take over when they get into games, especially if they are changing their mechanics to be more correct. My daughter took 3-4 months of practice with the Boardmember/Javasource/Pauly/Balswick/Hillhouse methodology before she broke her bad habits to pitch correctly in games.

I was lucky I had tried to teach her how I thought Bill Hillhouse's videos, so she wasn't totally messed up. My daughter's form was pretty messed up in 10u, and she was fairly successful in spite of it. Luckily she got a couple months worth of lessons in with Rich Balswick.

Relax and enjoy the journey. The goal is to have her still having fun and pitching when she is 14!

I/R in the Classroom

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[625ender]

Mechanics go out the window at 30U also

 

[radness]

Yes, I've already gotten yelled at for warming her up prior games she was supposed to get into, but eventually didn't as the time limit ran out.

Hope they yelled "Thank You!"