8 year old looking for "simple" drills and tips

[bpeck]

Hey guys

my 8 year old daughter wanted to learn how to pitch, so we have been working on it for a few weeks and here is where we are at at the moment. I am just looking for some advice and drills to work on with her. Right now we are trying to keep it fun and simple.

thanks guys!!

IMG_0084 - YouTube

 

[Rocketech1]

Here's my 2 cents. I have either coached or coached against numerous kids that wanted to pitch and here is one of the most important things I have learned about pitching. It's nearly impossible to learn to pitch without professional instruction or a parent who is an expert in the windmill motion. The other thing I learned is that you can't learn to pitch half-heartedly. You either jump into it head first giving it 100% or you choose another position.

My suggestion would be to immediately get your DD some weekly one on one lessons and practice 3 or 4 times a week for the next month or two. If after that time your daughter wants to continue to put in the time to learn how to pitch, then you know she is committed to it. The way you are currently going about it (ie trying to teach her yourself and getting simple drills) is detrimental to her development and she will have to unlearn what she incorrectly has been taught. If you and she are serious about it, do it the right way, you will thank us in two years from now when she is a consistent pitcher. I could give you simple drills to do but she needs to learn the basics from a knowledgeable instructor.

 

[FrozenRope]

The other thing I learned is that you can't learn to pitch half-heartedly. You either jump into it head first giving it 100% or you choose another position.

So True!! It's also demanding on Mom/Dad as well. Your patience will be pushed to the edge of insanity. You've got to accept that this isn't something she'll learn in a few weeks, or a few months. If you start now, most likely, at age 8, you're preparing her for next year. Maybe fall ball if she's really dedicated and puts in a ton of work. Nothing negative, but I would stop what you're doing now, and focus on teaching her how to throw a ball underhanded. I got that good bit of advice from this board as soon as my daughter started. It was a blessing. Check out the I/R in the classroom thread on the top of the pitching forum. If you want to get a feel for how dedicated your dd is, then start with those simple underhanded throwing drills. That's a good month worth of daily work just to get started.

 

[Rocketech1]

8 year olds don't need to practice anything four times a week and in real life they don't.

If that is half hearted well then, that's better for them.

Curious to know if you have a DD that is or was a pitcher? Asking a new pitcher to attend a 30 minutes lesson a week and to practice 3x a week for 30 minutes is very reasonable. The pitchers that do not do this generally struggle to find the strike zone and will not get much needed time in the circle. So yes, IMO that is the minimum a new pitcher should be striving for their first year. In general, I like them pitching every other day so they give their body a rest on the off days.

 

[FrozenRope]

8 year olds don't need to practice anything four times a week and in real life they don't.

If that is half hearted well then, that's better for them.

So...when you go to a 10U tournament and see a 9 year old throwing a ball 35+ MPH with good form and decent accuracy, are you suggesting she did that by practicing once a week? Forgive me if I'm off base here, but the OP took the time to take a video camera and post it on this forum asking for advice. In my opinion, Rocketech gave some great advice. Get help now, before you teach something for too long that isn't right. In my opinion, it truly IS an all or nothing proposition. Even at the Little League level, I don't know of any decent pitcher that didn't get some sort of coaching direction. The ones that were solely taught by dad, or a coach that knows as much about the windmill pitch as I do about the texture of the surface on Jupiter can be spotted from the first warm up pitch.

 

[NewBucketDad]

I agree with Rocketech1 but make sure you get a good PC. Read the forums and see how the top pitchers in the world actually pitch and find a PC that will teach that. I have an 9yo just turned 9 and has been pitching 2 years. Only the first year I had a PC that gave bad instruction until she started having shoulder and arm pain. That's when I found this site and realized everything she was being taught was wrong. I ran from the PC and found someone recommended from this forum. Her pitching Dramatically changed, Her velocity shot up instantly after 2 lessons. Her command took a little longer but she kept throwing hard and by mid summer it all clicked.

As for not Practicing I disagree. She will need to practice a lot, my DD in the summer would pitch 5 times a week(including games). At 8 their attention span is short so lots of water breaks. Some days she would go 20 minutes and I could tell she just wasn't into it, so we would pack it up and go get some ice cream. Other days she would go an hour until my backside was numb from sitting on the bucket. The PC can give her tools but she has to want to master them with practice.

Just remember shes 8 have fun give her a lot of encouragement.

 

[Sparky Guy]

RT1 is right. They have to have structured lessons that give a young pitcher a solid foundation. As far as practice goes. That is up the girl. At 8u the attention span can vary greatly from girl to girl. What I've found is that most of the kids enjoy learning new things and having success with learning something new. They will feel motivated to WANT to learn more and work at it if they feel like they are progressing.

What many adults fail to realize is how smart the young mind really is. What I've found that works is absolute honesty with the very young kids. They need positive and negative feedback along with support in the form of giving them the fix for mistakes they make. I've seen the young ones thrive and improve exponentially when they realize they are being taught and not yelled at for making a mistake.

 

[CLM265]

Hey guys

my 8 year old daughter wanted to learn how to pitch, so we have been working on it for a few weeks and here is where we are at at the moment. I am just looking for some advice and drills to work on with her. Right now we are trying to keep it fun and simple.

thanks guys!!

IMG_0084 - YouTube

To me drills for young kids just learning how to pitch are more confusing than they are worth. Does anyone remember drills to learn how to throw over hand? After going through this with my DD, I wish I had started out just like I did teaching her to throw overhand. We now start each practice warming up throwing underhand, we get into a nice rhythm and go from there. Pitching the softball in full motion is what counts. Start with the basic underhand throws back and forth and keep working the distance back when she is ready. Make sure she even likes to pitch before you make it something so serious as having a lesson. Drills have their place and can come in handy as needed. Judging by the video she is raring to get started.

 

[bpeck]

Thank you for your advice.. is there a website or something where I can try to find someone in the Madison, WI area?

 

[coach james]

Rocketech is spot on here... No offence to left field, but unless you have a dd that pitches....
I have two dd's pitching and 6 full time students, ranging from 8-15yrs old.
I'm currently working with my younger dd who is also 8yrs old. We do something pitching related everyday! I try to keep it simple and fun for her and some days she doesn't even realize the drill she's doing is teaching her muscle memory, she just thinks she's hanging out with dad. I'll give you a few examples, but I HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you get a reputable PC to help you!
1. 4 seam ball spins. Hold the ball palm up and simply toss it up about eye level and see how many revolutions you can get, make sure the rotation is straight.
2. Timing drill. Fly like a bird, arms a her side and pick the arms up together elbows leading, once at shoulders, drop arms down together, again leading with the elbows (arms should resemble cooked spaghetti)
3. Tape a looped piece of scotch tape to the side of her ear, making sure you left enough slack in the tape to have a 2" tab... perform arm circles making sure the bicep touches the tab.
4. Assuming she is right handed, put her on her right knee with her left leg straight out (her body will be in the open pitching position, about 45°) the left foot is sideways. Now mimic the fly like a bird drill, up together down together with loose elbows, except allow the arm to complete the circle, making sure the bicep has grazed the ear. Keeping the elbow loose, PULL the elbow down and whip the forearm into the release. On the release focus on the spin drill.
This will get you started, but again, HIRE A PRO!
To further help you understand pitching, read everything in the thread titled "I/R in the classroom" in the pitching forum. Pay close attention to posts by Board member, Hillhouse, Amy in AZ, and Carly...
I also suggest to buy the videos on the "house of pitching" website, and scour the internet for Bill Hill house video clips. Good luck, James