A message to coaches from a pitching instructor.

[CoachBNC]

I'm coming from the opposite place working with players in middle and high school. Meaning, athletes come out for softball who are brand new to the game and have no outside instruction or experience. Some are interested in pitching and I would LOVE to feel confident about starting pitchers "on the right path" from the beginning. What are resources I can use as a school coach to help my players without that dedicated instruction?

While some of these players may go on to private instruction or travel ball, many may lack the resources for those steps. Plus, in our geographic area, general interest in softball is low. I am often working with a few great athletes who are already playing AAU basketball or travel soccer/volleyball and aren't going to commit more time than the spring season in school provides.

My own biases are to focus on outcomes rather than overly specific/prescribed movement patterns but the fastpitch motion is very much a bit of a black art to me in a way that hitting, fielding, and overhand throwing are not. Right now, I would most like to build a simple plan I can be confident in that given an interested and above-average athlete, coaching that athlete up to a reasonably competent level feels like a series of clear steps.

 

[LEsoftballdad]

Unfortunately for softball players, in my neck of the woods football and basketball rule. Softball is just used as a way to supplement some of the football coaches' salaries. Four of the girls on my daughter's TB team have outright quit playing high school ball for this reason. For the most part, they don't get recruited through their high school teams anyway.

Not all situations are the same, but the high school softball situation in my area is terrible.

You're not alone in your situation. We go from very good to awful from town to town here. Our current HC played HS and TB, but she quit after she graduated from HS in 2014, so her experience is from nine years ago. She was a pitcher, and she took lessons from my daughter's PC, but she had no clue how to handle my daughter.

So, yes, I will assume most HS coaches know very little about the game because that's my experience where I live. If they tried to tell my daughter how to swing or pitch, my daughter would politely inform them that's what her instructor wants her doing. Now, at college, I expect that to change, but we're talking about HS here.

 

[ChriBart]

Much of it comes down to ego. There are some coaches that think they know better and no longer think that someone else can help them learn more. Those with open minds that are willing to have those discussions are typically the most successful.

Hear hear!!

I'm an AC, and the HC on my team absolutely thinks she knows best. I've heard her tell some of our girls' parents not to go to hitting lessons because "there's nothing they'll teach her that I'm not already teaching her,".

It infuriates me. She's a very knowledgeable coach, but her ego is exactly the issue. Ultimately, it doesn't matter if she knows best or not. She has 11 other girls to coach. She's not going to make a meaningful difference in ONE girl's swing (or pitching or catching technique) during team practices. At least, not the kind of meaningful difference the girl will get in one-on-one lessons. Supervised, purposeful practice over thousands of reps is what makes a great hitter, pitcher, catcher, etc. Team coaches just don't have that kind of time to devote to each girl. Can we make tweaks? Of course. Should we express concern if we think a girl's specialty instructor is not worth the time and money? Yes. But we team coaches cannot and should not do it all.

 

[Gtrips07]

Definitely not true everywhere !

So if you have to win or get fored and are in a ten team conference then at least half of the coaching staffs are on the hot seat every year?

In our area there is no requirement and from what I've been told coaching is an extra 3k a year to play fall and spring ball. Head coach and one assistant are school district employees the other two coaches are volunteer dads.paid assistant told DD imagine you are stepping on a bug when you swing.



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[Gtrips07]

Will say in my years of following all levels of softball...
There are FAR less softball coaches that have any knowledge about underhand pitching, and zero technical pitching knowledge.
Then there are some coaches who may have some basic knowledge.
versus
The very small percentage of coaches that can actually be at the level of teaching pitching.


Now I'm going to include I wish there were more coaches that could teach players how to throw over hand better! That in itself would be nice!

A subscription to Wasserman isn't that expensive.

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[Gtrips07]

If I am a coach I am not touching a kid who is a performing. If I am a parent I am looking for a new instructor if my kid isn't performing..That sequence should converge to a situation with no issues..(math joke).

QED

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[curveballer124]

I always appreciate when a coach shows up to a lesson or reaches out to me. I encourage my pitchers coaches to ask me questions about what I show and why.

I let coaches know that I don’t know everything. I have a very good understanding of pitching and proper ball spin and mechanics. However I’m still a student of the game and very open to new things, so long as it makes sense…


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[daywalkerdad]

If a coach has concerns that is fine but all instruction needs to come from pitching coach or single point.
When it comes to pitchers you are dancing with the one you brought. 30 minutes prior to the game is no time for instruction.
I would rather a coach sit DD than mess with form without discussion with pitching coach.

 

[Chilixa]

Does this work both ways? If it is obvious a private coach doesn’t know what they are doing should a coach tell parents not to use them. I rarely mess with hitters I know have professional help with their swing or pitchers with their mechanics (talking pitch strategy and calling pitches is totally different). Sometimes I have run across girls that have terrible mechanics and a private coach. I don’t want to hurt someone’s business but I also don’t want players wasting their time learning the wrong stuff.


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[curveballer124]

Does this work both ways? If it is obvious a private coach doesn’t know what they are doing should a coach tell parents not to use them. I rarely mess with hitters I know have professional help with their swing or pitchers with their mechanics (talking pitch strategy and calling pitches is totally different). Sometimes I have run across girls that have terrible mechanics and a private coach. I don’t want to hurt someone’s business but I also don’t want players wasting their time learning the wrong stuff.


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Absolutely I live by simple philosophy whether it’s right or wrong. I am of the belief that if your pitching coach cannot throw the pitches that they are trying to teach you correctly and with proper spin, then perhaps you should find a pitching coach that could demonstrate everything they teach correctly….


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