against moving 14 YOs to 43 feet

[PAcoach]

PACoach, but she shouldn't be pitching Sat., Sun., and Mon., anyway.
I have no idea why different organizations have different regulations. I am just relaying what a pretty good representative of the sport thinks.

Happens here all the time. A girl will throw for her TB over the weekend, then pitch Monday for her HS team. I'm not arguing, i'm just sayin.

 

[PAcoach]

If she is playing varsity, shouldn't she be playing up at 16U? Wouldn't that make more sense to challenge her.10U pitches at 35 -- usually with FB and change
12U pitches at 40 -- FB, change and working on adding another pitch while adjusting to larger ball and 5' more.
Moving 14U to 43' just pushes the pitcher to deal with another 3' plus adding usually adding another pitch, learning to make other adjustments to much better hitting. There is a lot going on at 14U. Some players are still growing and filling out, dealing with moving to high school (pressures), not to mention not knowing if you are still a kid or a young woman. I think it is too much too fast.

It might not be that big of deal short-term, but I bet we will see a larger drop-off of players leaving the game or more overuse/bad mechanics injuries in the long run.
This whole dilemma could be resolved if the age divisions were changed.

Oh i agree, i was just sayin. I do know a girl who was the #1 pitcher for her HS Varsity team. She was 14. She played on a 14U TB team with a group of girls since they were 10. her parents said they were not splitting her from that group........But that is a different convo

 

[Amy in AZ.]

PACoach, I know. The main problem lies with softball having so many different organizations. When my son pitched in baseball, the rules were the rules.

 

[PAcoach]

PACoach, I know. The main problem lies with softball having so many different organizations. When my son pitched in baseball, the rules were the rules.

Oh i see what you mean..like ASA, Utrip, Pony , PIAA?

 

[SoCalSoftballdad]

Here are the questions I would ask. Is there really a big difference in pitcher preparation when she's pitching at 43 feet vs. 40 feet? Doesn't that extra 3 feet help the breaking pitches to break a "little bit" more, adding to the effectiveness of the pitch? As mentioned, she does not have to go back and forth between the two distances if she is playing TB and high school ball?

It seems to me the bigger issue is at 12U, going from 35 to 40 feet and using the 12" ball for the first time. At 14U, asking a girl to pitch an extra 3 feet should be a cake walk.

 

[jinjet95]

In Missouri, a girl cannot play travel ball in the same season she plays for her high school team. The issue seems to be that once high school season is over and the girl returns to her travel ball team, she is reverting to 40'. From what our pitchers have told me, it's easier to go from 40' to 43' than it is to go back to 40' after having pitched at 43', as the ball needs to break sooner. The better travel teams will play 16U for a good portion of their tournaments, but will play 14U Nationals. This is the one case where I think we should split 13U and 14U. 13U should stay at 40', 14U should go to 43'.

 

[BBRB]

What would you do then with a 14U 9th grader who pitches for her varsity?

That girl should play up to 16u...As for the 99% that don't start for their varsity...They would get the additional time that most need to develop.....By the way, I feel like the hitters need this period as well to develop stategies against tough pitching

 

[joemcq51]

I completely get a HS freshman playing 14's pitching at 43'. I think my concern lies with a kid like my 12 YO DD. She is an Oct '98 in the sixth grade. Next year she will go up to 14's as a 7th grader. I think 43' will be a tough jump. Her mechanics are pretty sound, so I am not worried about injury due to her trying to overthrow the ball. It will just be a big step. Going up to older girls for one, and having to throw from a farther distance. She will definitely have to learn quickly how to move the ball better. I can actually say that I am on the fence about this one. I think the change is coming, so we all need to be ready. Who knows what lies ahead. My DD could grow a couple inches and pick up some additional speed and movement. May be an easier transition than I anticipate. One thing is certain. We are all going to find out real soon.

 

[BBRB]

Oh i agree, i was just sayin. I do know a girl who was the #1 pitcher for her HS Varsity team. She was 14. She played on a 14U TB team with a group of girls since they were 10. her parents said they were not splitting her from that group........But that is a different convo

So THAT explains it...Somebody just called her parents to ask what they wanted to do and EVERYBODY ELSE had to go along....HA!!

 

[jacketsfan]

My DD started playing at 43' when she was 13. She learned to adjust pretty quickly. Going back to 40' (guest playing for a 14U team) was very difficult for her.

In our Little League, they move to 43' at age 14 anyways, so it didn't seem like such a big deal. I think adjusting to the bigger ball was harder than the distance.