Some of these posts about age and late bloomers mostly fail to mention coaching. If a girl has a great pitching coach and starts at 15 she could pitch in college. Conversely if a 10U player had the motivation but a poor pitching coach she could be out of the position as soon as she starts to see it slipping away. People in my area ask "how do you find a great pitching coach". I tell them to find one who has a track record of getting girls placed at the level you DD wants to play. If she wants D1 and the coach has zero girls who went on to play D1 there's probably a reason.. D2 same thing.. etc. Unfortunately people turn their dreams over to coaches who have no idea what it takes to get them there. As a parent our #1 job is to surround our DD's with coaches who have experience and know what it takes to get them where they want to go. The rest is up to the kid.
At what point do you, or you DD decide that she's not going to make it as a pitcher?
- Thread starter hummingbird
- Start date
Welcome to Discuss Fastpitch
Your FREE Account is waiting to the Best Softball Community on the Web.
- Apr 8, 2019
- 118
- 28
You didn't miss it he never gave an age. This is crazy. She is 10 and you said she has been pitching for 2yrs and you are ready to give up already. She hasn't developed any are strength or true understanding of pitching yet. You don't like the fact that she is struggling a little and you are probably hearing grumblings from parents in games and you are not patient enough to help her through her struggles. What's the easy way out? Go to another position. You're going to teach her a bad habit of quitting when things don't come easy and you really have to work at it. Not to mention she is only 10. I'm done
I would agree that at 10 years old, it's really up to your daughter if she wants to continue. If she enjoys it, and improves at pitching lessons and during practice, then over the next few years she will get better and faster during games. Throwing slower with live batters is probably due to her working on accuracy and placement, and in my mind I'd rather see that than a pitcher just hucking it down the pipeline trying to be fast. IMO, when she gets older, it won't matter if she's a bit slower than other pitchers, what WILL matter is whether or not she can throw good breaking pitches, and if she can hit her spots about 75% of the time. From what I've seen, having a good contrast of a fast pitcher, along with a slightly slower pitcher who has deadly accuracy and good movement, can really throw the other teams offense game. The coach should put in the pitcher that is most effective against the batters, and often times it's not going to be the faster pitcher.
I feel you there! I have asked my daughter so many times if she truly, truly wants to continue pitching. Told her that it's okay to say enough is enough. Now she's off at college, hoping to pitch and play this next spring (as long as the 'rona doesn't shut down college ball)! My daughter can be an excellent deadly pitcher, but has struggled so much with clinical anxiety that it makes me anxious every time she pitches. It's hard to watch sometimes, knowing that she could be phenomenal yet I can see that the physical symptoms are winning this time around (can't breathe, chest pain, stomach pain, headache, nausea). Other times, the anxiety storm is under control and it's a beautiful thing to watch her throw. My heart aches for her at times, but I'm also so proud that she has the courage to face up to this demon every time she steps into the circle. I know I couldn't do it. I am glad that she is an excellent outfielder as well, so she has the opportunity to play another position.
It is a roller coaster for sure.
Big thing is she has to commit to it and the entire family does to. Not for the faint of heart.
Best athlete on DD's Team was C. She wanted nothing to do with pitching but it was tried multiple times, I want to C.
Big thing is she has to commit to it and the entire family does to. Not for the faint of heart.
Best athlete on DD's Team was C. She wanted nothing to do with pitching but it was tried multiple times, I want to C.
I’m very proud of her for pitching. I’m especially proud because she’s not dominant, because she’s not overwhelming but she’s willing to step in there and try. Even after a bad inning she’s willing to go back out. She keeps throwing after walks and errors and hits and strikeouts. She’s so damn tough it breaks my heart.
So for her, I’m proud and grateful for it. But for me, it’s been a rough ride because she fails. A lot. And I powerlessly watch it every time.
I’m very proud of her for pitching. I’m especially proud because she’s not dominant, because she’s not overwhelming but she’s willing to step in there and try. Even after a bad inning she’s willing to go back out. She keeps throwing after walks and errors and hits and strikeouts. She’s so damn tough it breaks my heart.
So for her, I’m proud and grateful for it. But for me, it’s been a rough ride because she fails. A lot. And I powerlessly watch it every time.
Fail?
Success: the progressive realization of a worthwhile goal
Is she getting better, is she having fun, does she enjoy it....is she building mental toughness to pitch through bad innings, bad fielding, deal with outcomes that are not a result of her efforts but affect her none the less? Are great things.
I guess I just don't see failure here.
Sure. But she also walks people, gives up hits, loses games. She has successes, too. But she feels bad when things go wrong, and I feel bad for her. People say things to her or about her, and I feel bad about that. I don’t like it when she feels bad.
I don’t care at all how the game goes. I just care about her, and the way she feels about herself.
if it came across as I think she failed, then I mis spoke. But she feels as if she did, and that’s okay. Knocked down nine times, get up 10. It’s taught her resilience, but that’s a lesson that comes with a cost. I’m glad she’s learned it, but it’s still hard to watch sometimes.
I don’t care at all how the game goes. I just care about her, and the way she feels about herself.
if it came across as I think she failed, then I mis spoke. But she feels as if she did, and that’s okay. Knocked down nine times, get up 10. It’s taught her resilience, but that’s a lesson that comes with a cost. I’m glad she’s learned it, but it’s still hard to watch sometimes.
Man, it's tough sometimes being a pitcher's parent! She's going to become a very resilient adult, I am guessing! Failure will happen, softball definitely teaches them that tough lesson and how to work through it.I’m very proud of her for pitching. I’m especially proud because she’s not dominant, because she’s not overwhelming but she’s willing to step in there and try. Even after a bad inning she’s willing to go back out. She keeps throwing after walks and errors and hits and strikeouts. She’s so damn tough it breaks my heart.
So for her, I’m proud and grateful for it. But for me, it’s been a rough ride because she fails. A lot. And I powerlessly watch it every time.
DD was homeschooled because of some health issues. She was not best pitcher but she had a bad habit of winning.
I understand it is not for everyone but she would approitly high five players or in one case stair the CF down, she wanted to be left alone. She seems to be good at reading players and it could be come infection.
HC yelled at her in dugout because she was making to much noise, 2 inningings latter they asked why is it so quiet over there. You yelled at them you fool.
They learned to tolerate it.
I understand it is not for everyone but she would approitly high five players or in one case stair the CF down, she wanted to be left alone. She seems to be good at reading players and it could be come infection.
HC yelled at her in dugout because she was making to much noise, 2 inningings latter they asked why is it so quiet over there. You yelled at them you fool.
They learned to tolerate it.
