Beneficial to fastpitch or not

[softballphreak]

I've been asked to help teach hitting to twenty-some 12U kids. Problem is, it's slow pitch. My concern is whether it would help them with fast pitch in the future. IOW, is it better than nothing?

And, yes, I did ask if they would consider fastpitch instead. The answer is, in two or three years.

Should I or shouldn't I help?

 

[Hit by the Pitch]

I would say it is better than nothing.

DD’s MS and Rec. Team always has some slow-pitch players and it does take a little while to get them to start their swing on-time and to stop dropping their hands.

 

[JAD]

I would coach them as if they were playing fastpitch and just tell them that every pitch in the game is a change up! LOL

 

[softballphreak]

I believe I've come up with a way to teach them. I remember when I was about 11 or 12 years old about every night in the summer, just before we had to come in, we would play baseball with a red rubber ball about the size of a baseball. We would hit the ball with our bare hands. Other than that the rules were the same as the real game. I vividly recall how everything but the ball was a blur when it arrived in the strike zone. I believe that helped later with the real balls when using a bat.

From what I understand most of the kids don't even have gloves, much less bats. I think the handball game will be a great way to learn the rules at least. I can teach the mechanics, including tilt of course, that they would use with a bat. This may work out after all.

First practice is tonight, Tuesday.

 

[coach james]

Some of my best players on a 14u TB team played slow pitch until they met me. They all had a slow casted swing, and would fight me tooth and nail about stealing and leads. However, their gloves were golden and could run like the wind. So after a lot of retraining the swing, and teaching them some basic fastpitch rules, they are just fine. Absolutely, yes you should help them. Keep them on the field as much as possible (and away from boys) these kids could be tomorrow's all stars.

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

 

[PEPPERS]

I've been asked to help teach hitting to twenty-some 12U kids. Problem is, it's slow pitch. My concern is whether it would help them with fast pitch in the future. IOW, is it better than nothing?

And, yes, I did ask if they would consider fastpitch instead. The answer is, in two or three years.

Should I or shouldn't I help?

There is a HS coach in the next town who recommends slow pitch for the younger players, he has a number of kids playing in college and has won a number of state titles in class 4A in Georgia. Many of the slow pitch players end up on his HS team, he suggest slow pitch up to age 12.

His thought is slow pitch gets the young players more involved in the game and they continue to play instead of getting bored and quitting.

He wants coaches of these young teams to concentrate on mechanics of throwing, fielding and hitting.