Can you help start me out?

[Mr T]

Bill's video's are excellent.

If you can get lessons from Bill, definitely go with that!

The place I referred you to teaches similar basics to what Bill teaches, and didn't change what my daughter learned from his videos. Once the movement pitches are taught there is a big divergence (peel vs rollover, 2 seam vs 4 seam, ect), however for beginning pitchers that is a non issue.
-W

Yeah I mentioned Bill by name because I was gravitating to his stuff. Maybe I will check out his building the house video.

 

[Dragoncoach]

I bought it after watching his you tube stuff. We have followed to a t and my dd seems is doing very well with it and should she decide to add advanced pitches later I think it will be easier now. Does anyone know if Bill will be doing any clinics in the kc area this year?

 

[sluggers]

This quote makes it sound like it's something I've said. You'll have to pardon me, I'm a little hypersensitive to being misquoted, it seems to happen to me a lot.

Someone told me that Bill called me a horse's rear...perhaps that was a misquote also?

 

[Hillhouse]

Ray, the only way you'd know that this is false and I didn't say it is... I didn't say it TO you. LOL. Besides, I typically don't use phrases like "horse's rear".

Dragoncoach, I get asked several times per year about coming to the KC area. I've been there a few times and would love to go back. It's finding help to organize it that's the hard part.

Bill

 

[Momo'sDad]

Bought 'Building the House' for my daughter and she's watched it twice - once with me, and once on her own. She occasionally refers back to it during practice. I have watched a bunch of other pitchers on YouTube, but she has only watched the Hillhouse DVD and that's fine by me.

She does love Michele Smith's bat, though.

 

[sluggers]

Who knows their stuff?

Generally, not very many...but on this forum, we have several great people: Bill Hillhouse, Ken Krause, Screwball, Amy, to name just a few.

Is there much consensus?

Yes, among people who have really spent some time working with pitchers. Unfortunately, there are many more bozos walking around who think they know something about pitching. Like snake oil salesmen, they have a really good sales pitch.

Find someone who knows pitching and then ignore everyone else.

Another reference point is our league supplies coaches with Michele Smith fastpitch softball for beginners. Is it considered sound?

Hmmm...

Perhaps your money would be better spent on Bill's DVD. It is very good.

I guess I'm asking who to believe

Simple: Believe the person who can explain it to you so that you can understand the "how" and the "why". Pitching is not rocket science. Everything has a simple explanation.

E.g., "why do the hips stay open as the arm passes the hips"? Easy--for almost all women, the hips are wider than the shoulders. So, if the hips close before arm goes by, the arm has to circle around the hips, resulting in a loss of speed and accuracy. Simple, right?

although maybe I should first ask if beginning pitching is different than advanced pitching.

Good fundamentals should be used by the beginner to the super-advanced pitcher.

BUT: the easiest way to teach your DD how to throw hard with accuracy would be to use a horrible pitching motion. Her lack of proper fundamentals would catch up with her around 11 or 12 YOA, at which time she would be left far behind pitchers with good fundamentals.

At your DD's age, you will see many pitchers using awful throwing motions and getting as good or better results than pitchers with a good pitching motion. Ultimately, pitchers with poor fundamentals are left far behind, but it usually takes a few years.

So, you always have to ask yourself, "Do I want a great 10U pitcher? Or do I want a great college pitcher?"