Catcher throwing too hard?

[CCJR]

My daughter is a 12U catcher who is being told by other players and coaches that she is throwing the ball too hard to the other players, including the pitcher. As a coach, I have wanted her to make solid throws back to the pitcher to avoid delayed steals and to try to dissuade other teams from stealing as much if they see a catcher that has a good arm. When she tries to lob the ball back to the pitcher as she has been told, her release point on the throw is not always good and her throwing accuracy to the pitcher decreases. We are working on throwing accuracy when throwing at slower speeds, but I would be interested in some input as to what you think about a 12U catcher being told that she throws the ball too hard.

Roz,

I have gotten this question many times in the past, and most of the time it simply is a testament to the talent on the team. Some of the time, it is a legitimate claim that the catcher has a very above average arm for her age. There are two issues at hand here.

One, her throws back to the pitcher are too hard and the pitchers are complaining because they are worried they will not be able to catch the ball. This is a legitimate concern. As catchers we need to be able to deliver the ball back to the circle quickly, but in a way that allows the pitcher to catch it easily. It might be worth it to head out to a field and have her practice taking something off the ball a little, while maintaining her accuracy.

Two, coaches are telling her that she is throwing too hard to other players, not including the pitcher. This is something I NEVER want my catchers worrying about whatsoever. As she gets older, the girls who cannot catch the balls she throws will no longer be holding down a starting spot on that team. I do NOT ever want my catcher thinking about how hard she is throwing or waiting to throw in a game. The game of softball is simply too fast to have a catcher back there worrying about whether she is about to throw the ball too hard, or whether the girl she is throwing to can handle it. Also, if in the middle of a throw she starts to think about slowing her arm action down to compensate for the teammates deficiencies, there is a very good chance she will do something mechanically different with her arm, which in turn could cause injury. Her job is to get the ball into the air as quickly as she can, not to wait, and not to consider how hard she is throwing.

Some food for thought...Softball is one of those games where it is very common for some girls to mature sooner and play up a level because of that. Certainly, all skill areas should be taken into account when making this decision, but it may be worth thinking about whether your daughter should be playing U14.

 

[Roz]

CCJR,

Thanks for your insights. Your point about trying to decrease throwing velocity leading to alterations in throwing mechanics is exactly what is happening now. My DD has begun to drop her elbow and is almost throwing sidearm now since the coaches have made efforts at getting her to slow her throws down. Just have to work on mechanics again after the season is over.....

 

[Chris O'Leary]

I had to teach her, that there are more than two speeds of a throw.(fast and lob)

This is a pretty common problem, especially with players who have the arm and like to show it off, sometimes for "fun" (I say "fun" because it often isn't fun to be on the receiving end of one of those throws, especially if you aren't expecting it).

Players need to be taught to throw at least 3 speeds, if not a few more.

For instance, the routine throw from 2B to 1B shouldn't be made at the same velocity as the throw from SS to 1B.

Also, there's a difference between lobbing the ball and throwing it (mostly) on a line but not as hard as you can.

 

[InTheCrowd]

My DD is a catcher and has always had the same complaints about how hard she can throw. She bruises my hand through the mitt when we play catch.

"It's not that she's throwing too hard, it's that they aren't catching it soft enough."

 

[obbay]

Last year I had a girl try catching was fairly big and very athletic. a ball got past her, pitcher covered home and she almost broke the pitcher's finger she whipped it so hard.

that's when I learned I needed to teach the girls the difference between throwing quick and throwing hard. (Thank you Howard Kobata)

I've also seen girls throw from 2B-1B like they were throwing from 3B.
AND on the other hand, I've seen them underhand it when they were too close for overhand but the throw floats through the air in a slo-mo, rainbow arc.

I teach my girls to throw hard (outfield or 3B - 1B),
to throw quick (infield to 1B, catcher to 2B)
and to throw underhand when too close (but not close enough to make the out yourself) flat and quick.

I hate when coaches complain about a kid throwing too hard. happened to my older DD once. she was a rookie and the receiver (a veteran) interrupted the coach's rant to tell him it was her fault- it was a good throw, she just missed it.

 

[guero_gordo]

It's not limited to catchers. I have a friend who's DD didn't get to pitch at first in travel ball because the coach didn't think the catchers could handle her heat. Never underestimate some people's ability to solve the wrong end of the problem.

I use the John Madden quote as an analogy:
"There is no such thing as out-kicking your coverage, If they can't keep up, I'll get faster guys."

 

[obbay]

I have a friend who's DD didn't get to pitch at first in travel ball because the coach didn't think the catchers could handle her heat.

Something similar happened a few years ago on all-stars- the lame all-star coach put his #1 pitcher's sister on the team to catch because he thought she was the only one who could handle her velocity (which wasn't that fast). two better catchers and all-around better players didn't get to play so that girl could catch her sister. she played a lot, didn't play well and never got on base throughout the whole tournament.

 

[quincy]

Our Team had a girl that threw the ball really fast, unfortunately no one knew where it was going. Umpire said he was tired of getting hit with the ball and we needed to remove the pitcher.