Coach Won't Let Kid Do What She Can Do

[ctfastpitch]

Pitch to contact. That's a great idea. Like last fall when she lost a game 23-1 and gave up 0 walks, and 3 earned runs. Or last Spring when she gave up probably half a dozen walks all Spring and lost every game.

I don't know why I didn't think of that.

She gave up 0 walks and 3 earned runs, but her team lost 23-1???? It sounds like the problem is not with her pitching, but with the defense behind her!!! It almost sounds like you want her to strike everyone out, so the ball never gets in play. Lot of pressure to put on a 12 year-old.

At 12U, unless she is an unusually dominant pitcher, the ball is going to be put in play very often. She needs to be able to rely on her defense to get outs. You can't expect her to carry a lousy defense with her pitching.

Generally at 12U a pitcher can't win games by herself....but she can certainly lose them with walks & passed balls. Again, have her focus on hitting spots, and changing speeds.

 

[PA SB Dad]

Pitch to contact. That's a great idea. Like last fall when she lost a game 23-1 and gave up 0 walks, and 3 earned runs. Or last Spring when she gave up probably half a dozen walks all Spring and lost every game.

I don't know why I didn't think of that.

EPD, you are the kind of prima dona parent that makes me cringe. You are all about your daughter - what is best for "my kid", what you want her to do, how you want her to show what she can do, how her feelings are being hurt because the coach does not know what she is doing. You act like you and your kid deserve some sort of medal because she took lessons for a few months before the season started. Guess what - it earns her is a chance from her coach to pitch if she is good enough. It's a team sport, where at 12U pitchers need to know that they can trust their teammates to make the plays behind them. If she is so far above the other players, then you should look for a better team that has better fielders - and probably better pitchers where your DD will not see circle time.

Listen to what the others are trying to tell you - take a deep breath, and chill. It's a child's game, not MLB.

 

[Ken Krause]

My question is whether the coach has seen EP Dad's daughter throw any movement pitches. You never know, she might actually be good at them, in which case she should be using them. If he has, and has then made the decision not to use them that's his choice. If he hasn't and is just assuming she can't because people say a 12U can't do it, that's a poor decision.

Kids grow and mature at different rates. Most 12U pitchers struggle with gaining speed, control and a good changeup, but not all. I've had a select few who got that and actually could throw movement pitches -- drops and curves mostly. No reason not to use them, and believe me they used them effectively. It all depends on the pitcher.

 

[EP Dad]

EPD, you are the kind of prima dona parent that makes me cringe. You are all about your daughter - what is best for "my kid", what you want her to do, how you want her to show what she can do, how her feelings are being hurt because the coach does not know what she is doing. You act like you and your kid deserve some sort of medal because she took lessons for a few months before the season started. Guess what - it earns her is a chance from her coach to pitch if she is good enough. It's a team sport, where at 12U pitchers need to know that they can trust their teammates to make the plays behind them. If she is so far above the other players, then you should look for a better team that has better fielders - and probably better pitchers where your DD will not see circle time.

Listen to what the others are trying to tell you - take a deep breath, and chill. It's a child's game, not MLB.

Pretty amazing accomplishment for me to get there. We used to be the prototype team players. Encouraging the other girls, helping on the field, etc. etc. etc.

Then we were told our daughter can't pitch/will never pitch @10 years old. So, we did something about it. And now that she's the number one pitcher on her team all were asking for is that she gets to work on the things she's learned and she gets a "no". Again.

There's not really anywhere else for her to go. When she starts trying out for 14U Club Teams then she'll be able to pick her own team and this stuff will hopefully go away.

Oh, and I'm pretty sure if I were a prima donna I would tell my kid to just throw the pitches anyway. Or call the game from the stands. I'm not going to do that, nor did I ever entertain the thought.

 

[coachtucc]

Has anyone even asked the coach for a sitdown meeting...seems like their is lack of communication and fault on both sides!

 

[EP Dad]

Has anyone even asked the coach for a sitdown meeting...seems like their is lack of communication and fault on both sides!

I have. I wanted everyone's opinion before I went to the meeting so I was as humble, congenial, and prepared as possible. Scheduled for tomorrow after practice.

 

[coachtucc]

I have. I wanted everyone's opinion before I went to the meeting so I was as humble, congenial, and prepared as possible. Scheduled for tomorrow after practice.

EXCELLENT JOB DAD!! good luck!!

 

[Lozza]

EPdad your daughter has been having pitching lessons for a couple of months and has a screw and drop? Am I correct in reading that?

 

[EP Dad]

EPdad your daughter has been having pitching lessons for a couple of months and has a screw and drop? Am I correct in reading that?

She's been taking lessons of some sort for over 3 years. But they were sporadic clinics, stuff offered by the association, etc. Last August we hired a pitching coach for her and she's been going every week for an hour. 1/2 hour of instruction and 1/2 hour of practice. She also attended the association practices clinics etc. over the winter.

The coach broke her completely down and rebuilt her to start. Nothing but fastballs and changeups. Once she had the new pitching motion down and could hit spots with the fastball the coach introduced the drop ball. She took to that very quickly. Whatever wrist snap is it's what my daughter is best at when it comes to pitching. She can't throw very hard, but she does have good control and wrist (IR) whatever you want to call it. We worked with just those three pitches from about November to just after tryouts in late February. In March she was introduced to the screwball (which is very easy for her to throw and learn by the way) and she has been working on those (4) pitches since. She pitched Spring Domeball and was using all (4) pitches in game situations, practices, and lessons every week.

Her Achilles Heel has been the Change-Up. She throws it pretty well but disguise and control are more elusive with that pitch. For a while her drop was actually better than her fastball but that has turned around. The Screwball has been going nicely but she only really gets that right probably 60-70% of the time. But, when she misses with that one it's just like her fastball and since her delivery is a little different for that it keeps the hitters off balance I'm assuming.

And that's where we're at now. She won't be introduced to the curve ball until probably next fall. But, that's up to her pitching coach which is what she was hired for.

 

[Lozza]

So in seven months your 12 year old daughter has been shown how not to pitch, re-trained her muscle memory to get the accurate motion, using this new motion hits all her spots (something she wouldn't have been taught much of before if it was sporadic) has a decent drop and developed a screwball? And struggles with the change-up but can still throw them of assuming?

You need to take your daughter to D1 colleges. It took Arizonas top pitcher the same time to do the same thing your daughter did.

I have no doubt you mean well. I'm having an extremely hard time believing your daughter is able to not only hit her spots and have a consistent drop after less than a year of lessons, but throws a screw too. Is there any chance of seeing video? Because I'll quite happily be proven wrong.

I understand where the coach is coming from here. I'd have a hard time believing it. Has he asked her to show him in training?