DD cannot throw strikes..

[Shawn]

Thank you for the advice. This is essentially what I’ve done and will continue to do but seeing that she’s not consistent in the zone Im just trying to add a little more focus on the accuracy part to get her into games.


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Without seeing her, I would bet she is pushing the ball and not whipping.

 

[SoftballDadPHD]

I'm saying this with humor, but also with a bit of experience and sincerity.

She needs to stop pitching. Focus on hitting. Accuracy is hard to teach, and if she doesn't have a good feel for it at 12, it's really hard to instill later. I say this as someone whose daughter struggled with accuracy from 12 until 18, and I still take deep breaths every time she gets to ball 2. I've learned that you either were taught the correct techniques early, or you had a natural feel, but if you don't have a good feel for being able to throw where you want at 12, 14's going to be harder and 16 even harder.

And your coach either doesn't know how to teach accuracy, but they like your money so they are going to keep helping her get incrementally better. And she will be -- DD got her walks down to less than one an inning this year, but that's still not great. Some girls just don't have the knack, so maybe think about a different way to enjoy the game. And hitting always helps and is valued.

She works on hitting plenty and absolutely crushes balls. I understand where you’re coming from though. As frustrating as it gets, it’s quite possible that she’s one mechanical fix away from being consistent in the zone. She’s a good player but nothing ever came easy for her. Pitching being one of things.


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[SoftballDadPHD]

Without seeing her, I would bet she is pushing the ball and not whipping.

Here’s a quick video. This is generally how she misses.


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[Ken B]

 

[abbygale]

At least the ball is going right where she is throwing it.

 

[DNeeld]

She works on hitting plenty and absolutely crushes balls. I understand where you’re coming from though. As frustrating as it gets, it’s quite possible that she’s one mechanical fix away from being consistent in the zone. She’s a good player but nothing ever came easy for her. Pitching being one of things.


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You are correct, but its actually two mechanical fixes.

First, is the brush interference she misses, as Ken pointed out in the still.

Second is she is to rotational, meaning she is rotating her shoulders into release.

She needs to concentrate on the four points of resistance: https://www.discussfastpitch.com/threads/front-side-resistance.19828/

Particularly this one:

 

[radness]

I'm saying this with humor, but also with a bit of experience and sincerity.

She needs to stop pitching. Focus on hitting. Accuracy is hard to teach, and if she doesn't have a good feel for it at 12, it's really hard to instill later. I say this as someone whose daughter struggled with accuracy from 12 until 18, and I still take deep breaths every time she gets to ball 2. I've learned that you either were taught the correct techniques early, or you had a natural feel, but if you don't have a good feel for being able to throw where you want at 12, 14's going to be harder and 16 even harder.

And your coach either doesn't know how to teach accuracy, but they like your money so they are going to keep helping her get incrementally better. And she will be -- DD got her walks down to less than one an inning this year, but that's still not great. Some girls just don't have the knack, so maybe think about a different way to enjoy the game. And hitting always helps and is valued.

Theres another measuring stick/tool
How many walks.

 

[jdint]

Here’s a quick video. This is generally how she misses.


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I should stay out of this, but when my DD misses like this I tell her she is throwing "around" her hip. Meaning her arm is coming out and rotating around the hip rather than brushing up against the hip (think more of a direct path). Like @abbygale said, the ball is going exactly where she is throwing it. This is fixable, but it might take a bit to change the muscle memory.

 

[wheresmycar]

My DD has been taking lessons for 2.5 seasons

Does this mean, 2 and 1/2 years? Honestly, that is not very long. You comparing her to pitchers, many of whom have been in lessons since they were 10, some since they were 8. And practicing 3x a week may actually be detrimental, if you are reinforcing the wrong things...

 

[whiporee]

Theres another measuring stick/tool
How many walks.

I liken it to jazz. Jazz has the reputation of being improvisational, but in order to improvise on stage, you have to establish you know what you're doing -- you have to have your chops. If you go up there before doing that and start just going wild, the rest of the ensemble will throw you off the stage.

12 is when she should start developing other pitches, but she can't do that if she can't put the ball where she wants to put it. And I'm just saying anything to save some heartbreak, because I have lived with a DD who, try as she might (and she has, with every accuracy drill and technique we can find) struggles to put it where she wants it when she needs to. There are a lot of girls like that out there, and they are usually just good enough. But, at least for my DD, I think she would have been better served becoming an invaluable offensive player than a decent pitcher. That's all I was trying to say to OP.