Difference between practice and game

[commish]

Hello all I am new to the site and love all the information that I am getting from the posts. I have a 10 year old pitcher that loves to play the game. She is making the jump from Rec to Travel this year. She had a great summer last year with her team taking 3 firsts and one second in all-star tournaments last year. My questions are.

1.) How can I get my daughter to practice like she pitches in the game? She is opposite than most where she pitches faster and more accurate in games than at home.

2.) Side question. How do I determine if she is good enough for A ball? She is on a B level team now but we have subbed for an A level team and they like what she does on the mound. I just don't want her to make too big of a jump too soon.

Thanks and be easy on me I am new. LOL

 

[gator5]

I can't really answer your questions but wanted to make one observation. My daughter always pitches better in games. The bigger the game, the better she pitches. It is difficult to get jacked up to throw xxx pitches to your dad sitting on a bucket.

 

[RetiredCoach]

Hi commish,

Welcome to DFP! I think that you will like it here.

Anyway, I have two DDs who pitch and have pitched at the A level. There is no consistent A level. The quality of play at the A level varies from region to region and team to team. You'd have to evaluate the situation for yourself. I think the most important thing at your DDs age is to get innings. You do not want to move to a team where your DD will not get the opportunity to pitch a lot whether it is an A or a B team.

Concerning getting your DD to pitch in practice like she does in a game, first I'll mention my oldest DD. In practice, sometimes, she looks so-so. However, put her in a game and her focus is 100% and her level of play goes way up. She just doesn't seem able to put this type of focus into a practice, and my not need to since it is always there when she needs it. With that said, you may try recreating game situations during practice. Anythings to engage her interest and help her to focus.

 

[coach james]

I love the fact she already knows how to "turn it on"... Killer instincts are rare. Just remind her to practice how she plays. Also it may behoove you to stand in the batters box. This should give her a more realistic, game like practice.

 

[quincy]

You need to figure out how to put some pressure on her in practice.

Can be anything with a small reward or punishment if she doesn't achieve the goal.

DD gets a kick out of me having to run a lap.

 

[Terror Coach]

I would have to agree with retiredcoach. I wouldn't worry to much about what level her team is at this point. I'm registered as a b level team. I have a good little team with very good pitching. I listed myself as a b level team because it really doesn't matter. No matter what I listed us as we would still play in the same tournaments. Tournaments in this area are always a mix of a and b teams at the 10u level.

What is important is the competition level at the tournaments you play in. I treat my pitchers like young prize fighters. You want them facing competition that helps them grow. As long as your daughter is growing as a pitcher that is what matters.

 

[sluggers]

1.) How can I get my daughter to practice like she pitches in the game? She is opposite than most where she pitches faster and more accurate in games than at home.

???

Your DD *SHOULD* be throwing better in a game than in practice. If she wasn't, then you would have a problem.

When an athlete competes in a game, she should "turn off" all of her internal voices about how to pitch (or do anything) and trust her training. She shouldn't be thinking about drive mechanics, brush interference, internal rotation, etc. She should simply pitch.

When she practices, she should be focused on a problem with her mechanics or learning something new. So, she will slow down.

The only problem she *might* have is if she understands about impressing a coach. Sometimes at practice she might have to get into the "pitching" frame of mind at practice to get more playing time.

How do I determine if she is good enough for A ball? She is on a B level team now but we have subbed for an A level team and they like what she does on the mound. I just don't want her to make too big of a jump too soon.

a) How many walks per game?

b) How well do the A teams hit her? How many line shots are they hitting off her? Don't be confused about how many hits she gives up...that is determined by the rest of the team. Focus on how well the other team is hitting her.

If she pitched A ball and gave up 2 walks and 4 line shots, then she would be ready.

If she pitched A ball and walked 5 and give up 10 line shots, then she would not be ready.

c) Does your DD want to compete? If she is knocked down five times, will she get up six?

She will have her rear end handed to her by some of the A teams. She has to lick her wounds, then go to work to make sure it doesn't happens again. She has to be resilient.

 

[commish]

Our team we are on doesn't start up till spring. We subbed for a B team with coaches approval. She went 3 and 1 and won the tournament.
For A level team we subbed for she only had to pitch 2 innings total. She was used to give their ace some rest. 1st inning was 3 strike outs no walks no hits. second game she pitched she walked first batter second batter was bunt single then 3 strike outs with no runs given up.

a) on average with time games (4 innings) 2 to three walks
b) limited sample but nothing yet
c) even though she is skinny but taller she won't back down from anyone when she is on the mound. She has been hit before while on the mound, I asked if she wanted to let someone else finish the game she just looked at me and said give the ball, I got it. I could not be more proud of her toughness. Still waiting on the real beat down yet to see how she reacts.

We may have another chance or 2 to sub for A team before our team starts in Spring.

 

[spleen1015]

I think it is common that they pitch better in games than when practicing. My DD has always been this way.

It's frustrating when a coach makes his SP decision based on who looks better in warmups.

Dude, you know who the right pitcher is.....

 

[Rick Pauly]

Commish
Welcome aboard.....lots of very good people on this site....and a ton of great info.
Relative to the location question......I am guessing she increases her attention/focus during games which is great. Now how do you take that back to practice and make things even better? Here is a link to one of my website pages that has some location info and drill info: Fastpitch Resources

One of the drills is "36's Know Your Misses". It is one of my favorite location scoring drills. A couple things I see in most pithers: 1) If there is a scorecard they focus more; 2) Lots of kids can do well with their location...but when you ask them to do it at game speed the results are not as good.....so give her a target speed and a bonus point for every time she throws a 3 Point Strike at or above the target speed. You can do the same thing using spin rates....or you can really pile on and make her hit a target speed and spin rate. You will definitely see the focus go up........oh, and one rule you will want to insist on....No arguing with whoever is the umpire for your scoring test.....
Good luck with the pitching.....sounds like you are headed the right direction.