Dilemma or not???

[Boomers2012]

Ok, i have a question.....my DD plays on an upper level B travel ball team and plays in tournys about every weekend. If we arent playing on that team, she picks up with a couple other B level teams, so basically she plays almost every weekend. She was asked just this past weekend to join an A level organization (beside the point but another decision we are going to have to make). She also plays for a local rec level team in pretty lower level rec league. This is a team with her friends from school and who she will be playing with for school ball next year. The pitching distance for the rec league is 43 ft (she is 12U) and the people running this league do not seem to care that usssa, asa, etc....are all 40 ft. I personally think they dont want to move pitching rubbers but anyway.....im wondering if this will cause a problem pitching from 43 ft in the rec league and then having to switch to 40 ft on the weekends during tournys? Im probably being too picky but the thought crossed my mind.....any advice?

 

[LeftiesDad]

Having gone through similar a couple years ago DD playing 14u at 40' and 16u at 43'. Her experience was that it was actually a harder adjustment hitting than pitching. She didn't have as much movement on her pitches at 40' but had enough control to adjust her CU and RB and still make them effective. I talked to a couple other pitchers in our area when we were preparing for the mixed season and their experience was similar, pitching wasn't that hard of an adjustment (they just felt faster at 40')

 

[Rick Pauly]

The problem I see with the increased 43 ft. distance is that if the pitcher is not mechanically solid and strong......she may start to compromise her mechanics just to get the ball the extra 3 ft while maintaining her speed. This problem often manifests itself when 10U girls move up to 12U and have to move from 35 ft. up to 40 ft. plus move from the 11" ball up to the 12" ball all in the same year. I am going to take a swag here, but this may be the single biggest culprit to degrading mechanics.
Keep an eye on her mechanics....if no issues then continue the two distances.

 

[bucket pinata]

Our 12u A team plays mostly 14a but reverts back to 12 for national tourneys and state/metros, etc,etc. All four of our pitchers constantly are switching from 40 one weekend to 43 the next. At this point I doubt any of them could tell what distance they are pitching from or care. If she is that driven to play all those games just go get the circle time.

 

[javasource]

Might not be the original question... and I don't want to derail the thread... but I view Lizzy as an A-level pitcher... with gold potential.

When I played hoops as a kid, I always played to the level of my competition... having to go out of my way... and out of my comfort level to get better. Giving her a double-dose of B and rec might be familiar to her... and you Boomer... but this familiarity may cause her to plateau.

As I've a vested interest in her development as a pitcher... and viewing you both as friends... I really hope you consider surrounding her with talent above her level, too. Having fun is super-important... don't get me wrong... I just see her lacking a little balance (high-level AND fun is balance).

Balance is important... cause playing for 2.5 sub A-level teams is a lot of games, and lots of pitches... including all the ones she throws at home... and then there is school ball coming up, too. I'd guess she is approaching a thousand pitches a week between practice and games... which is something to keep an eye on, too. Every pitch she throws should make her better AND require that she gets better.

A-level competition is going to push you both... and she'll learn to push back... something B-level won't always present for her... and HS won't at all.

In all of that... ^^^ ... is also my opinion on the distance differences. Go get 'em, Lizzy! ~JS

 

[JAD]

I am more worried about the roster rules. You need to be careful. There is an electronic record in usssa, and some competitor in ASA might not appreciate the team switching. You sign a form that you are playing with one team in ASA when you go to qualifiers, and there may be local level rules as well, such as if you go A as a player you can't go back to B.

In our area, ASA qualifiers are the only tournaments with strict roster guidelines. Pickup players are common amongst all of the other tournaments.

 

[Boomers2012]

Might not be the original question... and I don't want to derail the thread... but I view Lizzy as an A-level pitcher... with gold potential.

When I played hoops as a kid, I always played to the level of my competition... having to go out of my way... and out of my comfort level to get better. Giving her a double-dose of B and rec might be familiar to her... and you Boomer... but this familiarity may cause her to plateau.

As I've a vested interest in her development as a pitcher... and viewing you both as friends... I really hope you consider surrounding her with talent above her level, too. Having fun is super-important... don't get me wrong... I just see her lacking a little balance (high-level AND fun is balance).

Balance is important... cause playing for 2.5 sub A-level teams is a lot of games, and lots of pitches... including all the ones she throws at home... and then there is school ball coming up, too. I'd guess she is approaching a thousand pitches a week between practice and games... which is something to keep an eye on, too. Every pitch she throws should make her better AND require that she gets better.

A-level competition is going to push you both... and she'll learn to push back... something B-level won't always present for her... and HS won't at all.

In all of that... ^^^ ... is also my opinion on the distance differences. Go get 'em, Lizzy! ~JS

Thank you Java. Great advice and words of wisdom. We apppreciate it.

 

[WaSpeed02]

Boomers, your DD and mine are about the same age so I definitely can relate to you in many ways. I always enjoy your updates on her progress. I don't think your DD is much different than mine as far as speed goes. My DD is playing first-year 12U travel ball and we play a lot of "A" teams, even though we have registered as a B team. Surprisingly, my DD has held her own just fine. I didn't expect it, but she is. She has already faced challenges (especially against good hitting girls who are a year older) that she hasn't before. She's learned A TON that I didn't anticipate, especially on the mental aspects to pitching.

Based on the video clips you've posted, you will have a hard time convincing me Lizzie isn't ready for stiff competition. If you have any doubts, my suggestion would be that you lean toward getting her against the highest level of competition that she can handle. And don't look back. Just my 2 cents. Good luck.

 

[corlay]

The 40/43 isnt a dilemma in my mind.

What i would caution against is the number of teams/games she is involved with, and guarding against burn-out.
Seems like an awful lot of softball for a 12u.

Like java suggested, she is probably well north of 1k pitches/week.

I know from the posts/vids here, that she has incredible work ethic and drive, but maintaining a balance of softball and other non-softball "kids stuff" i think goes a long way in developing and maintaining a love of the sport.

Every DD and family is different, and this advice is given from an "if it were me" standpoint, which of course, you are not.
But if it were me, id find an A-level 12u travel club and also play rec/school; but wouldnt seek out additional travel if my main team tournament schedule is aggressive. Rec and school seasons are pretty short, so youd only be doubling-up with teams for a few months of the year. And the A-level 12u is the main constant/focus.