Does it take a "crazy" pitcher parent to create a college pitcher?

[AndyS]

I just created an arbitrary endpoint with college pitcher but the question remains. How much time have we all read pitching forums? How many times have you said internal rotation to another parent and then went on to describe it even though they seem the least bit interested? Seriously if you count the time we have spent on the bucket, reading forums, going to pitching camps, lessons, finding the right team to get the right combination of pitching time and rest, or actually coached the team are we all not just a wee bit insane? And is it possible that is critical to a pitchers success; an insane parent?

 

[DNeeld]

Insane or obsessed is a word the lazy use to describe the dedicated.

So, yes, you do have to be a little of both.

 

[Sparky Guy]

Insane or obsessed is a word the lazy use to describe the dedicated.

So, yes, you do have to be a little of both.

Amen... Amen... Amen.... says the choir.

When DD was playing in college she was helping me coach a 10U team. She had a game that was close to home and few of the parents and girls came out to watch. The DD had a good game and was going through the other team's lineup with relative ease. After the game one of the pitcher's mom's came up to me and said "She makes it look so easy." I just told her she was looking at results of hundreds of thousands of practice pitches being put to use.

 

[riseball]

It requires commitment from both the player and the parent. Some parents are highly involved with the technical aspects, others are not. Neither is right or wrong as long as the pitcher is afforded all of the support, opportunities, and resources for hard work to result in success.

 

[BT3100]

It's the great funnel of sports..
Take all the girls with talent throw them in the funnel..
All the girls with good coaching throw them in...
Good genes.. put them in.
Softball knowledge... them too..
Good parents.. put them in
lucky girls...

Thousands in... dozens come out.
It takes so many different elements to make a college pitcher let alone a D1....
There is no exact recipe but one thing is for sure. If the girl wants it, really wants it that will carry her a long way.

 

[JAD]

I am 99% sure I have a couple of "screws loose" that were caused by bucket time....my DD and I have developed a love/hate relationship. I am her biggest fan, but I am also her harshest critic. I do not pull any punches when she is not pitching well, especially when she has not been practicing so she can spend time with her "boyfriend".....don't get me started!

 

[grcsftbll]

5 Telltale Signs That Sports Moms Are Crazy - Scary Mommy

And of course this can apply to dads as well. We're all a little nuts, but it's good.

 

[maksoftball]

I don't understand the mechanics well enough to criticize or anything like that, but I have found myself watching other pitchers saying or muttering under my breath stuff like "if she had more power in her stride" or "look at her hips...her timing is off" or "she doesn't have whip" or "she carries the ball" or "she leans forward too much" or "look at that leap!".

Just realized I made no sense. LOL! Don't know yet...DD isn't committed.

 

[Sparky Guy]

I am 99% sure I have a couple of "screws loose" that were caused by bucket time....my DD and I have developed a love/hate relationship. I am her biggest fan, but I am also her harshest critic. I do not pull any punches when she is not pitching well, especially when she has not been practicing so she can spend time with her "boyfriend".....don't get me started!

What I used to tell my DD when she didn't want to practice is "It's not me whose going to stink it up the circle out there." That was mostly when she was in her early teens. By her mid teens the light bulb went on and she understood what she needed to do on her own to be a successful pitcher. Never got too much grief after that. Especially when she was having consistent success in the circle.

 

[sluggers]

And is it possible that is critical to a pitchers success; an insane parent?

Let's start with some basics: My DD succeeded because of who *she* is, not because of who *I* am. It was *her* athletic ability. It was *her* incessant desire to be better than everyone else. It was her *drive* to get up at 5AM in to go lift weights. It was *her* mental fortitude to put with all the crazies in softball.

So, let's not all go crazy thinking that just because a Daddy is insane, then the child will be a softball powerhouse.

A crazy parent does not guarantee success. The kid needs good coaching (both PC and on a team) and some amount of natural talent.

The craziness has to be focused:

1) The parent has to spend hours catching. Hours and hours. Other dads may go play golf or fish, but the crazy dad goes to softball tournaments, pitching lessons or catching.
2) The parent has to understand how "good" and how "bad" his DD really is.
3) In spite of the craziness, the parent has to somehow stay objective and focus on what the child needs to succeed.

Neither is right or wrong as long as the pitcher is afforded all of the support, opportunities, and resources for hard work to result in success.

Hard work, by itself, does not guarantee success.