There has got to be some pay off along the way or anyone would give up. It is like knitting a blanket that takes 3 years to make and can't be used till its finished. GG
My DD started pitching lessons the year she turned 12. She pitched rec after the first year, the following year, now 14u, she was an #3 pitcher on a "B team", which means she did get games on Saturday, but did not pitch alot. By the following year, she could pitch for middle school and get games that way and was #1 pitcher on the 14UB team (in NJ so maybe that is really a C). I think what really motivated my DD was seeing other girls pitch- that is what got her started, and kept her going- she wanted to be like them. She has a competitive nature. I would try to take her to see older girls play, and she would also see them pitch at tournaments, and that is what she wanted to be.
Now that she is in high school, the goals are more focused. Pitching for varsity, developing effective new pitch, trying to improve her skill to the best that she can be, but looking back, it was seeing the other pitchers who were successful was sufficient motivation to work hard at getting better, even without the "payoff". I would say first REAL payoff for DD was middle school as an 8th grader, and was 3 years into it.
Being a "bucket parent" is like Dickens "tale of two cities".. it is the best of times, it is the worst of times... sometimes at the same time.
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