Example of 12U coach pitch calling--please, don't be this guy.

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Feb 22, 2013
206
18
I have been working with a 13 year old flame thrower for the past 3 years. Last summer she invited me to a softball tournament that was being played near the city where I live. I told her that I would try to sneak away from my wife on the weekend and watch her pitch. The 1st game that she pitched in, she came in as a reliever and over-powered every batter with her fastball. The 2nd game that she pitched in, she pitched to a 2nd year 14U team that had cherry picked the elite talent from a neighboring state. She got beat by 11 runs throwing the very same fastball as she did in the 1st game.

After exchanging pleasantries, she asked me what I thought about her pitching. I told her that I thought that she wanted to learn how to pitch a softball not just try to throw it by every hitter. That the only thing that I saw on that day was her throwing fastballs. I told her that when she practiced pitching that we moved the ball up and down and changed speeds, yet during 2 games she didn't do anything to try to keep the batters guessing, off balance or uncomfortable. I told her that she needed to read the batters, look at where they were standing around the plate and adjust her pitching to game situations(bunts, steals, sacrifices etc,). She told me that she had to throw the pitches that her coach called. To her credit, she understood that the coach calling pitches didn't understand what she could and couldn't throw. Yes, there are a lot of coaches calling pitches that have no clue about pitching, sequencing or kid's abilities.

The next day, she found herself pitching in the championship game against the same team that had put a whooping on her the day before. She had a new pitch caller and got beat 2-0 in 7 innings, She struck out 12 batters after striking out only 1 batter in the two teams previous meeting. She received an offer by the other team's coach to play for his team in upcoming tournaments, as he was smart enough to know that every time his kids hit a single, they were on 3rd base in two pitches.

I personally enjoy watching kids try to pitch. I think there is a game within the game. As a coach that liked to call pitches with the more advanced pitchers, I liked to see what they could throw during certain situations. I liked the immediate feedback that I also received during the game. I had a few pitchers that really surprised me on how accomplished that had become at early ages. If we aren't preparing pitchers for future successes during competitive games, I wonder why coaches recruit at tournament games instead of getting feedback coaches on how they practice.
 
Dec 30, 2011
47
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I'm sometimes confused by the mixed messages received here. On one hand we have everyone saying that 12u is all about development. Wins and losses don't matter. Pitchers need circle time in order to develop. Then we get a thread like this where it seems that everyone is advocating for the pitcher to just throw fastball after fastball in order to get the hitter out. Help me understand how throwing fastball after fastball in order to "just get the batter out and move on" and never throwing an off speed or breaking pitch is helpful towards the development of a pitcher.
100 percent agree!!
 
Feb 18, 2014
348
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An 08 Select team versus an 07 Gold........... I am so glad we don't have that around here. Teams just get names, not that fact that they are uber elite named team.
 
Jun 8, 2016
16,118
113
An 08 Select team versus an 07 Gold........... I am so glad we don't have that around here. Teams just get names, not that fact that they are uber elite named team.
It is just a name. I mean if it was instead Force 08 We Will Kick Everybodies' rear and Glory Adkins You Suck and We Don't 07 I might have an issue otherwise what is the big deal?
 
Feb 18, 2014
348
28
It is just a name. I mean if it was instead Force 08 We Will Kick Everybodies' rear and Glory Adkins You Suck and We Don't 07 I might have an issue otherwise what is the big deal?
It is directly tied to the criticism of the pitch calling. 10u with armbands to call pitches so the pitcher can throw balls. It's hilarious.
 
Jun 8, 2016
16,118
113
It is directly tied to the criticism of the pitch calling. 10u with armbands to call pitches so the pitcher can throw balls. It's hilarious.
Right, but in that case it actually effects the game. A name is just that, a name. Look I think it is silly too but whatever...
 
Aug 2, 2019
343
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It is just a name. I mean if it was instead Force 08 We Will Kick Everybodies' rear and Glory Adkins You Suck and We Don't 07 I might have an issue otherwise what is the big deal?
I actually like that better. A little extra swag never hurt anyone. Just better not go 1-3 on the weekend with a name like that.
 
Dec 11, 2010
4,713
113
It’s not really an all or nothing proposition.

What I’m saying is when the count is 0-2, do we really need to throw three “waste pitches” fourteen inches off the plate that no one will swing at?
 
May 29, 2019
6
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This was supposed to be a hitting video...but I got mesmerized by the coach calling pitches. This is an example of the insanity of 12U softball...watch the coach calling pitches for a pitcher who doesn't have any.

The pitcher can't hit her spots and doesn't have any pitches.. No big deal...she is a normal 12U pitcher. She'll get much better.

What should the coach do? LEAVE THE KID ALONE AND LET HER PITCH. Maybe remind the kid to try to hit the corners every once in a while.

But, the coach has a bucket. So, of course, the coach has to do something. He calls fastball after fastball, occasionally indicating inside or outside.

The batter can't touch the fastball. Naturally, the coach calls a breaking pitch, which comes in at 40MPH, and the batter rips it into right center..

 

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