Fastball versus Dropball for 9 year old

[cmustangsfp]

Also depends on how much drop they have too. My DD's drop ball dives hard at the plate and out of the strike zone, so younger batters would not swing at it anyway so it would end up as a ball. It only is becoming effective as we get above 12U when girls are used to swinging at what appears to be a strike at first. At younger ages I don't call the dropball. I care more about putting it in play. Also agree on the flamethrowers issue. I have had several pitchers that could throw it fast but had no control. It reminded me of a tire ad I saw years ago. It had a picture of an Olympic track star in high heels and said speed is nothing without control. We ususally teach the FB and change up first. Once they have control of those we start moving to other pitches. Had one girl on my team that had an absolutely nasty change up, you couldn't tell the difference between her FB motion and the CU motion and she would get batters reaching most of the time.
Also correcting the mechanics the correct way makes a difference too. I have seen plenty of girls trying to "guide the pitch" using incorrect mechanics.

 

[Groundhog32]

I'm currently working with about 5 9 year olds, and i don't really worry about spin. I'm working on proper mechanics, getting them to use their legs, snapping the ball, and long toss for strength. If they have mastered the form and can throw hard strikes at will, then I will begin working on spin (the drop ball) and maybe a change up.

 

[JJsqueeze]

My point is that speed is a really good indicator of good mechanics, more so than accuracy. With a new pitcher, focusing on accuracy first leads to a lot of bowling and hello elbow. By de-emphasizing accuracy at a young age it frees them up to get their basics right. From my admittedly limited experience, good mechanics introduce an east-west control issue that slower-more accurate pitchers do not have to contend with because they tend to bowl a lot. Of course there are exceptions and girls learn quickly and can have both going, but often it is one or the other, they are either slow and accurate or fast and wild. Now back to your regularly scheduled thread of drop vs. fastball.

I'd focus on getting that top down spin pitch perfected whether you call it a drop or a fastball. It's not going to drop a heck of a lot in 8u but it is more indicative of good mechanics than a bullet spin pitch and it dovetails nicely into a full fledged peel drop a little later. Some will kill me for this but I don't see how the physics of a bullet spin pitch are advantageous to a pitcher at all. It indicates a force on the ball that is going perpendicular to the direction of motion so how could it be the fastest pitch? If it is not the fastest pitch then what good is it? It just ends up being a slower pitch with no movement. Please someone tell me if I'm missing something because I really want to understand if there is a role for a bullet spin pitch in a repertoire.

 

[FrozenRope]

I think you might be missing my point. You can teach a newbie, whether they are 7 or 12, how to pitch consistently and with speed, as long as the mechanics are sound. The problem with flamethrowers with no accuracy is that unless you have a very patient coach, they won't get much valuable time in the circle which is critical to their development. There are plenty of 8U pitchers that are very accurate, it really comes down to the kids that want to put in the effort to get better, have a supportive (if not crazy parent) and have a good pitching coach to work with them on a regular basis. At least that is my experience.

I'll take the flame thrower every time at 9 & 10, especially if they have the interest to put the time in and are receiving good instruction. When they do "get it", 6 months, 12 months or 18 months later.... look out!!

 

[cmustangsfp]

I'll take the flame thrower every time at 9 & 10, especially if they have the interest to put the time in and are receiving good instruction. When they do "get it", 6 months, 12 months or 18 months later.... look out!!

Yes but when they still don't "get it" at 12U/14U then it becomes "Batter look out!"

 

[robertc3]

Thank you everyone. I have been working to correct the spin when I see the bullet coming at me and I think I will continue that. I don't really notice that she is more accurate with one than the other, but I will admit I was not looking for that distinction.