Frequency of Pitching Lessons

[qsort]

My DD is 13 and has been pitching for 5 years. Over that span, she's been with 3 different coaches but all with similar style (long loose arm, no HE, I/R-like, Denny Tincher-style). I liked them all. DD worked with coach #2 every 1-2 weeks until she moved from the area. Coach #3 is great, but availability is intermittent - we've only had 3 lessons in 4 months. I don't think DD is suffering from that...yet.

I do a pretty good job of taking mental notes during the lessons and I try to reinforce these items when I'm working with DD. DD has some ability to self-correct, but other flaws linger. I am left to wonder whether DD would be better off with more regular lessons...even with a coach that might be a step down from coach #3.

Am I making too much of this? Is there an appropriate lesson frequency for her level of experience? Given that DD isn't a beginner, should the lesson frequency/infrequency be an issue?

 

[Sweet Lou]

I think with a beginner (like my DD 9 yo) you want to have regular lessons to reinforce proper form, add to what has been learned, introduce new pitches as needed and stop bad habits before they start.

With your DD being more advanced, as long as she is pitching well in games and working on the side I'd think more sporadic lessons would be fine. They would be more a tune up than anything else I would think.

 

[sluggers]

The real key to your DD becoming a better pitcher is you and her. There is absolutely no substitute for practice.

BASIC PITCHING

The basic pitching motion requires a lot of intense effort at the beginning. So, a kid really should go every week until she understands the motion.

After the child gets the basic motion, then there is "maintenance" to keep the motion in order. The child grows and watches other pitchers. This leads to bad habits creeping into the motion. It helps to have a PC spot the bad habits and correct them.

BREAKING PITCHES

A PC is really important for breaking pitches. With each breaking pitch, the child needs three or four lessons in addition to lots of practice time. However, I think lessons spaced 2 to 3 weeks a part would be sufficient.

SPEED AND CONTROL IMPROVEMENT

Speed and control improvement happens slowly. If you wanted your child to throw faster, probably one lesson a month would be enough.

The parent would need to invest some time and money into the right equipment. (I know people say, "Oh, don't use a speed gun"...but, you have to be able to measure the results).

My DD went to pitching lessons for a few years every other week until she was about 12YOA.

The guy who really taught her to pitch had 8 lessons in January and February. He was available to help keep her on track after February.

 

[RubberBiscuit]

Looking back at those days for DD I conclude now it was critical to have DD see her PC on a regular basis. DD saw her once a week Sept-Nov but then twice a week from Feb-Mar. Then just "touch-ups" if needed from Apr-Aug.

The essential part of this was that DD's PC was a dominant competitive mind (outward expection of results). It was not just the mechanics of pitching but the competitive juices that were being taught at the sessions.