Girls throw like their fathers

[Ken Krause]

This is more of an observation than anything else. But teaching as many pitching lessons as I do, I've had occasion to watch a lot of girls play catch with their fathers. And it's amazing how closely the throwing mechanics of the daughter reflect those of her father.

If Dad stands face-forward and pushes the ball, so does his daughter. If Dad wraps his arm around his head when he throws, so does his daughter.

I don't seem to recall that so much with boys. Not sure why -- maybe boys receive more training at an early age, or perhaps they just spend more time throwing on their own. It's my firm belief that to a boy, duck+rock=throwing practice. A girl would never draw the same conclusion.

In any case, whatever the reason, step back and watch sometime. You'll see I'm right.

For those of you who are fathers, definitely keep that in mind. However you throw is how your daughter is likely to throw. So if you want your daughter to succeed, work on your own throw first. It could help shortcut her path to being the player she wants and needs to be.

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[GOINGDEEP]

I've seen the same in batting. My same friends who were power hitters seem to have passed that onto their DD's. Even the actual swing is similar.

It is funny now that you mention it. And your right, we are passing on years of our baseball knowledge to our daughters. I love every minute of it.

 

[Jojo]

I had a new mom and her DD show up for pitching class. The daughter was warming up over handed and throwing sidearm with the ball going all over the place. The mom was frustrated and commented on how she had no idea why she threw so poorly, then she would retrieve the ball and throw it back to her DD side armed! ; )

 

[Ken Krause]

Yeah, funny how that works.

On the other hand, I have a pitching student who comes with her mom each week. The first time I saw her mom throw I could tell she had been a player at some point. I found out later she played D1 softball at my alma mater, Northern Illinois University. So she has a nice advantage going into it.