Ground / soil conditions

[mad hornet]

Had a 10u championship game yesterday and our pitchers were battling two big holes, one at the rubber and the other where the stride foot lands. Conditions were dry and the only fill available was the surrounding powder which did not provide good footing. Went through two pitchers who both complained about the footing and it was obviously affecting their control. Put our third pitcher in and she did ok but still not up to par but she is the largest of the three size wise.
Understand my pitchers are very solid and usually issue very few walks; however, they are normal sized ten year olds.

Opposing pitcher could have passed for a 14u player. Very tall and solidly built. She was able to step over the hole our kids were dealing with on her stride foot so they had a clear advantage.

Tournament officials did a good job dragging and lining the fields between games but the same diamond was used for all 10u games two straight days so by the time we got to the championship those holes were pretty big even though the dragging made them full of powdery dirt.

I'm looking for ideas how to combat this in the future. Umps were no help because "its the same for both teams".

 

[quincy]

More a follow-up question then an answer but DD does not care about a hole right in front of the pitching plate, she has learned to deal with it. I would be concerned with where thier stride foot lands, for all the pitchers.

How does a big hole get dug here?

 

[halskinner]

There is a reason the 'Pivot foot' is called the Pivot foot. The pivot point for the human foot is the ball of the foot. The pivot point on the pitcher's rubber is the top front edge of the rubber. Think of it like a teeter-totter.

A teeter-totter has a strong and stationary point for the bottom pivot point. The board on top has a pivot point also, the exact middle point of the board to maintain good balance. If you let go of the board when it is even with the ground, it should stay like that becayse it is well balanced. If you move the board either direction just an inch, it is NOT balanced and the heavy end drops down.

Ball of the foot directly over the front edge of the rubber, you have a well balanced teeter-totter. The rubber is strong and isnt going to move no matter how hard you push from it. You can push off to the point your foot is straight up and down and STILL maintain contact with the two pivot points. A toe hole just in front of the rubber is a GOOD THING because it allows you to do just that.

Start your pitch with the top pivot point in front of the rubber, now you are NOT pushing off from a firm and stable surface anymore and it WILL affect your accuracy,

Use the rubber and push off from it, it's the smart way to pitch. Oh yeah, dont fall off your teete-totter!

The area inside the circle where the landing foot touches down, that a different thing all together.

 

[mad hornet]

The first day of the tournament it rained lightly so the ground was soft and the repetitive pitching wore those holes in. The fields drained exceptionally well and by the next day it was like a desert floor.

The stride hole was the biggest problem they complained about.

 

[Sweet Lou]

Unless you have water, clay and a tamper, not much you can do about fixing the holes in game.

 

[Amy in AZ.]

Isn't it the tournament director's responsibility to make certain the field is maintained? I wouldn't have wanted my DD pitching in those conditions. No other position would be expected to play with a hole in front of them.

 

[quincy]

IDK but:

"If a hole has been created, the pivot foot may drag no higher then the level plane of the ground"

This tells me the pitcher needs to deal with the hole Issue by the pitching plate.

 

[starsnuffer]

Field conditions are out of the pitcher's control. While, in some cases, you may get lucky and be able to repair the field, this is not the norm. With that information, it behooves your pitchers to practice on cruddy fields regularly and figure out how to make it work.

Pitch in a hole, up hill, in the snow and 120 degree heat, with a worn out synthetic ball as round as a squash, and everything else is cake after that.

-W

 

[Amy in AZ.]

The hole at the stride foot is what concerns me. 1st base, 3rd, and P could all step in it, or a ground ball could rebound out of it. I would have insisted the field be repaired.

 

[Coach JV]

holes like you describe are found frequently in
my travels, the girls need to learn to adapt. You always have
the option of notifying the TD or grounds crew before taking the
field so at the very least they will be aware of the problem. I have
seen plenty of deep holes, they are inconvenient, but the girls need to
adapt to field conditions as they will vary greatly. Yes, it is tough on the
mechanics of a 10U pitcher, they will complain but need to rise up in
the face of adversity