Help with my 10yr old

[grcsftbll]

Yeah... This is why I hate saying stuff like that. It sounds all braggy, doesn't it? But if they start offering her a FREE spot that'll be something new. Lol

 

[rdbass]

It sounds all braggy

You're aloud to brag.....but, be prepared the pitching gets a lot better as the DD's get older.

 

[grcsftbll]

I'm sure!

 

[redbirdone]

50mph from 35' is less reaction time than 65mph from 43'.

Here's a handy chart to use when going to a cage with machines at various distances:

Equivalent Fastpitch Pitch Speeds Conversion Chart



at 35', 40mph is the same as 49.14mph at 43', and 69.14mph in MLB - middle school/weaker high school speeds
at 35', 45mph is the same as 55.29mph at 43', and 77.79mph in MLB - D2 speeds
at 35', 50mph is the same as 61.43mph at 43', and 86.43mph in MLB - low/mid level D1 speeds
at 35', 55mph is the same as 67.57mph at 43', and 95.07mph in MLB - getting into top tier D1 speeds
at 35', 60mph is the same as 73.71mph at 43', and 103.71mph in MLB - now you're printing money

 

[Eric F]

Ok. Cool. Now that we've figured that out, does anyone else have input for the OP's DD?

 

[grcsftbll]

Derailed by math.

 

[Rooster's Dad]

Ok. Cool. Now that we've figured that out, does anyone else have input for the OP's DD?

Yes. Go through the learning experience. This is a mental hurdle all players face. Remember she's a 10 year old girl with normal 10 year old girl fears. It's a learning process that you can't skip. She and you will come to learn that the learning process is never over. PS I love grcsftbll's signature. "Crazy 10U mom"

 

[Rocketech1]

Being able to hit off a fixed pitching machine doesn't necessarily translate into being a good hitter against real pitching. At 10u rec, we would play a hitting game (a variation of the Barry Bonds drill) in the cages at 35 feet around 50mph, where if the batter hit the ball, she moved up 3 feet. If she missed, she moved back 3 feet. We had girls that would be within 10 feet of the pitching machine and could still make solid contact on the ball at 50mph. I don't know what that reaction time is but pretty damn fast. My point is that pitching machines are easy to hit off of once you get into a good rhythm. If you can hit off a live pitcher who pitches to all locations and changes speeds, that is what separates the gage animal from the real hitter.

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

Being able to hit off a fixed pitching machine doesn't necessarily translate into being a good hitter against real pitching. At 10u rec, we would play a hitting game (a variation of the Barry Bonds drill) in the cages at 35 feet around 50mph, where if the batter hit the ball, she moved up 3 feet. If she missed, she moved back 3 feet. We had girls that would be within 10 feet of the pitching machine and could still make solid contact on the ball at 50mph. I don't know what that reaction time is but pretty damn fast. My point is that pitching machines are easy to hit off of once you get into a good rhythm. If you can hit off a live pitcher who pitches to all locations and changes speeds, that is what separates the gage animal from the real hitter.

Reaction time = 10ft*(1mi/5280ft)*(3600sec/hr)/50mph = 0.136364secs.

The equivalent speed, for a hitter having that reaction time at 43ft, would be 215mph.

Every time I've seen such an approach used, it was my opinion that the result was not a positive in terms of swing development. I am receptive to reviewing video suggesting the opposite.

 

[grcsftbll]

A pitching machine is much more predictable than a live pitcher. But if it's a confidence issue sometimes they just need to see that they can hit fast pitches. It helped my dd in that way.