Hitting Machine Speeds

[mtcoach]

I'm not an experting in hitting, but was wondering other's thoughts.
Our 12U TB Team has access to batting cages using Jugs pitching machines. I notice the head TB coach had the machines on 50. I thought that might be a little fast so I asked him if we knew hard fast the average 12U pitcher threw? He didn't know, but boy was it evident when we went to our first tourney. I believe the fastest pitcher we saw was 48 MPH and that was our pitcher. The other pitchers were in the high 30s to lower 40s and it was evident with our players as I could see their hands move a few times as the ball was coming.

So my approach on this is to shoot for the averge speed when doing BP and then make small adjustments at the plate for faster or slower pitchers. Would this be a valid approach?

 

[Amy in AZ.]

"The other pitchers were in the high 30s to lower 40s" Where are you located? I don't exaggerate pitching speeds, but that is low for a 12U TB girl.

You need to get the girls seeing as much live pitching as possible. Work on technique with the Jugs, but work mostly just pitching to the girls. If you cannot throw anywhere near the plate, get a bucket of tennis balls from a racquet club, and throw them overhand from behind a screen.

Also, include tee work. Make certain that the tee is set up properly, in front of the plate.

Others can speak to your questions about adjustments at the plate.

Good luck.

 

[3'sDad]

I stand about 30' in from the kids and throw whiffle balls underhanded to them as fast as I can. We combine this with side toss dills and about 20-25 swings off of a pitching machine set to 40- 45 mph (50 for the kids with thre fastest swings). We try to get the kids 75-80 swings with this combination every time we do batting practice. With myself and 2 partners we can go thru the entire 14 girl roster in less than an hour.

 

[SoftSocDad]

So my approach on this is to shoot for the average speed when doing BP and then make small adjustments at the plate for faster or slower pitchers. Would this be a valid approach?

If you know that one team you're about to face throws a lot of curve balls, then maybe you do extra work on that in a given session if your girls haven't seen it much before. But, in my mind, a fastball is a fastball, whether it's 50 or 40mph. I don't want to try to guess how fast the competition will be throwing. I'd want my girls to be prepared for whomever shows up.

When we're at the cages, which is only once a week now, my 7yo rec player practices on the 45mph machine. The keys for her are reaction time and driving thru the ball, she isn't trying to place it. The fastest pitch she'll see this fall will be maybe 35mph (and strikes will be few and far between).

 

[Strikker]

I set my machine based on the speeds I clocked at a regional tournament approx. 53 mph on the Jugs machine for 12U. I have a mark for each age group so I can easily adjust. I like to work my students at the level they are at or the level above but skill level can dictate this. So for a 12U the speed might be from 53 – 56 MPH when working in the cage. On occasion I will hear that the pitching speeds were slower at a tournament, but in general this speed seems to be very close to game speed.

 

[Mike]

get a bucket of tennis balls from a racquet club, and throw them overhand from behind a screen.

Amy has lots of good advice. BUT, my feeling on this is tracking and timing issues could develop. In fastpitch the ball comes in underhand from 2 to 3 feet off the ground as opposed to overhand and 5 to 6 feet off the ground.

We do lots of front toss. Set up about 15 to 21 feet in front of the batter, sit on a bucket behind a screen. You can throw the ball one of two ways. A windmill and release underhand, or simply bring your hand rearward and then forward and release underhand. They load and stride with the windmill release the same they would off of a pitcher. With the straight underhand release we have them load when our hand starts going back and stride at the release point. It is easy to vary speeds and location from this close.

As for the pitching machine we mostly use the Barry Bonds drill.

Mike

 

[Amy in AZ.]

Hey, try it. It is a super drill. I have used it at least since I coached at the NJCAA level 25 years ago. It is just one more way to get some live pitching.

But, then I never use a pitching machine to hit off of. My Jugs junior is sitting in the garage collecting dust, because no one wants to try to carry the thing to the field for outfielders drills.

By the way, I think that any athletic man can pitch fastpitch from about 30 feet using a net. Just sling shot 'em in and release at the hip. It will make you appreciate your pitchers a lot more. And it helps to use a catcher.

 

[SoftSocDad]

By the way, I think that any athletic man can pitch fastpitch from about 30 feet using a net. Just sling shot 'em in and release at the hip. It will make you appreciate your pitchers a lot more. And it helps to use a catcher.

Unfortunately, next to my wife, I'm probably the worst pitcher my daughter has ever faced. I'm getting better, but man, do I suck (unless I'm throwing hard)!

I definitely have a healthy respect for what she and other young pitchers are able to do.

 

[Mike]

Whenever I throw BP our pitchers always say " harder than it looks huh"

thats why I like throwing from a bucket from 20 ft

 

[redhotcoach]

"The other pitchers were in the high 30s to lower 40s" Where are you located? I don't exaggerate pitching speeds, but that is low for a 12U TB girl.

You need to get the girls seeing as much live pitching as possible. Work on technique with the Jugs, but work mostly just pitching to the girls. If you cannot throw anywhere near the plate, get a bucket of tennis balls from a racquet club, and throw them overhand from behind a screen.

Also, include tee work. Make certain that the tee is set up properly, in front of the plate.

Others can speak to your questions about adjustments at the plate.

Good luck.

Thanks Amy. I soft toss, well sort of, to the team, but I have been overhand pitching to dd in the last few weeks, simply because my windmill pitch SUCKS! I was thinking like Mike with the angle issue, but I thought anything has to be better and more productive then me trying to underhand fast. I had breakfast with another coach this morning who said he overhand throws from behind a net, but is sitting on a bucket. I'll have to try it tonight.