- Jun 17, 2017
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Just like the title says, how many coaches here have their hitters face live pitching in practices, and how often? Please also let me know what age group you coach. I am helping coaching a 12u travel team
Hitting off of live pitching at practices??
- Thread starter Drizzle804
- Start date
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It's tough, especially at 12U when the pitching often isn't great (ie, live hitting is slow-going even if pitcher is throwing strikes--if they can't hit the zone or hitters can't hit your pitchers it's almost useless).
If you have access to a couple of fields you can run stations that include live hitting on one of the fields while using the other field to keep things moving, but you still need a pitcher, catcher, hitter and a couple of shaggers and a ton of balls. I always preferred to find an indoor facility, even in the summer, and do live hitting sessions in cages including ending with live pitching.
If you have access to a couple of fields you can run stations that include live hitting on one of the fields while using the other field to keep things moving, but you still need a pitcher, catcher, hitter and a couple of shaggers and a ton of balls. I always preferred to find an indoor facility, even in the summer, and do live hitting sessions in cages including ending with live pitching.
- May 17, 2012
- 2,806
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When you say "live pitching" as in your pitchers are throwing to your hitters in practice?
If so that's not efficient and you don't want to do that. It's not good for your hitters or your pitchers.
If so that's not efficient and you don't want to do that. It's not good for your hitters or your pitchers.
radness
Possibilities & Opportunities!
- Dec 13, 2019
- 7,270
- 113
BEST THING HITTING OFF LIVE PITCHING
Read the pitch - Timing
Read the pitch - Timing
Good for pitchers to throw with batters in the box also!
(Batters in box represent an obstacle they dont always train with)
Develop confidence throwing inside.
Batters get to see different spins and locations.
What pitchers deliveries look like.
Great Training!!
Efficiency is how its facilitated!
Read the pitch - Timing
Read the pitch - Timing
Good for pitchers to throw with batters in the box also!
(Batters in box represent an obstacle they dont always train with)
Develop confidence throwing inside.
Batters get to see different spins and locations.
What pitchers deliveries look like.
Great Training!!
Efficiency is how its facilitated!
- Aug 6, 2013
- 392
- 63
End of practice live game situational play is what DD’s team does. Pitchers throw like they would in a game and hitters see live game style pitching while the defense works as well. Every batter usually gets up a couple times. Pitchers also get to bat when their team switches.
- Jun 17, 2017
- 21
- 3
yes i mean your pitchers are
just curious, why do you think it's not good for pitchers or hitters?
just curious, why do you think it's not good for pitchers or hitters?
We typically don't do that, because it's usually not a very efficient use of the time we have. However, with the Covid shutdown, we are planning to do it a little the next few practices because our pitchers/batters haven't faced any "live" reps since a couple dome games in February. Our first game will be a tournament in late June, with no ability to scrimmage anyone before..
We are in the similar boat. Up coming tournament without ability to practice. Going to be a rough outing.
- Nov 29, 2009
- 2,975
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To a lot of coaches "Live Pitching" means a pitcher is a human pitching machine. They throw 20 pitches to a batter. Neither player gets anything good from that.
What I would do is have 3 pitchers warmed up and ready to go. The hitters got an "At Bat' and nothing more. There would be a full defense and the pitcher would pitch till they got 3 outs. Then another pitcher would be brought in and the exercise would be repeated. Each at bat was treated like a game at abt with balls and strikes being called. This allowed players to be cycled in and out. The pitchers got at bats. The catchers got at bats.
Live hitting is a chance to put what they've learned in the cages into practice in as close to game conditions as possible.
What I would do is have 3 pitchers warmed up and ready to go. The hitters got an "At Bat' and nothing more. There would be a full defense and the pitcher would pitch till they got 3 outs. Then another pitcher would be brought in and the exercise would be repeated. Each at bat was treated like a game at abt with balls and strikes being called. This allowed players to be cycled in and out. The pitchers got at bats. The catchers got at bats.
Live hitting is a chance to put what they've learned in the cages into practice in as close to game conditions as possible.
- May 17, 2012
- 2,806
- 113
For a couple of reasons.
1. Your pitchers should never be throwing batting practice. Pitchers should pitch to get batters out.
2. If your pitchers are trying to get the batters out, it is going to take FOREVER to get through all of the batters. Even at 5 minutes a batter that's close to an hour....it just doesn't make any sense. You have so many other things you need to be working on at the TEAM practice.
3. Your batters can each got to a hitting coach (or Mom/Dad/Sister/Brother) outside of practice for an hour a week and you just saved 10 hours. It's just not efficient to do it any other way.
4. If you positively have to have live pitching done at practice you need to have coach(es) pitching from shorter distance to simulate the exact same timing. Cages are helpful here but not required. Don't have 10 other players in the field while one hits. You are simply wasting everyone's time.
Be fast and be efficient with your practices....you have so little time with everyone together. Don't work on things that individuals can do on their own.
Your Return On Investment by doing TEAM hitting at practice is so small. Work on baserunning instead. I have coached 12u where we never even picked up the bats at practice.
