How get DD to push herself

[leechristensen]

i appreciate the feedback,i will have a talk with her. i know if she wants to pitch at high school and beyond she has to make a decision to give more. i know she has talent, she has had success and failure in the past, i just need her to decide if its what she wants to do because i dont want to waste her time and mine if she doesn't enjoy it. she played on a 12u team last year and will be on a 14u team and rec this year but she is the 3rd pitcher, she has control issues from lack of practice and then gets down on herself,but when she is on she is unhitable so as a dad i see the positives. she also plays first and is a good hitter so maybe we will just stick with that.girls

 

[lhowser]

Physically 5'10" and 170 is amazing for a 13 year old. If she has control issues that may not be from a lack of practice. It may be a lack of good mechanics and that could effect her desire. I haven't pitched a game competitively in baseball for 25 years and yet I've grabbed a ball and can hit the strike zone fast and consistently with almost no practice, if you know how to throw you probably could too. If she has control issues I would consider this -

Mechanic issues = control problems

control problems = frustration

frustraition = a lack of desire

It is possible?

 

[splinterpicker]

I think work ethic sometimes has to be forced a little or guided a long its a learned thing. Ive always found it ironic that some parents will require their kids to study for good grades, but ask them to have their kid pitch 2 or 3 times a week. Thats a different story. Keep workouts fun and positive. I learned that what we work on in Jan. may not show up to have helped until Mar. so patience is a plus.

 

[sluggers]

Lee,

If your DD can hit California pitching (which is the best in the US), then perhaps she should be devoting her time to hitting rather than pitching. Does she enjoy working at hitting? How long will she spend at hitting practice? If the answer is, "Well, she'll stay out there and practice hitting as long as I'll stay out there with her..." then you already have her answer about what she wants to do.

My DD's pitching coach produced bunches of D1 pitchers and players, and a couple of Olympic softball players. I asked him what he would have done differently about raising his own DD. I thought I would get something like, "I would have started her earlier with pitching" or something like that...but, no. He said, "I wish I would have spent more time doing what *SHE* wanted to do rather than what *I* wanted her to do."

That is such tremendous insight into raising kids. Honestly, if you and she aren't enjoying softball ("joy" being something different than "fun"), then playing softball is a waste of time.

 

[Sparky Guy]

He said, "I wish I would have spent more time doing what *SHE* wanted to do rather than what *I* wanted her to do."

His daughter didn't play ball. She was a dancer.

Another funny thing. The head of the program that has been around for almost as long. His daughter was a dancer also and did not play ball.

 

[lhowser]

I have to disagree on having control after years away. Fastpitch pitching is not the same as overhand pitching. It involves momentum and precise timing that does go away with lack of practice.

For precise accuracy yes...for general accuracy in the strike zone no. My 16 year old DD hasn't pitched in a game for over a year...we gave it up because we have better. This weekend because we were short players and wayyyy ahead she hopped on the mound and threw well in the mid 50's and reasonably accurate with 5 warm up pitches. I coach with a former D1 pitcher...she occassionally pitches mostly BP and cruises around 60 with very good accuracy after about a dozen warm ups. I understand your point. What I was indicating and i think it is important. Practice doesn't make perfect if you are using flawed mechanics and if she is pretty wild in games she likely could have a mechanic issue that is even more pressing than "Pushing her".

 

[CoachFP]

Screwball, if you were any good as a fastpitch pitcher, you could not pick up a ball for 10 years and be able to come out and throw reasonably accurately. I know people that have done it. If you had goofed up mechanics, then I understand.