How old is too old?

[BB Coach]

Ok, I have a question for you experts..... Can a top % athlete start to pitch at 13 and how long would it take her to get to a point where she could be effective in TB or HS? Has never thrown underhand before (fresh pice of clay for a PC), 1st year ever playing softball. Dominant baseball, basketball, track and soccer player. Doing very well at softball so far.

Is it worth the investment of time and money?

 

[fastpitch]

I'm curious to know if anyone has experience with this too.

My DD's pitching coach started when she was 12 and went on to pitch in college. 13 isnt that old. I'm guessing with dedication and a little patience she can get there. It may take a few years. I know one girl that just turned 12 yo who is a tremendous athlete and gets it into the 50s with very limited pitching instruction and practice. She can pitch on most 12U club teams, she probably won't pitch on her current team because she's a better catcher. Other less athletic girls I can think of have been taking instruction for 5 years and are now 7th and 8th graders that barely make good rec pitchers.

 

[halskinner]

OK someone help me out here. Didnt Lisa Fernandez start out at age 12?? I seem to remember that. Am I mistaken?

Hal

 

[amanda_cake]

I would think that it would be worth the investment of the time and money. However, she'd have to work harder than everyone else to catch up. Even if you are a natural athlete, this takes time and muscle memory to get it right. I think that she would be an advantage for the PC, however, because she has no bad habits to correct. Start fresh, teach her right, and she could do it. She could definitely be effective in HS, it might take a while to get to the TB level however.

 

[EP Dad]

Plenty of time if she works hard enough AND she's not likely to burn out like some of the others who started at 8U. There are some advantages to starting late in that regard.

 

[sluggers]

Monica Abbott started at 12 YOA, so sure, it is theoretically possible. But, practically, no, your DD can't unless she gives up all her other sports. She doesn't have enough hours in the day to do it.

The main problem is that she is playing basketball, track, soccer and softball. Pitching is something that requires a lot of work, even if the athlete is extremely gifted. She will need to practice about 1-2 hours a day, 4 to 5 days a week, 11 months out of the year, starting now. Assuming she has anything approaching a normal life, she will have to give up the other sports.

Just do the schedule for her in HS:

• Pre-school practice/weight lifting in basketball/soccer/softball: 6:00-7:30
• School: 7:30-3:30
• After school practice: 3:30-6:00
• Dinner: 6:00-7:00
• Homework: 7:00-10:00
• Sleep: 10:00-6:00

Where do you get the extra 2 hours for pitching every night?

There is also one other thing your DD should consider--"In softball pitching, there can only be one." This ain't baseball where a team carries 3 or 4 pitchers and everyone pitches. Teams generally carry 2 pitchers, and only of those two pitchers is the "big dog". So, your DD could work her a** off for a year, and end up on a team where the other pitcher is better than her, relegating your DD to sitting on the bench keeping score. (If you don't believe me, look at the inning pitched in the PAC-10 by team. You'll see three pitchers, with one pitcher getting most of the time. And, by the way, the other two pitchers who are sitting the bench picking their noses--they were "dominant" athletes, too.)


My DD#3 played tennis, basketball, and softball. She did not have enough time to devote to pitching. Between her school work and the other sports, she was beat. She was going to bed at 9:30 PM every night. The only way for her to become a top flight pitcher was to give up tennis and hoops, and she wasn't going to do that.

Also, at the 13 YOA range, your DD is going to have to get very, very good very, very fast or she won't get any time on the mound during the travel ball season. If she isn't pitching 50% of the travel ball games when she is 14 YOA, she might as well hang up her cleats.

Additionally, why does she would want to do this? Are you sure you know what "being good" means in softball pitching?

This may sound brutal, but softball pitching is extremely competitive. Your DD's relative athletic ability doesn't mean as much as you might think.

 

[tojo]

I recall one of the announcers on one of the televised playoffs a few years back said that Michelle Smith began pitching in her sophomore year in HS. Does anyone know for sure?

 

[SoftSocDad]

I recall one of the announcers on one of the televised playoffs a few years back said that Michelle Smith began pitching in her sophomore year in HS. Does anyone know for sure?

:: Official Website of Michele Smith ::

According to the bio on her website, she started pitching at 15, even though she'd been playing since she was 5.

"On July 21, 1986, while Michele's father was driving her home from an oral surgeon's appointment. The sleeping Smith was thrown from the truck when her door opened on a turn. She was thrown into a roadside post, chopping off part of her elbow bone and tearing her tricep from her left arm, which severed the muscle and nerve endings in her golden pitching arm. The accident forced her to not only face the trauma of her injury, but also the end of her life as she had known it.

"It was like losing my identity," she says. Her life was far from over, after 9 intensive months of rehab she made her comeback as a pitcher at Oklahoma State University. She returned throwing 3MPH!"