How to overcome a bad performance?

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May 9, 2019
294
43
My DD has been pitching for a couple of years, and lately she's really come on and has been performing well. The past couple of games however, she's starting to regress and I'm honestly not sure why. The most recent game, she started throwing wild, couldn't find the strike zone, had a tough time making adjustments, and even hit a batter. When she did hit the strike zone, her balls were getting crushed.

That hasn't happened in a long long time. So this is really the first time in a long time she has had some struggles in the circle. She is 10 years old, and perhaps this is normal, but just caught us all off guard since she's been doing so well the past year or so.

How do you bounce back from games like this? Is this really just a normal part of the sport? Or should I be doing something to break her out of this mini slump?
 
May 2, 2018
200
63
Central Virginia
LOL.. sounds like you been there done that. :)

It’s so true though. Did her performance actually bother her or was it just you who was bothered? If she wasn’t bothered then just let it go and continue to practice. If she was bothered then tell her to let it go and continue practicing.

Does she have a pitching coach? Sometimes it’s just one small thing that causes some issues and once identified/corrected she is back on track.

Sometimes it’s just mental. It went sideways once and now it’s in her mind and she is overthinking it. Tell her to relax and just pitch.
 
May 9, 2019
294
43
Definitely bothered her. Maybe because she knows it would also bother me? lol.. we are all human after all.

I think I'll just give her a few days off to regather herself. Her confidence prior to this was sky high because she had made it on a high level team this coming fall. I guess it was a good humbling experience.. for the both of us.
 
Jun 8, 2016
16,118
113
Definitely bothered her. Maybe because she knows it would also bother me? lol.. we are all human after all.
Nothing wrong with it bothering her, it means she cares. My point was at that age it bothers them for a bit and then they are off thinking about something else (there are exceptions but those types idiots typically end up being oddball AME professors so let's hope she isn't one of those...)

If you have video look at it in a couple of days and see if there is anything mechanically that can be worked on..she's 10 so the odds there is but that would probably be true even if she had thrown a perfect game ;).
 
Jan 5, 2018
385
63
PNW
She's.....10. There will be good and bad days at 12U at 14U at 16u......

Ice cream is awesome, even on a bad day.

Take a day or two off then get back to work practicing. I bet every pitcher and pitcher's parent has been through this. We have.

If she has a PC ask PC or older pitchers you may know HS/College how they deal with adversity, bad days etc.
 

radness

Possibilities & Opportunities!
Dec 13, 2019
7,270
113
Along with being 10 years old brings up going through growth spurts and opens opens growth plates.
Includes muscles and ligaments stretching out...+other nuances in motor control....oh and....
She's 10

Measure the journey not the day :)
 
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