I freaking hate pitching

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May 12, 2016
4,338
113
How about some advice for Reaperjet on the post-game talk? This is a tough one too. If you're too upbeat after a rough loss, the kid knows you're just blowing smoke. Nobody wants to be too critical and be that parent, either. I usually just say something like "tough game today, that was a good team," and leave it at that. The end result is usually a pretty quiet car ride home, which I'm not so sure is the best thing either.

Advice?

My DD made a play that ended our teams championship hopes this year. I knew she would be a mess after that game. I talked to a very experienced and successful coach and asked him what do you say to a kid after something like that? He said you say and do Nothing until they are ready to talk. Best advice anybody ever gave me. Then when it's time to talk, they need to understand it's a team sport, one play does not define a game.
 
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Feb 17, 2014
7,152
113
Orlando, FL
My 10yo has been pitching and going to lessons for 9 months now.......

It's KILLING ME......Literally.

I mean, unless your kid is some natural kid with size why go thru the motions... Lessons, Money, TIME.... SANITY????

She's fine so far and so far wants to do it but, to me she's out there so vulnerable and IMO is about to get SMASHED...

She did ok in Spring ball..... She was supposed to be maybe the 3rd pitcher "just learning" and due to no one else and the "Starting" pitcher throwing Heat with ZERO accuracy, she became the "Ace" and it ended "ok" - decent year - Bad Playoff loss....

Now we worked and worked more..... FOR WHAT??????

She's not going to Alabama.... Can she even be pretty good some day??? I'm not talking College at all - I'm talking decent.... I mean, if you keep "Playing Up" and playing Travel - Either you're just an OK team or you have one of the few TRUE pitchers in town and that team Wins....

She's on a Travel Team now - They hoped to get 2 good pitchers - those pitchers went elsewhere - so,. She's the "Starting pitcher #1" - it's a start up 10u Travel team..... I have to prepare my kid to understand that this Sunday, She is going to get her Rump kicked up and down the field like she's never seen before... Like 21-2 type stuff...

Is that Good for kids????? Sure She can grasp that for a game - how about next week's 4 game Weekend? How about the next 8 years..... Practicing, working, Busting your tail..... For such little rewards - Can that Damage a kid????? You tell them good things come to ppl who work hard... Well??????? What if it doesn't?????

I wish we never started pitching - seemed like fun.. "Daddy I want to pitch"... Oh Sureeeeeee.. Good Times...

I don't let her know my feelings but, It's not enjoyable at all.... I really don't know why anyone pitches other than some sick Mega Athlete... And I know kids experience "Failure" at other sports but, do you need to be THE ONE out there all alone with the entire Game / Season / Team on your back????

So, we're spending every other day of a kids life throwing a ball just to be the freaking Pinata????

I'm going along for the ride...... But, I seriously think My health is taking a hit.... I wish we could just have a catch, field grounders and work on a swing instead of trying with every ounce of time and energy to throw 27 MPH Bean Balls for strikes.....

Thanks for listening - I'll hang up

You really do not get it, yet. Keep supporting her, at some point it will click and you will understand.
 
Nov 17, 2017
73
18
UPDATE................................... W O W.... WHAT A WEEKEND :cool:

Practice Saturday Morning..... Then Rec game - 2 Perfect innings and a W

Travel game - Up at 630a,.... Faced Monster Travel Team.... She pitched the 1st 3 innings - These kids we're all bigger than the biggest kid we had but, she pitched as well as she could have.... Her slowness may have thrown them off...lol but, 2 Great innings and 1 inning where they just didn't make plays behind her (just like Rec).... Everyone knew she did all she could. She could have pitched 3 scoreless innings with a little luck and help....

Another Rec game - 2 great innings and closed out another Tight W.....

Weekend could't have gone better - Where is the thread on College showcases????? ;)


THANK YOU.... I realize next weekend can be the opposite.... Another weekend full of driving and Games!!!!

But, THANK YOU ALL......

And to the last post - Oh I get it!!! What you didn't get was a 1st time Dad with 1 kid and his ~Shy, Quiet, Thin/Small "Baby" going out on the mound against a much better, seasoned and even older team 1st time ever.... Heck, there was a Dad next to me, probably as knowledgeable and seasoned as all of you guys also with an older daughter that's been thru it... He and I joked and talked thru it as my kid pitched - Even tho I knew it, he kept telling me she did great and all she can do..... Then his kid came in and BAM, She had a rough going and he was jumping out of his skin and even went for a walk.....lol...

We may express it differently and Anxiety and Ulcers aside, I think 1st game out, 1st child - Your little girl, the majority of Dads/Moms felt like I did in the OP and not "Man, you just don't get it"..... But, all good (Till next week)

Again - THANKS!!!
 
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Aug 13, 2018
70
18
Update for my DD as well.

She pitched Friday night, her first game ever (our first game as a team, too.) We got crushed, we could NOT make an out in the field. As a coach, my staff and I have a LOT of work to do with our fielders.

Played 4 innings in the time limit. DD struck 6 out, 1 looking which was awesome. Their coach (modified coach pitch) struck out another 3, so we only made 3 outs in the field all day. Overall I'm very happy with the results of the pitching. If we could've made even simple routine plays in the field (not dropping the ball at first, decent throw from the second baseman, etc, and even a bad throw from DD that caused a runner to be safe at first) they should have only scored 3 or 4 runs instead of the 12 that they did. Oh, well, learning experience for all.

I probably kept her in there one inning too long (though she did get the first two girls out in the 4th, and last, inning, before going on a 6 run 2 out rally, again, mostly due to errors) so that's something I need to know going forward.
 
Nov 17, 2017
73
18
Update for my DD as well.

She pitched Friday night, her first game ever (our first game as a team, too.) We got crushed, we could NOT make an out in the field. As a coach, my staff and I have a LOT of work to do with our fielders.

Played 4 innings in the time limit. DD struck 6 out, 1 looking which was awesome. Their coach (modified coach pitch) struck out another 3, so we only made 3 outs in the field all day. Overall I'm very happy with the results of the pitching. If we could've made even simple routine plays in the field (not dropping the ball at first, decent throw from the second baseman, etc, and even a bad throw from DD that caused a runner to be safe at first) they should have only scored 3 or 4 runs instead of the 12 that they did. Oh, well, learning experience for all.

I probably kept her in there one inning too long (though she did get the first two girls out in the 4th, and last, inning, before going on a 6 run 2 out rally, again, mostly due to errors) so that's something I need to know going forward.


NICE!!!!!!

Same here...... Daddy Ball coach with work to do.... Like I said tho, So far, the Travel girls missed plays just like the Little league..

Well, LOL, not "just like".. In our little league game, a girl was watching a plane go by and the ball rolled by her literally 2 feet by her foot.... LOL

My DD 1st Session pitching last Spring I vidoe'd some of the games with a GO-PRO.... I have to go back to that. Not just to see what my DD may or may not have done with pitching but, also to get a better grasp of the whole game what all the girls did.. We had one of those "perfect Innings" where everyone got a hit and we scored max runs - Some of the girls their 1st Hit ever..... I wish I captured that!!!!!!

I'll Break ou the Go-Pro this weekend..... Last year there were so many Coachable moments "On tape" that I didn't recall from memory and you really get to see the game of Inches and how close everything is from Glory to a Mess.....

GOOD LUCK!!!
 
Aug 13, 2018
70
18
I got a Go-Pro (knockoff) to record some games this year but didn't have time to get it setup before our first game. I want to fix that for the next games.

We're a "travel" team in that we play in a travel league but only 3 girls have experience playing travel last year, and no one on our team has faced kid pitch before this year, either. We're a very young team with a lot of room to grow. We're going to struggle this year, but that's fine, as long as we improve.

Good luck on your season as well!
 
May 12, 2016
4,338
113
UPDATE................................... W O W.... WHAT A WEEKEND :cool:

Practice Saturday Morning..... Then Rec game - 2 Perfect innings and a W

Travel game - Up at 630a,.... Faced Monster Travel Team.... She pitched the 1st 3 innings - These kids we're all bigger than the biggest kid we had but, she pitched as well as she could have.... Her slowness may have thrown them off...lol but, 2 Great innings and 1 inning where they just didn't make plays behind her (just like Rec).... Everyone knew she did all she could. She could have pitched 3 scoreless innings with a little luck and help....

Another Rec game - 2 great innings and closed out another Tight W.....

Weekend could't have gone better - Where is the thread on College showcases????? ;)


THANK YOU.... I realize next weekend can be the opposite.... Another weekend full of driving and Games!!!!

But, THANK YOU ALL......

And to the last post - Oh I get it!!! What you didn't get was a 1st time Dad with 1 kid and his ~Shy, Quiet, Thin/Small "Baby" going out on the mound against a much better, seasoned and even older team 1st time ever.... Heck, there was a Dad next to me, probably as knowledgeable and seasoned as all of you guys also with an older daughter that's been thru it... He and I joked and talked thru it as my kid pitched - Even tho I knew it, he kept telling me she did great and all she can do..... Then his kid came in and BAM, She had a rough going and he was jumping out of his skin and even went for a walk.....lol...

We may express it differently and Anxiety and Ulcers aside, I think 1st game out, 1st child - Your little girl, the majority of Dads/Moms felt like I did in the OP and not "Man, you just don't get it"..... But, all good (Till next week)

Again - THANKS!!!

Like I said, some parents should just find a spot outside the fences in center field. Kids definitely feed on their parents reactions during game play. This is a game of mistakes, and at this age learning/developing big time. Kids need to know it's ok to fail.. Parents "jumping out of their skin" and/or going for a walk in the middle of a game when things don't go well is very detrimental to the kids emotional/mental development of the game. Sure every parent feels anxious, nervous etc.. but that needs to stay below the surface
 
Nov 17, 2017
73
18
Like I said, some parents should just find a spot outside the fences in center field. Kids definitely feed on their parents reactions during game play. This is a game of mistakes, and at this age learning/developing big time. Kids need to know it's ok to fail.. Parents "jumping out of their skin" and/or going for a walk in the middle of a game when things don't go well is very detrimental to the kids emotional/mental development of the game. Sure every parent feels anxious, nervous etc.. but that needs to stay below the surface

When we played our 1st 10u Season 2 years back - We, of course played Vs the Older more experienced girls on the cusp of 12u and the best travel teams money can buy....

As the New Dad I noticed one Dad with the chair out in left field and talked a bunch to him.... Turns out he's the High School Football Coach.

The Guy was Ice..... he just sat there and never flinched. I definitely took notes and noticed the difference lol...
 
Jan 5, 2018
385
63
PNW
I believe we were! If Ken hosts something again, or publicizes a clinic with just him and Anna, I'm hoping our schedule allows us to fly up for it! My DD was the lefty who came in 4th for the speed competition.

YES....a couple lefty balls came my way! :) Mine was the all too serious...never smiling...one. HA HA. And the one javasource talked about her hitting lesson where she wouldn't quit until she got it right... She loved that clinic....and Anna is alumnus of our DD's HS...loved that too. If you come up be sure to connect with us!

That day was the hardest my DD has thrown. 51. She didn't believe it. We played this weekend....and while I didn't have a radar on her she threw a couple pitches...I'm sure were + her highest. I asked her about it and she said..."yeah Dad...I was pissed....I'm throwing harder now." That and she works on her pitching 5 days a week helps too. She can see her extra hard work paying off. She gets up an hour earlier every morning to do strength and condition 3x a week and work on her spins the other two.
 
Nov 17, 2017
73
18
Just checking in.... Still Alive....

2 More weekends of Running around to games and All is well - kid is a trooper - I see her trying to Throw faster and I see her mechanics slightly breaking down when she does - I want to yell about her backswing then she throws a good pitch....

Hit a good number of kids along the way..... I bring my own Ice now to hand out.

But, so far IMO with her little frame, she couldn't have pitched much better - She's the #1 on her travel team but, the #2 is Bigger and throws faster, she's going to be #1 once she gains some more accuracy - that's fine with me... We're on the same team.

Toughest part is actually throwing in the Rec leagues where the smaller girls with little strike zone don't get out of the way... And don't Swing.
You really have to be perfect to throw to a tiny girl who's not moving or swinging!!!!!!!!

Getting lots of Pitches in, I just find it hard to find the time to throw during the week with 2 Practices and other stuff going on plus weather issues....

Seeing Coach tomorrow..... Denny Tincher coming to town next month - Gonna have a Winter Plan and hit 1 more 10u Spring Ball/ Travel Plus Williamsport.

Just enjoying the Ride ;) Thanks Again!
 

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